I’m at the beginning of a remixed version of First Listen, First Thoughts, as I’m taking the concept global under the banner of Songs from Every County in the World (or something like that), and I’m two countries in so far. But tonight I’m going domestic, and because my next stint on the road is to New England, I bumped around bandcamp.com (you still need to fix your damn search feature, it’s so frustrating knowing how good it could be, but how it still sucks). I stumbled around blindly and clicked on a band with my eyes closed. Here’s where the roulette ball ended up…

Artist: The Tower and the Fool
Song: Love is a Sad Song
Recommended by: blindly punching buttons on bandcamp.com

It looks like the band is from Rhode Island. Though I’ve been through Rhode Island, I can’t really recall any notable Rhode Island memories.

So I started thinking about music experiences I’ve had in the more general New England area. I came up with two things. The most noteworthy was catching M. Ward at some place in Somerville back in 2006 that was a pretty mindblowing. One of those nights where music is more powerful than drugs.

And then my memory bank coughed out a roadtrip in 2002 that took me up into Maine. What I remember most was listening to an Aimee Mann cd and NPR even though I’d just bought the new Sleater Kinney record I was supposed to be really excited about (the one before The Woods, but after The Hot Rock) before ending up in Boston not far from Sommervile on our way back to the Midwest.

To bring this shit full circle, when I got back from that road trip in 2002 with Sharon we ended up in Chicago with tickets to see Bright Eyes and M. Ward opened for him (the first time I’d ever heard the name M. Ward).

Life is circles.

But enough of my recounting…

Who it sounds like before I listen to the first note:

The Sea and Cake: Obviously I’m playing word association here with the double object thing. The Sea and Cake is one of those bands that I really wanted to love because I hear these moments of brilliance and I think, “Yes! Give me an album of this!” but then the song goes in a different way and I stay seated in the booth thinking, “No, that’s not the one I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life.” Kinda jazzy. Indie rock. Lyrically smart. If you don’t know them, start with the song “Parasol” to see my whole The Sea and Cake experience wrapped up in one song.

Iron and Wine: I’m probably doing the same thing with the names, but it’s also because the song is called “Love is a Sad Song” and that sounds all shoegazy and mopey and lo-fi, and when I think of those things, I sometimes think of Iron and Wine. My first introduction to them was the song “The Sea and the Rhythm” and I haven’t found anything in their catalog since then that matches that beauty. I didn’t have the benefit of a baseline before I heard it, a fact that probably works against them. Anyway, maybe The Tower and the Fool plays stripped down acoustic guitar/singer and that “Tower” is this tall dude who is totally ripped and used to play football and the “Fool” is a guy from the Drama club who has a black backpack with a Joy Division patch on it, and the two of them hated each other in high school, and then found out later in life, while drinking coffee at a Friendly’s in Pawtucket, that really they had much more in common with each other and that the best way to repair the divide was to start a band.

The Thermals: Something to do with album covers here. Like, the cover of the Thermals album “Fuckin A” could have been a picture of towers and fools—it’s currently nuclear reactors and somebody jumping in the air. So, maybe it is, artistic interpretations being what they are. If that’s what The Tower and the Fool is like, expect some blistering rock at 100 miles an hour ripping your face off.

Let’s shut off the Cat Power duet with Neil Young, get out of the past, and listen to a little The Tower and the Fool.

:02 First thing I’m hearing is acoustic guitar. The first thing I’m seeing is the dude from the Drama club.

:11 there might be traces of a tambourine or some other percussion instrument in the background. So far, and it’s not very far yet, I dig this. Also, I think I could make an argument for how this sounds like a sped up version of “The Sea and the Rhythm” and that would be an odd coincidence.

:20 first vocals coming in are from a guy, and they’re really good. They complement the music and the opening line, “You write letters to yourself because you know there’s no one else” is pretty fabulous.

1:02 the vocals vaguely remind me of Jesse from Brand New.

1:31 the chorus just came in. I’m buying this song. Somebody might levy an accusation that it’s a little too mopey, but I’d tell them to fuck off, so we’d be even. It’s smart enough that it doesn’t come across as manufactured or manipulative. You can have my cool points, anyway.

2:04 I’m also reminded of the Smoking Popes song “First Time.”

4:00 the video’s theme seems to be one of “we get up every morning to go to a job we hate where we play the role of a yesman paper pusher and after a while we’ll call in sick with a case of suicide or office place violence. It goes with the tone of the song and the echoes of ideal love crushed by the day to day.

Final thoughts:

Though none of the comparisons were spot on musically—I’d say “Love is a Sad Song” is closest to a hybrid between The Sea and Cake and Iron and Wine. Thematically, they’re all from the same family.

The lyrics and music work for me. I don’t know if I could do a whole album of songs like this, but I’m assuming there’s variety in The Tower and the Fool catalog, so I have no problem buying the self-titled album and if the chance to see them live popped up in my neck of the woods, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up tickets.

The video description says that it’s what director Katy Guest worked on her senior year of college. I’d be curious to know whether she’s still working on video stuffs. She did good work. And you can see that good work below.