Nothing bums me out more than an awesome indie band that releases an infectiously perfect and blissful song that goes unnoticed by the mass populous.
That's pretty much what happened with Denver's amazing duo, Young Coyotes. "Momentary Drowning" is everything that's great about music: Woahs. Handclaps. Dreamy vocals. A melody that takes you by surprise at almost every turn.
Why didn't that song go the way of MGMT's "Kids"? That's a mystery. Young Coyotes haven't made my dream come true of taking the opening slot on the fictional Zoo Tour which would feature the aforementioned Coyotes and Hot Half Favorites Miniature Tigers opening for Grizzly Bear. The Coyotes haven't even recorded a full length album.
While that does bum me out to an incredible degree, Young Coyotes also happen to be connected to something that makes me one of the happiest reformed hipsters in the world: A member of an awesome band taking part in a just-as-if-not-more-awesome side project. In this case, that project is Zach Tipton's I Am The Dot, making Tipton quite possibly the only man in the world who is in two equally awesomely named bands. Seriously: Young Coyotes. I Am The Dot. Who wouldn't rock tee shirts proclaiming those phrases? I'll tell you who: Squares.
While the name is a damn cool hook to get people to listen in, that isn't the best part of I Am The Dot by a long shot.
Young Coyotes have produced some incredibly catchy and evocative tracks on their two EP's, the first of which is available on the band's site for free, and Tipton continues the trend on his self titled and Minimal Love EP. Top it off with the fact that Tipton reps my hood in the song "Detroit, MI", and you've got yourself three of the top ingredients that make your band automatically beloved by Amber.
The results of I Am The Dot recall the dreamy nostalgia of The Shins first record, before Garden State ruined the magic of "New Slang", and it's an ace example of the right kind of lo-fi, not engineered insincerely to appeal to listeners the current lo-fi trend but rather purposefully. Tipton is producing the kind of indie pop that more bands ought to take note of.
Don't believe me? Take a listen for yourself.
Sadly, no Tipton project appears to be touring outside of the general Colorado area any time soon so I suggest you support I Am The Dot and Young Coyotes by becoming a fan of both I Am The Dot and Young Coyotes on facebook and buying their EPs, if only for the fact that I want Tipton to play "Detroit, MI" in Detroit, MI and I've always wanted to clap along to "Momentary Drowning".
