One Track Mind

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The indie music world knows no shortage of quirky, off-kilter frontmen (Silver Jews, Tindersticks, and Absentee immediately leap to mind), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for Micah Middaugh and his compatriots in Breathe Owl Breathe. Whether it’s through his reserved, nonchalant delivery, his penchant for crafting arresting lyrical imagery, or his talent for winding his musical compositions into surprising, twisting ribbons, Middaugh has no difficulty displaying his chops as a singular artistic voice.

The trio already has four LPs and an EP to their name; come September 28th they will add to the tally with their new LP, Magic Central, courtesy of Hometapes. The album’s titular subject is the rural Michigan cabin the three share throughout the year and was the incubator for its dozen tracks, which were conceived and eventually recorded at Magic Central. As a refuge from outside influences and other distractions, it seems to have provided Breathe Owl Breathe with the space to fully indulge their creative whims, as is evident on the new record’s lead track, “Own Stunts.”

There are so many evocative lines throughout “Own Stunts” it is a challenging task to single favorites out for special consideration, but I’m a fan of simple yet compelling phrases such as “I’m walking down the path / Look down, there’s a welcome mat over a trap door / What’s on the other side? / The spirit world” and “Mustache covers my lower lip / No one can tell that I’m trembling.” Middaugh’s lyrics feel as though they have been excerpted from some contemporary piece of poetry while remaining immediate and relatable–no small feat.

Better yet, his words form the perfect accompaniment to the musical backdrop, which is garlanded with whimsically arranged vocal harmonies and wreaths of piano. “Own Stunts” takes confident, leisurely strides through a garden filled with unexpected flora–a tempo change here, a false ending there, a suddenly blooming change of mood somewhere else. It is a song made gorgeous by what is, for lack of a better term, its own weirdness, that unique personality which makes Breathe Owl Breathe feel sui generis amid a world of innovators and trail blazers.