"Family Lumber will immediately bring to mind Built To Spill (and in fact, they have opened for them before), Death Cab For Cutie and the like. What is surprising when listening to a band that is a reminder of so many Ghosts of Indie Rock Past is that it’s not only good, but refreshing. Family Lumber fits right in with its musical peers, but pitches a juggernaut that more than stands on its own two feet.
No small stranger to the small town, Tietjen formed the group in 2006 on none other than New York’s Long Island, known more to some as producing Taking Back Sunday, Brand New andGlassjaw, rather than, say, Billy Joel. While Family Lumber does not share a sound with the above, whether you like them or not, they do share a communal sensibility and warmth to their craft that can only be honed by a restless upbringing in the suburbs. Along with Derek Smith, Chris Askin and Greg Brech, Tietjen released the “Look To The Sidelines” EP, which has at least two songs that already sound like “classics” to me – and they aren’t even a year old. It’s pretty hard for a song to get stuck in my head, that is, to be memorable, unless I’ve been listening to it repeatedly or it’s latched on to my veins and won’t let go. I woke up with “No Worries” playing in my mind this morning and all I could think was I’m so grateful every day for bands like this existing.
It’s especially hard to stand out and create your own sound today. Family Lumber’s Michael Tietjen makes it happen, somehow avoiding using a cobwebby crutch and delivering songs that are lightheartedly heart-wrenching. I often ponder the question to myself of how in an era where we are so fixated with our own past and glorify everything that happened not only 80 years ago, but yesterday too, is it possible to still sound fresh? Everything’s “been done,” yeah? The one thing that does hold up is the idea that everyone’s been so keen on that you have to be clear about who you are and offer that up for dinner. Tietjen is an absolutely sincere songwriter, which is why I buy every single second of it.
The “Look To The Sidelines” EP is a real solid release to start the New Year with. Later this year Family Lumber is set to record their full length album. Family Lumber have created a cohesive, perfectly complimentary set of songs that I can’t listen to without putting on the other three right after. Now that’s a great EP" (Feat: listenbeforeyoubuy.net)
No small stranger to the small town, Tietjen formed the group in 2006 on none other than New York’s Long Island, known more to some as producing Taking Back Sunday, Brand New andGlassjaw, rather than, say, Billy Joel. While Family Lumber does not share a sound with the above, whether you like them or not, they do share a communal sensibility and warmth to their craft that can only be honed by a restless upbringing in the suburbs. Along with Derek Smith, Chris Askin and Greg Brech, Tietjen released the “Look To The Sidelines” EP, which has at least two songs that already sound like “classics” to me – and they aren’t even a year old. It’s pretty hard for a song to get stuck in my head, that is, to be memorable, unless I’ve been listening to it repeatedly or it’s latched on to my veins and won’t let go. I woke up with “No Worries” playing in my mind this morning and all I could think was I’m so grateful every day for bands like this existing.
It’s especially hard to stand out and create your own sound today. Family Lumber’s Michael Tietjen makes it happen, somehow avoiding using a cobwebby crutch and delivering songs that are lightheartedly heart-wrenching. I often ponder the question to myself of how in an era where we are so fixated with our own past and glorify everything that happened not only 80 years ago, but yesterday too, is it possible to still sound fresh? Everything’s “been done,” yeah? The one thing that does hold up is the idea that everyone’s been so keen on that you have to be clear about who you are and offer that up for dinner. Tietjen is an absolutely sincere songwriter, which is why I buy every single second of it.
The “Look To The Sidelines” EP is a real solid release to start the New Year with. Later this year Family Lumber is set to record their full length album. Family Lumber have created a cohesive, perfectly complimentary set of songs that I can’t listen to without putting on the other three right after. Now that’s a great EP" (Feat: listenbeforeyoubuy.net)
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