#19 - The Frozen Ocean - Kerosene
It's always nice when you find an artist who you truly love, and they release an album that you anticipate greatly, and it ends up being phenomenal. too many times in life, we're confronted with high expectations that are impossible to meet, especially when it comes to music. Well, in 2008 I found a fantastic self-titled album from a band called The Frozen Ocean. The band is the side project of guitarist Dave Swanson, former guitarist for T+N artist Life In Your Way. Anyways, Dave's first album was a highly experimental, ambient, indie release that incorporated a load of different stylings, but it was an album that I loved from the first listen. The song "Ghosts" has been on my MP3 player ever since I first heard it, and I figured the album would just be a one-off. But in May 2014, Dave announced a Kickstarter project for a new album entited "Skeleton Key". The album was funded over the timespan, and released this January. The album is still an indie masterpiece with a lot of ambient elements, but a lot of the crazier elements of the self-titled disc have gone away. Still, stand-out tracks include "Skeleton Key", "Grey Town", "Harvest of my Heart", and "Light Years".
But from the moment I first heard the disc, it was "Kerosene" that stood out to me. It starts out with a slow acoustic guitar accompanied by haunting keys that slowly pace through the song. It tells a tale of a man who loved too much, and found that his love was not reciprocated. There is an absolutely beautiful harmony on the bridge followed by what I feel is the line of the year: "We are tiny worlds of evil born with violence in our blood. Our words can heal the broken and our words can bring a flood". Dave puts all of his heart into every song of the album, and it really has a wonderful feel to it.
But the best story I have comes from when I purchased the disc. For whatever reason, I missed the crowdfund and didn't end up buying the album until this summer. I made my purchase and got the (what I felt was) obligatory followed up "Thank You For Your Purchase" e-mail. However, the next day I received another e-mail from Dave. This one let me know that he was about to start a summer merch sale and wanted to send me a shirt for purchasing the album. I e-mailed him back and lo and behold he sent me an awesome shirt along with the album. It was a really cool gesture and we spoke a little on his Facebook page after the fact. It just caught me off guard that a musician would do something seemingly unnecessary for the benefit of a fan. Either way, I'm a fan for life. I hope you enjoy as well!
Title: Kerosene
Artist: The Frozen Ocean
Album: Skeleton Key
Previous #19s
2014: Destiny Potato - Take A Picture
2013: Relient K - PTL
2012: Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
2011: The Knux - Razorblade
2010: Demon Hunter - Collapsing (ft Bjorn Strid)
2009: Parachute - She Is Love
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