Into It. Over It.: Twelve Towns

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Into It. Over It.
Twelve Towns
(Topshelf Records)

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Evan Thomas Weiss has been a prolific musician for years, such as when he recorded and released a song each week throughout 2007. From 2009 to 2010, Weiss occupied some of his time by coming up with twelve songs of geographic origins. The results appeared on six 7” records, along with contributions from other artists.

So why should you bother with Twelve Towns? To start, no two songs are the same, just as no two even focus on the same state. Each track’s identity is as individual as the city it focuses on. The range goes from delicately acoustic to post-punk, occupying shades of Sebadoh and Death Cab for Cutie, particularly since Weiss’ voice is quite similar to that of Ben Gibbard.

Additionally, there are five acoustic versions of the songs to give a new spin on these tracks. “Billings, MT” gains a new energy by being stripped back, and “Brenham, TX” goes from a loud, immediate track to something much more delicate when acoustic.

My recommendations from this collection are the slow-burning “Portland, OR” and appropriately Fugazi-infused “Washington, DC.” In his guise as Into It. Over It., Evan Thomas Weiss demonstrates a powerful flexibility as a songwriter and performer. Hopefully he can keep up that energy and output for many years to come.

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