Ever find something perfect?
Recently, I stumbled across “I clung to you hoping we’d both drown,” an album by singer/songwriter/producer/musician Mitch Welling, the man behind the indie band flatsound. I have to say, this album comes close to being the perfect album. And I don’t say that often.
I will be the first to admit, it may not have that “perfect” effect on everyone. But it definitely can, if you let yourself be open to new things.
The first three minutes of “I clung to you” are little more than layers of synthesizer and deliberately placed static. But it doesn’t sound bad, it’s familiar. Only with the second track “old lumina” (Welling, being as cool as he is, doesn’t capitalize proper nouns) do we hear Welling’s voice. It’s hazy, and reminiscent of Elliott Smith’s basement tapes.
Something I really appreciate about this album (besides everything) is its ability to stray from the mainstream. Today, it seems that all you need to make music is a few guitar chords and great hair. While Welling can play guitar, and has great hair, there is more to his music than just telling some already-flawless girl that she’s beautiful. There is a poetry to “I clung to you” that is curiously missing from most popular music. “I didn’t dodge all your bullets/I just denied that they hit me,” is only one of the lyrics that displays the profound simplicity of flatsound.
The lyrics just quoted are from the song that introduced me to flatsound, “my heart goes bum bum bum.” The poetry of the lyrics, even the poetry of the music itself, is what drew me in. And while I love every song on the album, this one is still my favorite.
There is a laid-back quality to each song on the album that is something you can only find on an independent album. Even in the more upbeat songs, you can hear the lack of perfection. And that is in no way a bad thing. At the end of “i lost control” you can hear Welling asking an unknown person if they think people can hear them downstairs. There are nuances throughout the album that make it obvious “i clung to you” was recorded in a bedroom. And that isn’t a bad thing. The little bit of lo-fi static behind each layer of sound makes you almost feel like you’re listening to a vinyl. That’s hard to replicate on a CD.
Between the songs are interludes, Welling’s friends telling stories of spiders and love and the sadness of existence. The terrors and tribulations of living. Stories that refuse to be drowned out by the music. And they are beautiful.
What I’m getting at is just give flatsound a chance. Maybe lo-fi recordings aren’t your style, but you might find refuge in some of the lyrics. Not every lyric is sad, as you might assume from the title of the album; there are more optimistic lyrics. Like this one “so when my leaves grow dark and old/they’ll be kept alive by the stories told” from “we’ll live” the third track.
Look up flatsound on Tumblr or Facebook to hear samples, and maybe even ask him a question or two. He’ll respond. He usually does.
And in the style of Welling’s common conclusion: Best regards, hail kittens, etc.
Hear “I clung to you” and Welling’s other albums at flatsound.bandcamp.com
Good: This album is spectacular. Mitch is able to capture a terribly vast emotion and encapsulate it into 59 minutes of amazing.
Bad: The album needs to be longer. I need more.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
