OpticDistraction Photoblog

November 8^th, 2006

This is a couple of local Avalon youths hanging out at the Picnic Fry. I’m pretty sure the Picnic Fry hasn’t changed in decades. Mom and Pop shops DO still exist… on islands…

Anyway, North Carolina’s Annuals released their debut album Be He Me in October. It’s a quite promising debut, rich with variety and sudden tempo and rhythmic shifts. The song Brother (the band, too, actually) has received quite a bit of internet buzz, but I had been pretty much unaware until a few weeks ago. Since then, this song has been in constant rotation. The distant sound of crickets start it off until a simple two-chord progression and an equally simple melody provide a calm mood, which the band cacophonously and perfectly destroys around the 1:50 mark. The lyrics deal with the struggles of aging and remembering the boundless freedom of youth, which belies songwriter Adam Baker’s 20 years of age. Annuals’ strength lies in the accessible, yet unique sound, and this song shows off their characteristic ADD style with random computerized sounds and chopped up vocals. It is of course worth mentioning that the band is a collective comprised of 6 individuals with many more contributing (certainly a source of their acoustic variety), and no member is over the age of 22. Very promising, especially if you’re a fan of Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, or Broken Social Scene. I will admit I’m not as smitten with all of Be He Me, but definitely check out the tracks Dry Clothes and Bleary Eyed if you like this one.

• Avalon (19)
• B&w (143)
• Catalina (155)
• Centered (12)
• People (94)
• Wide Screen (11)

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