Tuesday Tunes -- Penny and Sparrow "Tenboom"

I haven't done a Tuesday Tunes in a long time.  The last one was Foreign Fields, which you can read about here. 

The truth is, I've been pretty preoccupied with blogging about the impending arrival of the BabyMonster, but also that I really haven't been introduced to much new music lately.  That's kind of my own fault. I haven't gone looking for anything new, and the exhaustion and physical toll of work and life and growing a human and helping a dog recover from surgery has kind of kept me from going to music shows or attending SOFAR events*

However, in that downtime, I have been listening to "Tenboom" by Penny and Sparrow.  A friend on Facebook (an acquaintance through our mutual love of all things Seryn) tagged me in a post about P&S and, trusting her impeccable judgment, I gave them a listen on Spotify.

(Quick tangent about Spotify -- as a big supporter of local art and artists, I feel dirty being able to stream any music I want for free of charge. It is nice, for example, if I'm just randomly in a mood for Huey Lewis and the News (WHO ISN'T?!) to just be able to stream their greatest hits album without the randomness of Pandora or the purchase of an album I don't really want to own, but....the GUILT. However...if you're a good and decent human being, you should still buy the music you love. Listening to Tenboom over and over finally made me realize, "I want this with me always. I want the baby to be able to listen to it with me via our Belly Buds.  I'mma buy this mother!"  It's sometimes disappointing to think you want an album, spend the money, and then not actually love it as much as you thought.  So, let Spotify convince you that the album is worth it, then support the music-makers and artists and shell out the dough for the album.)

ANYWAY.

Tenboom was one of those albums that I immediately connected to even with the first listen. I'm not really a "lyrics person" when it comes to music (which is why it took 15-20 listens of "I'll Follow You into the Dark" to finally realize just how damn dark that song really is), but the lyrics of this album really stood out to me.

Allow me to give you a few examples.

From the track "Duet" featuring Stephanie Briggs:

I bet your shoulders can hold more than
Just the straps of that tiny dress
That I'll help you slide aside
When we get home

I've seen 'em carry family
And the steel drum weight of me
Effortless, just like that dress
That I'll help off

Because I've seen you
And I know you
And I'm not going anywhere

From the track "Brothers:"

I'm still a boy  

But you're not the same 

My skin still looks see through and I feel underneath like a fake

 
You're smiling again  

You show me a place  

You stay in that tree house and all I had wrong was a day

 
Don't give up  

Don't you quit on me  

Don't give up  

Don't you quit on me

RIGHT?!  So good.

The band's bio page on their website cites their musical influences as "The Swell Season, Bon Iver, Mumford and Sons, and others," and this is pretty evident in their sound...yet they're still incredibly unique. They also mention that they're a fan of musicals. SOLD.

Give this duo from the great state of Texas a listen. I think you'll be glad you did. 

*this is about to change! heading to one on Sunday withe husband!