April Smith and the Great Picture Show - Songs for a Sinking Ship

Official album art, courtesy of MySpace

For the second installment of the Album of the Day week, I present to you: April Smith. This is yet another album that has been sitting on my computer for a while, lost in a sea of yellow files, until today that is.

I have to say, this album is very fun. It is a retro revival album, with music that sounds like it walked straight off the stage of Grease. It always makes me want to get up and dance.

I could talk and talk for a while about the uniqueness of this album like I always do, but I feel like that is a job for the music itself, not me. I would like to take this unique chance to talk about another aspect of this band, and of modern indie music in general.

Songs for a Sinking Ship is a product of a recent phenomena of fan sponsored music--pretty much the ultimate in supporting the musicians you like; music on credit, if you will. Many small-time musicians often record home-made albums, on retail equipment, in living rooms across America (and the world), and generate a large fan base through the use of the Internet (with sites like YouTube). But recording a "real" album proves very difficult, and many artists find it more rewarding to turn to their fans for funding, in most cases, offering the finished product (and many more cool gifts) in return for their pledges. In respect to the fans, this is putting faith in a band you love that they will make a great album ahead of time, before you can hear samples of that music. To me, this is the best and most honest way of making music. It allows musicians without a multi-million dollar company to make amazing music using their talent, rather than sound editing.

But I know what you are all thinking: "Enough ranting, just give us some music." And I cannot agree with you more. So here we go, enjoy!

I really like live music (can you tell?), and you should too.

Anyway, if you are interested in fan-funded music, check out sites like Kickstarter and Pledge Music.

Official site: aprilsmithmusic.com

MySpace: aprilsmithmusic