MP3 | Railbird — ‘Jump Ship’

November 13, 2012 by Odhran ODonoghue in Blog, Free Downloads

A song all about collaboration and contradiction

It’s a comparison they’re probably already sick of, but it’s hard not to mention Dirty Projectors when discussing Railbird (facebook / twitter). Like David Longstreth’s cohort, the Brooklyn fivepiece’s music is awash with vacillating beats, meandering harmonies and vocal segues. But they should not be dismissed as pastiche; on the whole, Railbird’s arrangements are lighter and prettier than standard Dirty Projectors fare, and Sarah K Pedinotti’s octave-spanning voice – while not better outright – is certainly a match for Amber Coffman’s impressive pipes.

<a href="http://railbirdmusic.bandcamp.com/album/jump-ship-single">Jump Ship – Single by Railbird</a>

FREE MP3: Railbird, ‘Jump Ship’
[via Spinner]

‘Jump Ship’, which features Sean Rowe and Sarah Barthel of Phantogram, has been around for a few months, but seems to have gone relatively unnoticed – unfairly so. In conversation with Spinner back in July, singer Sarah K Pedinotti discussed the creation of the song and working with Phantogram in the studio:

“This song was all about collaboration and contradiction from its conception. I wrote it with my friend / bandmate / bass player, Ben Davis. And we were playing with the idea of musical phrases, each of a different length, all happening at the same time. Because the parts of the song are moving along and repeating in this way, the phrases of each part get displaced, creating a bit of tension. Eventually parts line back up, after a certain amount of cycles. The lyrics reflect that sort of displaced feeling. Watching someone but never knowing them…and as you get closer, or when you think you know it all, things have shifted again. Then, collaborating with Sean and Sarah in the studio brought it to another level. With her high, breathy tone and his dark baritone it was a good match for a song with so many contrasting parts balancing to make up the whole.”

Railbird release a new EP, Lucky, on November 27. Check out their just-released single, ‘MIRRORs’, below.

<a href="http://railbirdmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors-single">MIRRORs – Single by Railbird</a>