Elephant Micah - The Untied States of Elephant Micah
(BlueSanct)
"There is a place between the two greatest states in the union where one feels so proud to pass that they built a noble monument to rock 'n' roll, my friends."
Other than Chicago it seems unlikely that many people consider the Midwest fertile musical ground but, in fact, the flat landscape and middle-class boredom has inspired more than its fair share of musicians. From the outside it may be hard to imagine indifference motivating any great music, but the truth is that a lot of people in the Midwest are searching for something to be passionate about. I won't speculate about the upbringing of Elephant Micah but I can say that every aspect of The Untied States of Elephant Micah, right down to the blurry photography, perfectly embodies what it's like to live in a place like Pekin, IN.
Elephant Micah is Joe O'Connell, a home recordist who plays modest songs in a wash of reverb with a surprisingly small array of instruments considering the variety found in this collection of songs. Originally compiled in 2002 and released in a ridiculously small edition of 52 CD-Rs, The Untied States of Elephant Micah is an odds-and-ends collection of songs that were, as O'Connell put it, "taking up too much space in my brain." O'Connell has one of those beautiful voices that commands attention while somehow remaining soft and effortless, much like the music that accompanies it. A comparison could be drawn to Neil Young but given the unique, intentionally "lo-fi" production and the overall quality of the songs I forgot about any detectable influence almost immediately. Songs like "Old Song on New Love" and "Grace of St. Christopher" (as well as the two versions of "Ohio Arch", quoted above), with their distorted drumming and thoughtful arrangements are more than enough evidence of O'Connell's strength as a songwriter.
Often the problem with odds-and-ends collections is that they've got some great songs and some not-so-great songs and this is no exception. While the instrumental tracks are pleasant enough, using similar harmonies and instruments as the songs with vocals, most of them sound like they should be interludes yet are the same length or longer than many other tracks on the CD. There's nothing inherently wrong with them but they don't add enough to what is an otherwise terrific CD to justify taking up an entire fourth of the disc. Nevertheless, even the weak links in this collection provide a space that I'd be happy to spend more time in.
I had never heard Elephant Micah's music before and I couldn't be happier that I did. I'm always pleased to hear a songwriter with a striking and unique style in a genre so flooded with mediocrity. Although uneven at times, The Untied States of Elephant Micah's soft and spacious songs serve as a fitting reminder that there's beauty to be found in even the most vast cornfields.
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