Sometimes I really kick myself for losing track of a band. The Winks are a good example. I’ve loved a couple of their songs (especially “Snakes”) since I got them a while back, but for whatever reason never remembered to check up on them. Boy was this a mistake. Not only did they release an EP last year from which “Abalone” comes, but they’re working on recording for their next album.
MP3: The Winks - Abalone
Neither the cello, nor the mandolin, nor the flute are instruments that seem to be given their due in most music unfortunately saddled with the awkward title of “indie.” Thank God for The Winks. “Abalone” finds the band moving into a style almost like what you could imagine a teenage Jens Lekman sounding like. More than anything, this song impresses me because it’s a step forward in production for The Winks. I believe I once described “Snakes” as a “minimalist approach” to songwriting, but there’s very little trace of that here. Sure they make good use of every instrument, but it’s a lot more layered their most of their previous work.
BONUS MP3: The Winks - Snakes
So I’m addicted to The Tick once again. I used to watch it every Saturday morning on Fox; now I watch it every night at 4am on the Disney channel. Man, the mid-80s to mid-90s were the best thing to happen to comics ever (The Tick, Scud, Watchmen, the list goes on). I think I was born in the wrong decade.
