I’ve been trying to see Miracle Fortress play for about four years. I picked up their first album, Five Roses, at Sonic Boom Records in Seattle and have listened to it probably a hundred times. It’s taken a while for a followup, partially due to lead man Graham Van Pelt’s other band Think About Life, but Was I the Wave? finally came out a couple days ago on Secret City Records.
As much as I was hoping for an updated Five Roses, the songs and feeling of the record are more grown-up, subdued, and dark. There’s still a melodic, poppy, electronic, optimism there but it’s not the ‘jump around the living room’ type. It’s more “chill out session” where you still might have some dance moves left in you but you’re not sure if you’re ready to call it a night. There’s some more upbeat numbers like “Spectre” and “Miscalculations” (which you can check out here).
It’s interesting their on the same label as fellow Canadians Plants and Animals because I had a similar feeling with their last album, La La Land. I couldn’t tell how much I liked it but at the end of the year when I checked iTunes to see which albums I listened to the most I was surprised it was in the top ten. Miracle Fortress is heading out on the road next month with Junior Boys. If you’re on the eastern half of the country, check out tour dates here.
Ice Cream Man Presents Miracle Fortress in Austin Chronicle
Think About Life from SXSW 2010:
