Tomas Sen – Try Solitude

Try Solitude is an eclectic, experimental album riddled with acoustic guitar and prominent piano melodies mixing with programmed drum parts and vocal samples. The debut from Jeff Thomassen was recorded in his home studio, and at just 17 years old, the Lafayette native came up with his moniker in honor of his family – one of the many themes that comes up during the course of the album. Try Solitude is somewhat of a concept album with an array of ideas that come together ranging from self-identity, love, spirituality, social injustice, solitude, and passion.

It is a reflective album with each song relating to a specific theme. Thomassen’s fascination with concept albums influenced the direction of this album. From start to finish, Try Solitude is really a journey of a young man trying to feel things out. The lyrics are poetic narratives that clearly show Thomassen’s curiosity with every facet of life. And he does so in an insightful way, with maturity beyond his years. The pseudo-concept album angle could have easily gone awry, but the honesty and passion takes it to another level.

Thomassen’s fondness of nostalgia also shows in a few tracks, particularly “Phantom Jealousy.” There’s a distinct flair for a retro sound with nods to 1950s pop music reinforced by doo-wop style vocals. “The Human Farmers” incorporates some elements from early indie masters like The Pixies and They Might Be Giants. But more modern sounds are featured on “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” with a strong synth pop flair. This broad range of influences is the perfect complement to the concept album, giving it more dimension than solely relying on the storytelling component.

The downside is that all this diversity keeps the album from having a sense of cohesiveness. Each song is good in its own right, but the tracks don’t flow together as well as they could. Every song has such a strong identity that at times contradicts the others.

Overall, Try Solitude is a high quality debut with a unique twist on what can be considered a concept album. It’s creative, reflective, and an impressive first showing from a young, emerging artist.

You can purchase the album in its entirety as a name-your-own-price deal from Bandcamp here.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Perhaps it was a much needed respite, but after two months of music coming at us at a blistering pace, August finally slowed down a bit. However it did bring us a lot more albums rather than singles, so there was still a lot of great music to listen to. We had two game soundtracks make the list this month, as well as a number of interesting concept bands and experimental albums. I’m not sure why I’m consistently surprised to come across something new, but it happens just about every month. Read on, have a listen, and enjoy!

Alex Riggen – Milk

Alex Riggen has been a member of a number of bands, counting Far From Words and Murnau among his ventures. He’s now gone solo and has released an album all his own. Milk is the second album from the Iowa-based musician, following last year’s debut Rabbit. This 8-song pop/alternative set starts off with the slow, organ-laden “Crown” and maintains a minimalist sound throughout in both the vocals and the instrumentation. The album is available now on Bandcamp.

Chris Christodoulou – Risk Of Rain OST

Chris Christodoulou is the composer behind the atmospheric soundtrack of upcoming space platformer Risk of Rain. Staff music writer Jennifer described the OST as “…not just an ordinary chiptune album – Christodoulou’s musical background adds a level of refinement that accentuates the feel of the game.” The game is currently in beta, but you can have a listen to the soundtrack below.

Digital Noise Academy - Synemy

The story behind Synemy is fascinating. The new album from 6-member Digital Noise Academy (aka DNA) was created through a process which is essentially the classic “Telephone Game”. Each song would be created by passing it around from one member to another, each adding something to the track. The band includes a mix of music producers, solo artists, and group musicians each bringing some of their personal flavor. Because the tracks are so different, it’s impossible to pin down a specific genre to classify the album under though alternative is fairly prevalent. You’ll just have to have a listen for yourself.

Summerays - Summer Daze

August has come and gone, but Summer’s not quite over yet. Summerays, a surf pop band from Cleveland, captures a bit of the Summer spirit in their 10-song EP Summer Daze. The album was actually released back in January, but was recently brought to our attention. I’m glad we were introduced to it, because it provides the perfect sound for the season. A second album, Daydream, was released back in late 2011 and contains that surf pop style though with a more subdued feel.

Post War Stories - Cold Wars

Post War Stories brings a couple of firsts to our music coverage at The Indie Mine. First, they’re from the Isle of Man which explains why their music contains themes of isolation. Second, their style falls under trip hop with a bit of prog rock mixed in. This all comes together in their debut EP Cold Wars. The 4-track compilation releases in September, but you can have a listen now.

Rich Douglas – Shadowgate OST

Shadowgate is one of those games where you’re flooded with memories or you are simply too young to remember it. The 25th anniversary of the original is upon us (1987 on Mac and 1989 on NES) and developer Zojoi is remaking the game for a modern generation. Rich Douglas is the composer behind the epic soundtrack which comes in at a whopping 25 tracks. That total also includes a number of bonus tracks not found within the game. The songs themselves have everything you want from a fantasy-based soundtrack with some wonderful orchestral and especially choral work. We’ve included the Shadowgate theme song below for your listening pleasure.

Stickman Cartel – “Accolade”

“Accolade” is the debut track from London-based band Stickman Cartel. When our music writer, Jennifer, recently reviewed the single, she called the style “indie disco” and described the song as “…fun, catchy, and it’s meant to get your feet moving.” That energy carries through to their live performances, but for those not living in the UK, the song officially releases on September 2nd.

Northern Hustle – Forgether

Northern Hustle is another band with an interesting premise behind their music. Forgether is the first of three albums which will contain one story. The Arizona-based concept band has an acoustic/folk rock sound, and their ten-track album has some great instrumentation including some interesting percussion choices along with a slide guitar. Although only a handful of their songs are available at the time of this writing , the uptempo beat on “Tangled” is contagious and I can’t wait to hear more when the album lands on September 6th.

Welch & Penn – Early Bird Gangsters

Welch & Penn are an interesting duo. Freddie Wilson (aka Fountain Penn) is a singer-songwriter and Donnie Welch is a performance poet. The two started the Welch & Penn project back in 2012 and are recorded their EP Early Bird Gangsters earlier this month. It’s easy to hear where each member’s influence came into play as each of the three tracks includes Welch’s intense poetry interspersed within – and sometimes overlaid on – Penn’s equally emotional vocal work. With such a heavy weight placed upon the lyrics, each of the songs needs a few listens to fully appreciate the message. Have a listen.

Tomas Sen – Try Solitude

Jeff Thomassen is a bit of a do-everything kind of artist. He’s the writer, composer, arranger, recorder, and producer behind Tomas Sen. He’s put all of that effort to use in creating his debut album Try Solitude. Like many of the other entries this month, this is an experimental album. Try Solitude is a compilation of ten tracks that range from folk to electronica to surf. A backdrop of bird song and whistling in a few of the early tracks helps perpetuate an easygoing acoustic feel. The middle of the album has more of an ambient electronica sound. As advertised, the album really is all over the place in terms of style, but it’s all tied together by the idea that these are all thoughts that pass through our minds when we’re alone.

Well that does it for August. A few of these albums come out in early September, so make sure you keep an eye on them if you enjoy them. As always, let us know if you had a favorite artist out of the bunch, or if there’s a band we’ve missed that you think highly of. Until next time…

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.