Ericj32
Well-Known Member
Ages and Ages "Me You They We"
*The best way to support the band is to purchase the pink vinyl from Bandcamp. I've subsidized the international shipping costs for anyone outside the US who wants to buy the album, so it should be affordably priced for anyone who is interested (but that only works with the pink vinyl). Their old record label has the black copies, and they didn't respond to me when I reached out to them to ask about how many copies they had (when I was trying to get everything organized for this AOTM thread), so I wasn't able to work out any kind of shipping deals with them on the black vinyl.
-Why I Picked This Album-
I don't have any fancy answer - this band and this album just represent a lot of what I love about music in general. Their sneakily ambitious song arrangements have lots of vocal layers and instrumentation, but what could sound really busy and chaotic all fits together in a beautiful and clear way and often produces an effect that's more than the sum of its parts (even though there are a lot of parts!). In a lot of ways, it would probably be simpler and easier to just have one singer and one guitarist and one percussionist, but they're not trying to take the easy way out. It reminds me of my favorite songs and albums from the sixties when bands used a whole Wrecking Crew/Funk Brothers-type of backing band to create a symphonic saturation of lavishly varied sounds to showcase the melodies and choruses. The financial constraints of paying that many musicians to rehearse and record (let alone tour) seem to have killed off that sound. When I listen to this band, it feels like they're giving it all that they have to do that kind of thing because they love what they're doing.
Ages and Ages is representative to me of so many bands in Portland that seem to put all of their energy into making the best music that they can, regardless of cost or marketability. They're not trying to make a lot of money or become famous by whipping up controversy on social media. Their focus is solely on creating songs that they want to live with and share with others - they let their music speak for itself. They should be a lot more famous than they are, but they're not as focused as many of their peers on building a brand or cultivating a following. You could call it idealistic or naive, or both, but you can't question their commitment. After working with some independent labels, they've now chosen to exist against the grain of the machinery of the music and culture industrial complex and enjoy total artistic freedom instead of the exposure (and smoke machines and fancy light shows, haha!) that a record label could provide. The only person on their end that's responded to me is the lead singer, Tim Perry, who told me via e-mail that they recorded "Me You They We" on their own in a basement, which, "took a while, but we did it on our own terms and had the chance to explore and try new things."
They're currently working on a new record. Tim says, "I feel like our musical tastes continue to branch out and evolve because we're humans who grow and change and music is there for us to work through these things. But I think what ties all of these albums together is a thread of hope and inclusion and celebration amidst a troubling and confusing world. I like the challenge of exploring these ideas, but using Ages as a channel to come out with a glass that's half full - or at least fun to drink? As I said previously, we're our own label now - so no advances to cover the expenses of making this next record. We're doing it from our own pockets and with money we make from selling pink vinyl (and other things), so please let everyone know how grateful we are for their interest and support."
*More info about the band, the album, and each of the songs on the album at: AGES AND AGES
**Q/A with the Band: Needles & Grooves AotM /// Vol. 47 - May 2023 /// Ages and Ages "Me You They We"
*The best way to support the band is to purchase the pink vinyl from Bandcamp. I've subsidized the international shipping costs for anyone outside the US who wants to buy the album, so it should be affordably priced for anyone who is interested (but that only works with the pink vinyl). Their old record label has the black copies, and they didn't respond to me when I reached out to them to ask about how many copies they had (when I was trying to get everything organized for this AOTM thread), so I wasn't able to work out any kind of shipping deals with them on the black vinyl.
-Why I Picked This Album-
I don't have any fancy answer - this band and this album just represent a lot of what I love about music in general. Their sneakily ambitious song arrangements have lots of vocal layers and instrumentation, but what could sound really busy and chaotic all fits together in a beautiful and clear way and often produces an effect that's more than the sum of its parts (even though there are a lot of parts!). In a lot of ways, it would probably be simpler and easier to just have one singer and one guitarist and one percussionist, but they're not trying to take the easy way out. It reminds me of my favorite songs and albums from the sixties when bands used a whole Wrecking Crew/Funk Brothers-type of backing band to create a symphonic saturation of lavishly varied sounds to showcase the melodies and choruses. The financial constraints of paying that many musicians to rehearse and record (let alone tour) seem to have killed off that sound. When I listen to this band, it feels like they're giving it all that they have to do that kind of thing because they love what they're doing.
Ages and Ages is representative to me of so many bands in Portland that seem to put all of their energy into making the best music that they can, regardless of cost or marketability. They're not trying to make a lot of money or become famous by whipping up controversy on social media. Their focus is solely on creating songs that they want to live with and share with others - they let their music speak for itself. They should be a lot more famous than they are, but they're not as focused as many of their peers on building a brand or cultivating a following. You could call it idealistic or naive, or both, but you can't question their commitment. After working with some independent labels, they've now chosen to exist against the grain of the machinery of the music and culture industrial complex and enjoy total artistic freedom instead of the exposure (and smoke machines and fancy light shows, haha!) that a record label could provide. The only person on their end that's responded to me is the lead singer, Tim Perry, who told me via e-mail that they recorded "Me You They We" on their own in a basement, which, "took a while, but we did it on our own terms and had the chance to explore and try new things."
They're currently working on a new record. Tim says, "I feel like our musical tastes continue to branch out and evolve because we're humans who grow and change and music is there for us to work through these things. But I think what ties all of these albums together is a thread of hope and inclusion and celebration amidst a troubling and confusing world. I like the challenge of exploring these ideas, but using Ages as a channel to come out with a glass that's half full - or at least fun to drink? As I said previously, we're our own label now - so no advances to cover the expenses of making this next record. We're doing it from our own pockets and with money we make from selling pink vinyl (and other things), so please let everyone know how grateful we are for their interest and support."
*More info about the band, the album, and each of the songs on the album at: AGES AND AGES
**Q/A with the Band: Needles & Grooves AotM /// Vol. 47 - May 2023 /// Ages and Ages "Me You They We"
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