A Song For Friday: Flying Needle
A wonderfully expansive, deeply personal debut album from Timothy M. Griffiths
In the 12 years since his band, Antiques, folded, Timothy M, Griffiths dug deep into academic life. He earned a PhD in English and, after a peripatetic lifestyle at several universities, he settled in Mt. Airy, PA with his husband, Garen, and taught freshman English. But in the funny way life works, that location put him directly in the sights of his next musical destiny when a neighbor gifted him with an old spinet piano in July 2023.
While nattering away at the ivories in his basement, his muse was disturbed from its slumber and new songs started coming. By August, he was recording what would become Bronze Age, his debut as Flying Needle, which came out today. The spinet is still present, most notably on the last track, Bronze, where it’s played by Garen, but synths provide most of the textures, ranging from glassy to softly serrated, like a mellotron.
From the Press Release:
Flying Needle’s artistic objectives are to destroy apathy, reverse alienation, and combat automation. “I childishly believe,” Griffiths admits, “That you can do this by writing love songs.”
The songs are postcards from realms of queer love, politicized aggression towards LGBTQ+ people, late capitalism, the halls of memory, including the day of Griffith’s birth, as recounted by a recording of his father, and more existential places. It’s from the latter that I’m drawing today’s song, focusing on Bronze Age’s longest track, Skeleton/Spirit, which comes in two distinct parts and just tops nine minutes. The introductory section features pretty keyboard arpeggios as Griffiths sings:
Skeleton holds you by a length of string.
Skeleton makes you laugh and makes you sing.
Skeleton blows the spark and burns the bed.
Skeleton wants to get out of your head.
The texture thickens for the next verse, with synth strings creating a gently dissonant counterpoint. As the last words fade, the Spirit section begins with a rolling drumbeat and insistent piano chords. As the music becomes more inexorable, the lyrics get more imagistic and external:
Mist on a mossy floor, cypress in the sky.
Night heron calling out to the gray light.
Spirit...
It all adds up to what feels like a genuine exploration that happens in real time each time you play it. Start now.
Also out today:
Elana Low - Datura Moon The signature harmonium is gone, replaced by producer Ginja Skwurl’s pitch-black electronic backing. The glitchy vocals are a perfect complement to the soundscape - and the season.
Hiss Golden Messenger - Sanctuary Songs: Live in Omaha, NE, December 1, 2023 An uplifting and immaculately recorded live set, with all proceeds going to BeLoved Ashville, which is helping survivors of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
Catch up with all the “songs for Friday” here:
That Spirit/Skeleton song is rather perfect for a chilled weekend morning. Looking forward to digging into the playlist now...
Love the Songs for Friday playlist, Jeremy! I know very few of the artists and most of them are blowing me away. I’m shocked that I wasn’t familiar with Olivia Chaney, considering her major collaborations with Kronos Quartet and Decemberists. I’ll be adding many of these songs to my year favorites.