One Track Mind

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Online research on Philadelphia’s Buried Beds turns up the fact that they formerly had a Wikipedia entry devoted to them, but no more. Said entry was deleted due to Wikipedia’s judgment that Buried Beds was “not a notable band.” This seems unduly harsh, especially coming from a source that devotes as much space to World of Warcraft as it does the Crimean War – it’s not as if Wikipedia has an especially good grasp on what constitutes notability.

So screw Wikipedia. To these ears, there’s plenty that’s notable about Buried Beds and their song “Breadcrumb Trail.” First and foremost is the way they fearlessly work territory that often causes this reviewer to wish to plunge an icepick into his eardrums – that sometimes horrifying musical Bermuda Triangle bordered by the adjectives whimsical, precious, and quirky-cute, the kind of stuff usually played over the opening credits of “indie” romances starring Zooey Deschanel. It takes skill to navigate this territory without plummeting headlong into the insufferable and even its best practitioners are only successful at it about 55% of the time. But Buried Beds definitely manage the trick on “Breadcrumb Trail,” making it lovable through clever lyrics, smart production choices and a melody that’s an instant earworm.

Most notable of all is vocalist Eliza Jones. Something of a fixture on the Philadelphia scene, Jones has contributed vocals to albums by the likes of Dr. Dog and mewithoutYou and her voice can stand shoulder to shoulder with her adore-core sisters like the aforementioned Zooey, Regina Spektor, Lavender Diamond’s (and sometime Decemberist) Becky Stark, and Clare Manchon of Clare and the Reasons. As soon as her vocals are layered into a soaring choir of Joneses, resistance becomes futile and even the hardest-hearted grouch will find himself tapping his foot to the piano riff at the song’s heart.

So let Wikipedia think what they want. On the strength of the jaunty “Breadcrumb Trail,” Buried Beds seem to be a notable band indeed. Maybe someone needs to mention them in a video game. That’ll change Wikipedia’s tune and likely get Buried Beds a longer entry than John the Baptist or the nation of Turkmenistan.

You can find “Breadcrumb Trail” on Buried Beds’ Tremble the Sails, released March 1st by Admiral Byrd Records.