Jam of the Day | The Lonely Forest - Turn Off This Song and Go Outside

Tweet

Photo by Peter Ellenby

For a high school English teacher like me (yes, I only moonlight as a music blogger), there's really nothing that rocks my socks more than literary references - whether oh-so subtle or fiercely blatant - infused into song lyrics. That's why, when I saw The Lonely Forest at Old Rock House way back in May of 2010, I was immediately drawn to the anthemic track, "We Sing In Time."

Boldly snatching key phrases of Mr. Walt Whitman himself, the song's chorus pleads, "Let us pretend we've got it together/ Let us ignore the coming sun/ We'll sing the body electric until machine and soul are one..."

Now, the new album, Arrows, is out (on Chris Walla's Trans Records), and the guys echo a similar romantic notion with today's Jam of the Day. One look at the title suggests we are in for some serious transcendental business here.

I think Mr. Whitman, among others, would be proud. Plus, the song rocks. What more can an English teacher want?

The Lonely Forest - Turn Off This Song and Go Outside

More on The Lonely Forest...

The band hits Saint Louis on April 22nd, opening for The Joy Formidable at The Luminary Center for the Arts. Get your tickets here.

Check out the revamped album version of "We Sing In Time."

And you can't miss the video that accompanies today's JOTD, "Turn Off This Song and Go Outside." Just don't look when the sun's shining!

Contest | Margot and the Nuclear So and So's Giveaway Package

Tweet

Rock! We've got two tickets to see Margot and The Nuclear So and So's PLUS a copy of the band's new album, Buzzard, to give away to one lucky, Speakers in Code reader. The show is October 13th at The Firebird in Saint Louis with openers The Lonely Forest (grab the band's past JOTD here) and Cameron McGill and What Army. That is a HELL of a line-up, so you'll wanna get there at doors for prime real estate.

You have two simple ways to enter:
1. E-mail me at katie.speakersincode@gmail.com with your full name.

2. Post this on Twitter: "I entered to win a pair of tickets to see @MargotNuclear at @thefirebirdstl on @speakersincode. You can, too - just RT this."

The winner will be selected on Monday, October 11th at 12:00 noon CST and notified later in the day via e-mail or DM on Twitter.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's new album, Buzzard, is out now on Mariel Recordings.

Jam of the Day | The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time

Tweet

Two nights ago, I went to a concert at The Old Rock House in Saint Louis to see We Were Promised Jetpacks. However, The Lonely Forest, one of the night's openers, stunned me with its frenzied enthusiasm and indie rock purity. One of my favorites of the night happened to be today's JOTD, "We Sing In Time," particularly because of these lyrics: "Let us pretend we've got it together/ Let us ignore the coming sun/ We'll sing the body electric until machine and soul are one..." Gotta love a Walt Whitman reference.

After the band's set, I chatted with guitarist, Tony Ruland, and he was pretty psyched that Death Cab's Chris Walla just signed The Lonely Forest to his new label, Trans. The foursome was headed to Austin for SXSW later that night (the ultimate overnight roadtrip!), but they seemed happy enough to live in the moment with a little Saint Louis celebrating before their departure.

Stream/download the amped up version of "We Sing In Time," but you can also enjoy a mellow, acoustic version recorded live at The Woods in Portland with the video below.

The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time

We Sing the Body Electric! is out now.