What Do You Do When Your Soul’s Out Of Synch?

James Rabbit “A Closer Look”

There is good anxiety, and there is bad anxiety. Tyler Martin has a way of making the latter sound like the former, and somehow turns every nagging question mark in his head into buoyant songs that come across like rows of exclamation points in a large bold font. Even the calm moments in “A Closer Look” feel manic and over-excited, but the music is not spazzy or unfocused. Just the opposite, really — the song bursts with enthusiasm and inspiration, but it’s a controlled, deliberate portrait of a mind overflowing with thoughts, concepts, neuroses, and urges. As in many of his songs, Martin sings about what he wants from his art and what he’s trying to express, but that doesn’t get in the way of actually saying something of value. He’s a guy who lives in his head, but desperately wants to connect with other people, and this music perfectly captures the nervous thrill of just nearly making that sort of meaningful connection, one way or another.

Buy it from Insound.