Birdseye – For You, Love Me
Emotive singing and beautifully haunted music makes the songs of “Birdseye” a surprising and welcome gift. This Oakland, Ca band conjures up memories of Great Lake Swimmers with similar expanses of water beckoning to be crossed.
David Mellish on vocals/guitar has been captivated by melody starting as a young child, he now expains, “my ears are captivated by emotion and the story of the artist. What really has brought forth the most profound inspiration is witnessing that feeling live. I can’t tell you how powerful it is to watch a band or a single musician tap into my vulnerability that is usually protected by a fortress. Whenever that happens, writing songs seem so much easier.”
Swan on vocals/songwriter has an equally compelling story and diverse influences ranging from indie-electronic, indie-folk, and over the years she has been heavily influenced by the blues, world music, post-punk, psychedelic rock, avant-garde and jazz! Hard to keep up with it all; but this blogger enjoys a wide palette of musical flavors that enrich my musical appreciation. Swan adds beautiful vocal flourishes to already strong songs, not unlike Lisa Hannigan‘s solo work and her prior contributions to Damien Rice.
Wade into the deep, dark, yet delicate waters of Birdseye and push yourself from the shore’s safety to float downstream to a place of hope and new found wonder.
Birdseye, an indie band with baroque and folk edges, was born in the presence of multi-layered inspiration when Swan and David Peter Mellish met in the Spring of 2010. Although their first song began almost immediately via lyrical text messages and half a dozen more shortly followed, their journey shifted with a distance that kept their music sleeping until the following Spring. With stories of their paths tucked in their pockets and projections of their hearts imprinted in their visions, the songs picked up where they’d left off and new ones were born, rich with compelling harmonies, inventive songwriting and layered arrangement. Birdseye is currently in the studio writing their first album, and gearing up for summer festivals and touring.
birdseyemusic.com
facebook.com/birdseyemusic
David’s earlier band “Paper Machete” is worth considering. It has a trippy indie-pop vibe with Radiohead like vox. I personally have to cast my vote for Birdseye as my favorite of these two incarnations.
Heroes of Indie Music 