Not many bands can turn the drive from Madison, Wisc., to Daytrotter headquarters into a seven hour epic day, but Michigan’s The High Strung did just that when they visited us months and months ago. A van that was completely fucking up caused it to sputter along at 30 miles an hour and they arrived here two hours late for the session. When they did get here, they made up for their tardiness, treating our reel-to-reel to a special evening of delights. The three brand new songs and the completely unrecognizable version of “Seems It’s One Thing” that they played here and which are presented below are certainly not inanimate objects. You know how some songs are, they just kind of lie there, limp as a drape, not worth our attention. These three songs feel like they could kick up a storm or they could just tuck you into a warm bed. There’s a sense of safety and turmoil that blends the entire feeling into an optimist’s turbulence, rife with dark undercurrent of suspiciousness even though it retains an aloof indie playfulness. Lead singer Josh Malerman does character sketches in a way that make them ring with some of that “I know a guy/girl like that, I think” zeal that isn’t the same thing as when you listen to anyone else do it. There are little intricacies and twisty turns to his writing and the goodness that drummer Derek Berk and bassist Chad Stocker supply to the pudding makes those words feel like the most lively parts of a printed page. He seems to want people to be able to rip these characters out of a Carver or Cheever novel, maybe a Vonnegut story with less of an emphasis on technology and wackiness. These are songs doctored up little. They are raw and yet inviting. They could make you freeze in your place. – Sean Moeller

First song: The Baddest Ship (The High Strung) [2.37MB] [1996 downloads]


– unreleased
“The High Strung landscape (the one that exists in their songs anyway) is decorated with a heap of Lewis Carroll-esque characters. (This song) is narrated by an actress who has played so many roles that she can’t remember who she really is anymore.”

Second song: Missed Easily (The High Strung) [2.79MB] [2038 downloads]


– unreleased
“…is the short story of a girl who insists that, though she is down in the dumps, she is not yet fully depressed.”

Third song: Sit Up Straight (The High Strung) [2.19MB] [1925 downloads]


– unreleased
“…for what it’s worth, this is a straight love song!”

Fourth song: Seems It's One Thing (The High Strung) [2.85MB] [1947 downloads]


– original version appears on “Moxie Bravo”
“…is the story of an overachieving little girl who won’t disclose her methodology.”