One Track Mind

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Cleveland’s Craig Ramsey is no stranger to the indie-pop scene. As half of the effervescent duo Bears, Ramsey has already brought his music to stages alongside acts such as The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Camera Obscura, as well as to countless listeners over the band’s three LPs. Earlier this year, Ramsey decided to step out on his own with the self-released Parting Gift for a Party Girl, a marvelous twelve track collection that leads off with the classic pop strums of “We Are Crashing.”

With the record’s first cut, Ramsey has crafted a quintessential summer song. It floats lightly through the air with an effortless glide, its infectious melodies riding the breeze in well orchestrated formations. Ramsey self-harmonizes with gusto, channeling the simple yet dulcet vocals of predecessors from The Zombies to The Shins. During the chorus, a slippery bass line shimmies like Jell-o beneath acoustic guitar chords and unobtrusive drumming, evoking a bit of the 1960s with its hip-shaking dance.

“We Are Crashing” has a straightforward elegance to its structure and execution that belies the fact that this is Ramsey’s first time out on his own; the stateliness of the arrangements and elocution of his melodies suggests the more experienced hands of, say, Teenage Fanclub. It’s an irresistible bit of music–only a fool would want to turn down this tempting tune.