Dig the New Breed: The Heart Strings and Falcon

The Heart Strings are a twin brother (Todd and Max, casually enjoying some ice cream cones, above) led six-piece based out of London, UK. After selling out their independently released album, "Try Fly Blue Sky", the band got together with Rough Trade to release a special digi-pak version of their debut which can best be described as charming, and twee, orchestral pop. The group has incorporated everything from a tuba, to trumpets and strings, to large groups of friends as backup singers. And the wonderful compositions on "Try Fly Blue Sky" are only highlighted by the talented storytelling and lyrical poetry of lead vocalist Todd.

"It seems as good a day as any / To start my trek across the ocean / With no funds for ship or sail / I’ll use my legs and my devotion. / An aqua bike will be my vessel / And high adventure the land I seek / So farewell friends who’ve come to gather / Waving hankies, tear on cheek, oh...
It’s a long long way to go on a pedalo, a pedalo..." (Pedalo by The Heart Strings)

The Heart Strings - band site / myspace

Falcon, a four-piece led by two junior high school chums, Neil Rosen (vocals and guitarist) and Shannon Ferguson (guitarist; also playing for NYC's Longwave), came across their most recent band's songs completely by chance. And they all led back to a mutual friend--a friend who also gave the band their namesake. "From 1986-88, Jared Falcon attended Petaluma Junior High in Petaluma, Ca. He played baritone sax in the orchestra and did not do particularly well in school. However, he was a songwriting prodigy, writing close to a song a day and recording each onto a Fisher Price tape recorder. The practice started in January 1987 and ended, 336 songs later, in February 1988, when Mr. Falcon was institutionalized." We're not sure how close or interesting the original tracks are to these revisions of Mr. Falcon's original works on acoustic guitar, but the band assembled here has made something definitively beautiful out of each one, in turn hopefully making a statement and in doing so turning Falcon's art into their own. Comprised of Rosen, and Ferguson, the band is also rounded out by Christian Bongers (bass), and  Jason Molina (drummer; also of Longwave). How far would 336 songs take you? “Look.We’ve only really worked up about twenty songs,” Rosen says. “That leaves more than three hundred, you know. I’m not particularly worried about running out anytime soon.”  

Download This: The Sandfighter - Falcon

Falcon - band site / no office records / myspace