Those are the lyrics that endeared me to the Good Listeners.
“Sunbeam Smile” was the second song in a 10-song/10-day marathon Nathan Khyber and Clark Stiles recorded for their debut, Ojai. The duo set out on their ambitious effort two years ago in the California city of the same name, holed up in a private home and resolved to write and record each song in one day.
Notable tracks include “Time will Tell,” written on the fourth day, and the first song, “Condition Down.” Easygoing, melodic pop describes Ojai’s sound.
The more you listen to it, the more you pick up on the ambience and the moody effects resonating from the piano and Khyber’s whispering voice. Reading the liner notes gives a deeper insight into what the duo was trying to achieve; you really connect with the lyrics. Even the band’s Web site is a fantastic aural experience.
Stiles is an accomplished producer, having owned a reputable studio in his hometown of Portland and worked with groups like the Dandy Warhols. Khyber used to front Lowcraft, a Portland band that signed with a British label and released the album, Manitoba, in the UK.
Stiles and Khyber came together to form the People Involved (not to be confused with 2005 UK band of the same name). Their 2002 self-titled release had tinges of Radiohead and Supergrass sprinkled throughout.
The People Involved gives you a peek into the range that Khyber and Stiles possess. They are masters of creating layered, lush arrangements, but the real beauty is in attending a live show.
When I first saw them in December 2005, I couldn’t figure out how only two people could create all the sounds emanating from the stage. The room was dark, and their silhouettes were illuminated from a projector playing films with time-lapse photography of various landscapes.
Each time you attend a show featuring vivid pictures as the band’s backdrop, you come to realize how the images and music tie in together. It’s really like a “choose your own adventure” book—except it’s music!
March 2007 brought the release of their second full-length album, Crane Point Lodge. Similar to the recording of Ojai, the boys secluded themselves, this time staying at their friends, the Gold Brothers’ lodge in upstate New York.
Spending the month of April 2006 in the Adirondack Mountains, Stiles and Khyber weathered the snow, rain, crisp spring air and apparently some ghosts. The album is chock full of overlaying melodies and unexpected sound effects, a personal conquest for the duo.
The track “Isolation Booth” is said to draw on Khyber’s upbringing on an Indian reservation. “Endless Mountains” is a favorite so far, it feels like you’re in the lodge lamenting about the deteriorating weather while still finding beauty in it all. (Luckily, I find rain and snow wonderful.) Forty-three minutes of ingenuity and creativity abound in Crane Point Lodge.
For the live performances of this album, the projector remains, and they have also added other band members to round out the experience. Drummer John Wicks (punk band Soccermom) and my favorite Jersey lady, Miss Jessie Baylin have both performed with the band.
Currently on tour with the Good Listeners is drummer Derek Brown, who played in Portland’s Kerosene Dream and Stewart Cole (trumpet and keyboards) who played on up-and-coming L.A. band Acute’s Arms Around a Stranger.
There’s no end to the future projects the Good Listeners will no doubt encounter. They have already accomplished great things in their short time of existence, including scoring good friend Adrian Grenier’s Shot in the Dark documentary, which aired on HBO.
We’re fortunate that of all the places they’ve been, they call Los Angeles home. As their Web site states, “We like it here OK. It’s a strange place with strange energy and strange people. I think we fit in.”
As a native Angelino, I completely agree and am delighted to have them here.
Crane Point Lodge is currently available. The band will perform Aug. 7 at Largo in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.thegoodlisteners.com.
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