In terms of writing methodology, California/Denver based Travel by Sea‘s first record was proof positive that the internet meant time spent in the same location and actually meeting your musical partner were no longer requirements for a cohesive, powerful experience. Song writer Kyle Kersten and all around musical mad man Brian Kraft passed ideas back and forth like dorm room pot heads – or more accurately, musical pen pals – and the end result was a desolate LP (Shadows Rise) that used fractured melodies to set the tone and loneliness and heartache as central themes.

 

Over the last few years, Kyle has recruited some local talent to build a touring band, and Two States and the Blindness that Follows finds the Kersten and Kraft nicely co-existing in both realms. The core of the songs still hold true to the aesthetic they built their musical relationship on (“I Still Feel the Same”), but most of the melodies are fleshed out and stage ready. Intimate moments flow into bigger sounds seamlessly, and slow burners pick up steam and hit you with playful guitar runs or the occasional face melting solo (“The Road”).

 

Maybe it’s the history I have with the band’s work, but even as the sound progresses, I’m glad Kersten & Kraft still offer moments as delicate as the morning dew. Touching, tender steel floats around the guitar chords, as do strings, harmonies and piano making sure you still feel tears welling up as you listen. The biggest difference is that the duo’s outlook is nowhere near as bleak. Travel by Sea has always put emotion first, but this record refuses to sacrifice the comfort of friends (“Sign of the Times”) or optimistic surges (“Light in the Darkness”) for the hollow feeling of drinking alone to numb the pain. Still, you can tell they’ve been there man, you can tell.

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MP3:: Travel by Sea – Eventually

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MP3:: Travel by Sea – The Road
WEB:: http://travelbyseamusic.com

Jose Delhart, on the other hand is a man determined to find his own answers. The NY-based eccentric (EMT, cowboy boot collector, visual artist) writes songs that are as open as the wounds he sees as part of his day job and even as foot stomps, hand percussion and eerie strings help Delhart’s spare guitar work and vocals, you never forget that Little Red Buddha is one man’s journey put to tape for all to hear.

 

The open track, “I Will Know”, is 7-minute cinematic experience, taking on an almost Carradine inspired wander but the record tightens over the remaining 11-songs as Jose starts asking questions about his life. Creaking floorboards and creepy vocals haunt this record (“No Tengo A Nadie”) but much like Taylor Kirk or the Lightman twins, Delhart transforms fear, tension and chilling emotion into something incredibly gripping. It might not be for the faint of heart, it’s beautiful and moving.

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MP3:: Jose Delhart – Broken Hearted Chant
WEB:: http://www.myspace.com/josedelhart