On The Phonograph... The High Strung.

The High Strung

"What A Meddler" { Mp3 - 6.90MB }

Get The Guests { Park the Van, 2007 }


I meant to say something on Tuesday as some really excellent stuff came out. Namely, The High Strung’s newest compact disc called Get The Guests. I’ve been playing my advance copy of this thing like crazy over the last few weeks. For the uninitiated, I’d describe The High Strung’s sound as too tight and melodic to be labeled as garage rock, too intellectual to be called punk and too raw and uninhibited to be described simply as pop, but it sits confidently somewhere amongst the best of all of that. "What A Meddler" shows the Detroit trio sprinting through their harmony-rich routine as clever and self-assured as ever (indicative of the majority of the material on Get The Guests), with Josh Malerman’s bird-like voice perched impressively beside some really nifty horn lines. I highly recommend this record.

Buy it here >>>

And I didn’t even mention how incredible The High Strung are live and in person. It all starts with great songs, but they are definitely one of those bands that never fail to "wow" me. Here are some of their upcoming tour dates, but check their MySpace page soon as they are about to release a whole summer full of dates at various libraries all across the country:

May 17 9:30 Club (with SON VOLT) Washington D.C.
May 18 Trocadero (with SON VOLT) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 19 The Knitting Factory w/ Richard Lloyd (of TELEVISION) New York, New York
May 20 The Icon w/ These Arms Are Snakes & CURSIVE Buffalo
May 21 the Oasis New London, Connecticut
May 22 TT The Bear's Cambridge / Boston, Massachusetts
May 23 Union Hall Brooklyn, New York
May 24 Lime Spider Akron, Ohio
May 25 "Get The Guests" CD Release party Lager House with The Henchmen & Mano y Mano Detroit, Michigan
May 26 Canton Cup Soccer Tournament Canton, Michigan
May 30 Sunset Tavern Seatle, Washington
May 31 Thrasher Low Dough Show at Dante's Portland, Oregon
Jun 1 The Hemlok San Francisco, California
Jun 2 Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 5 club congress Tucson, Arizona
Jun 7 Larimer Lounge Denver, Colorado
Jun 8 Replay Lounge Laurence, Kansas
Jun 9 TWANGFEST St. Louis, Missouri