MUSIC REVIEW: STATE SHIRT - 'LET'S GET BLOODY'

Something For The Weekend: A Free Album of Indie-Pop Drive & Dreamlike Ambition

By: Andrew Shaw

December 16, 2011

(Stateshirt.com) State Shirt is Ethan Tufts, and his latest digitally released collection of tunes, Let's Get Bloody, is currently available from his official homepage. In fact, there are a whole bunch of tunes available for free under the “Buy or Steal” options of the site. Given the current nature of the music industry, when labels and audiences appear less inclined to gamble precious money on new tunes, “Buy or Steal” may be an unintended pun, as well as a serious option for the newcomer, keen to introduce their material, establish rapport, and nurture relations with passing traffic. 

State Shirt is a one-man band. From writing to performance to production, everything remains under the control of Tufts. Continuity of tone is the most obvious strength of Let's Get Bloody. Tuft's accent echoes in every aspect, under every stone that is laid, lifted and explored. There's a deep sense of music-nerdability about proceedings. Instrumental treatments are very clean whilst retaining healthy distance from becoming overtly hygienic. Loop work is very crisp, and there is shine on all elements. Fear of Tuft's emotional intelligence becoming academic, as a rich lyrical vocabulary asserts itself over alt-pop and indie elements, is understandable but misplaced. This is not monosyllabic stuff usually found within genre. This is Tuft's natural 'voice,' and it is refreshingly honest within itself; no sacrifices are made to lower standard, broaden appeal, and jump hoops for acceptance. For that reason alone, appeal is all the greater.

What initially appears as a collection of straight-to-radio, driven tracks of polished alt-pop-rock soon reveals itself as a surreal little trip through an unusually perceived landscape. Despite shine, these tracks are not all surface.

“Cassettes” displays Tuft's voice at its purest. A guitar-hook chimes, a beat drives like an arrow, and Tuft's vocal performance here elevates spirit. “After all, they're all just memories / Like the photos of my past.” The nature of memory -- why we refuse to let some things go, and just how we choose to remember -- is discussed. Smartly, what starts as a clear instrumental reflection becomes distorted, misted, and perhaps not quite as true as the outset of recollection. We end up being reduced to nothing more than “Empty bodies...skeleton recordings” of memory. Treasures are not untarnished. Memories are special, but sometimes our means of remembering are not as sharp as they could be. It's good stuff.

“Sometimes When I'm Dreaming” closing out the collection is the most surreal moment, and perhaps the most successfully articulated atmosphere on the album. With ethereal reverb, there is a strange undercurrent of almost imperceptible, glitched beeps (or finger scrapes on a guitar string); the effect is warm, clean, and unusual. Vocal tracks layer upon one another and twist like smoke so the original lead surrenders to the back, and the background moves up into the light, so emphasis shifts. Imagine flooding a cathedral from floor to rafters, and then being able to watch the ghosts of prayers swim about. That's the kind of effect Tufts has achieved. There is no explicit mention of soul or spirit or anything like that; this is a simple dreamscape, and it works incredibly well in showing the 'other-worldliness' of the mind, regardless of spiritual or non-spiritual beliefs of the mind, when awake. We are most certainly dreaming.

State Shirt's eagerness to share his original material is a move of symbiotic generosity between artist and listener. The “Buy or Steal” option may not be his own invention, but he certainly makes it his own device. With such an extensive back catalog of albums, EPs, and individual tracks, it makes sense that a creative mind wants to get at least a fraction of his art out there -- audience is reward enough. However, this generous approach will need, and deserve, some kind of economic reward. You could do far worse with your money this weekend. Then go over, download “Let's Get Bloody” for free, but then invest in a dream. Spread the ambition. 

Standout Tracks: "Cassettes," "Sometimes When I Dream"

For Fans Of: The Postal Service, Deathcab For Cutie, James, Tim Booth