The Deleted Scenes Leave Nothing Out of Lithium Burn

The Deleted Scenes are an interesting band that involves people from all aspects of regular non-musical lives. From the singer being a stay at home dad to the bass player having a PHD in bio medical engineering this band pretty much have life covered. With so many bases covered, and so many potential influences and stories the songs these guys come up with are a direct reflection of the regularity of existence; kind of ironic that regularity can lead to inspiration don't you think?

Their third album, Lithium Burn is a mathy little record that sounds like an emotional Ben Folds lost in an chemical equation. The record is complicated and jumpy and makes a few sudden and quick musical left turns over the course of it's performance. With time signature changes, angular guitar work, and an emotional outpouring of lyrics Lithium Burn keeps itself algebraic in it's approach and yet somehow human. There aren't really verse/chorus/verse songs here per se. Rather, Lithium Burn is a series of nervous jitters set to music that at any second could change paths and head of somewhere else. It's unpredictable and exciting and the emotions that Deleted Scenes are playing with make it all sound sentimental and inviting. It's not the easiest record to get into and there are probably a zillion separate riffs here but if you're at all musically inclined this record will fascinate and make sense.

Lithium Burn is a very good record from a technical sense; it's chock full of riffs, complicated swerves and turns and features a bunch of guys who clearly love playing. It's also a beautiful record because buried within all this technicality and music theory are some emotionally touching and gorgeous moments. It's truly cool to hear these guys play their hearts out and then just let their emotions run rampant within a song. From lush slow songs to churning rifferamas Lithium Burn is far from a Deleted Scene or a bonus feature...it's a starring role.

Deleted Scenes Wear Birdseed Shirts

Despite their name, Washington DC based, Deleted Scenes do not write movie scores for DVD's. Instead, this foursome write jilted indie rock songs that are just strange enough to make you pay attention. Their debut album, the bizarrely titled Birdseed Shirt,was pieced together over nine months of painstaking work involving the production genius of L. Skell.

The results of that odyssey is an album that's utilizes the quiet / loud dynamic so masterfully, that if you didn't know better, you'd swear this band was either indecisive or half deaf and having constant trouble adjusting its hearing aid. It's quirky stuff that at times sounds so much like The Shins, you can't help but wonder if it's not really them under all that facial hair.

Facial hair and similarities to other bands aside, Deleted Scenes are a fine band in their own right. In fact, much of Birdseed Shirtis a despair, depressed filled ride of joy. It's crammed with jangly guitars, vibes, sleepy vocals, and just enough hooks to keep you mesmerized. Birdseed Shirt might not hit you over the head with a big chorus or riff, but repeated listens will paint a clearer picture of how sublimely smart this band really is. "Ithaca," for example is such a quiet little song with a xylophone leading the way that when it erupts into an almost jazz-like influenced chorus the song has already made it's mark. It's a tender song that's almost slips by unless you're paying attention and it just so happens to be one of the best moments on Birdseed Shirt simply because it's charms are hidden between bigger songs.

Deleted Scenes quietly go about their business weaving complex and emotional songs that make their impact behind your back. It's because of this that Birdseed Shirt is a beautifully abstract record. It might not be loaded down with hits, but it's so incredibly consistent with fantastic songs that require you to pay attention you can't help but inadvertantly like it.