Let’s talk about Somewhere, Anywhere by New Buffalo. Sally Seltmann, or New Buffalo, is an
Australian musician whose sound is my current obsession. Somewhere, Anywhere is New Buffalo’s second album, and has a
cheerfully mellow sound. Seltmann, who plays all of the instruments and sings
all of the vocals, uses piano most heavily in this album, though clarinet,
percussion, synthesizer, and guitar are all featured. There are multiple layers
to every song, and picking out the different lines is as satisfying and
awe-inspiring as listening to the songs in whole. Seltmann writes her lyrics
with passion and rawness that is tangible and relevant to the listener. It is
difficult to listen to the words she writes without being drawn in on some
level or another. Her voice is high and lilting, but always soft; she’s very
much a crooner. Her lyrics, fantastic piano playing and sweet vocals combine to
make music that is often times dreamlike and dizzyingly intoxicating.
The namesake of this post is a
track entitled “Cheer Me Up Thank You” and is a good song for today’s post.
It’s a gentle, quieter song about friendships that has a strange bouncy feel to
it, despite its sleepy tempo and vocals. Most of the songs on this album have a
similar mood; a strangely upbeat sensation despite a relatively slow tempo. The
thing I admire most about Seltmann, besides her ridiculously impressive
musicianship, is her lyricism. They may seem slightly ambiguous, but ambiguity
is not always a bad thing; Twilight
was intentionally written with Bella’s looks/personality ambiguously described
so that more readers could relate to the character, and I think the same can be
said for Seltmann’s songs. Lyrics filled more with emotion than with specifics
can reach out to a larger audience; a larger audience means more connections
and, after all, isn’t that what music is all about? Take a listen not only to “Cheer Me Up Thank You” but also to the
rest of the album. The feels are real.
From Miley Cyrus, to Cloud Cult;
Andrew Jackson Jihad to Mutual Benefit, we’ve covered a huge range of music.
There were posts that made me laugh, posts that made me think (I’m looking at
you, Peter), and posts that were just really nice to read after a long day of
work/school. I am always excited to read new posts and reviews. Every single
post on this blog has made me all the more glad to have friends like y’all,
people who are thoughtful, caring, musical, and, most of all, fun. I have so
many fond memories associated with this blog and the music I’ve found on it. The
first time I listened to Melt Banana and could do nothing but laugh. I remember
when Josh wrote the review for Bangerz;
a group of us were hanging out at IU and Kane read it aloud, to the delight of
everyone present. Feeling like everything Cloud Cult has ever written speaks to
me on another level. The first time I listened to Kansas Bible Company and got
chills. Going to see Why? live and being completely overwhelmed by Yoni Wolf’s
passion/stare. These are a seemingly unrelated string of emotions and events,
but the thing that ties them all together is The Sub-Mariner. And I have a
sneaking suspicion that I won’t have to explain any of these feelings/reactions
to any of you and that is the true beauty both of this blog and of music; these
connections through music are important and strong. Thanks for a fun, smart,
musical year, guys. Long live the Sub-Mariner, a musical harbor and home for
those who wander.
Happy Listening,
Hanae
“You're cheering me up
And I'm thanking you
Guess what, you're cheering me up
And I'm thanking you.”
And I'm thanking you
Guess what, you're cheering me up
And I'm thanking you.”
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