beyond what you see lurks so much more

genre: indie, new wave, electronic
artist: <>
album: Grand Strategy I
street date: July 13th 2010
featured tracks: Love & War, Tame
label: Cozy Music

tfo is Timothy F O'Keefe (and sometimes some guest artists!) of Providence, Rhode Island. According to the Providence Phoenix, Timothy is basically the godfather of Providence's electronic music scene. According to me, he's basically the godfather of winning at life. Seriously-- this guy has done everything from audio design for video games to journalism (oh, and lets not forget the part where he started his own label, teaches HS students and graduate students the tricks to successful music production, organizes IndieArts/ri, and is working on an MFA at RISD). Ummm... can I borrow some impressiveness for my resume?

Anyways, these tracks are awesome. Love & War sucks you in after the first half a second with a guitar riff that is reminiscent of John Petrucci's Glasgow Kiss. This riff fades in and out of focus throughout the track, allowing other melodic factors some time at center stage. My favorite part: circa 1:30, the vocals take a short break to allow for a brief jam sesh between the beat and a few of the featured guitar parts. SO good. (Sidenote: this happens a few times throughout the song, but the first one is still my favorite because it's both unexpected and fleeting, and leaves you wanting more.)

Tame is anything but. No joke--this song is nuts. The intro is ominously intriguing-- kind of like a mix between the music that plays right before something epic happens in a sci-fi movie, and what I imagine Dracula listens to at bedtime. During the proceeding 4 minutes and 30 seconds, Timothy builds a blissful concoction that I lack the words to describe. A chorus of "this is how I feel" is interspersed at the climax of each distinct chunk of song to cover a range of conflicting emotions. I know what I'm gonna be listening to next time I can't articulate how I feel. Thank you Timothy!!

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