my june, july, august, and september until i got to see most of the tracks of bishop allen's 2007 release entitled 'the broken string'.now like a lot of music in my life (more so when i was growing up rather than in the past 3-5 years) i was introduced to the brooklyn based rock, movie, sparknotes.com band by my older brother, jmc. 'jam' as we (me) sometimes (almost never) call him put me onto bishop allens 1st cd, 'charm school', one weekend in new york back in late 2005. i was hooked on the band and got even more hung up on the group during their extensive ep project in 2006 where they produced an ep per month.
all of my fandom and hype towards these indie rock/art legends fronted by 2 harvard grads, justin and christian (who looks a lot like 'jam' at times), culminated with the release of broken string. their sophomore album starts out with a lyrical master piece entitled 'the monitor' describing a historical battle during the civil war with ties to the old brooklyn armory. the track transfer happens seamlessly from 'the monitor' to 'rain' an upbeat pop tune that has demonstrates bishop allens playful musical nature paired with their image driving lyrics. the next track is probably what i would dub the album single, 'click click click click' which has made it onto tv through you guessed it a digital camera commercial.
'chinatown bus' the track not the cheap mode of transportation between major cities dotting the eastern seaboard is the next song on the album that approaches themes of different cultures and their interactions. the salsaie spanish themed tuned 'like castanets' really highlights the literature foundations to bishop allens lyrics. 'butterfly nets' is a soft tune featuring darbie (the female member of the band) on vocals singing about chasing, catching, and releasing a particular butterfly and the comfort it brings.
the short stripped down tune following 'butterfly nets' is called shrinking violets and features justin on a banjo that makes you wonder why he doesnt pick it up more. 'corazon' is the last track i will discuss (i am omitting the last 3 tracks because i need to make dinner for my roomies ... i am going with the slam dunk simple quesadillas). its a freaking fantastic song with a string driving beat littered with strong piano chords that play as the setting for the story of how the band found the piano on the side of the road abandoned by a school and adopted to complete the band. i mean these guys could not get any cooler. the cd will set you back 15 bucks but you will get so much value out of it ... im serious on this one!
click click click click
had ducked out of the rain
into miaria's wedding day
and i sat there with her friends
and with her family
and i was happy
i wasn't someone they'd invite
because i didn't know the groom
or know the bride
but when i stood next to her brother
for the photograph
he was laughing
take another picture with your click, click, click, click camera
sure, i've got pictures of my own
of the people and the places that I've known
here's one: i'm carrying your suitcase
outside of alphabet city
but in someone else's life
where maria is a wife
i'm on the mantle in the corner of the photograph
smiling pretty
take another picture with your click, click, click, click camera
are you tired of where you've gone?
and you think you might belong
in a moment when you step out of the rain?
and you've ended up in someone else's frame?
and they're memory now is never quite the same
and they never even thought to ask your name
take another picture with your click, click, click, click camera
