Ryan Ferguson
24 Jul
Alright, I’m super-geeked for this one. “Only Trying To Help,” Ryan Ferguson’s first solo album is out in just about a month, August 21st, on Better Looking Records. Ferguson continues to shape his songs around the acoustic guitar, but he fills in the surrounding space with plenty of electric guitars, piano and xylophone, fully fleshing out tracks. Compared to his more stripped down EP (which is still available in its entirety below), Ferguson had the time and the room to see his songs through and add the proverbial bells and whistles. The three tracks offered here are just the beginning of his spot-on songwriting. His attention to hooks paired with an intensity, just this side of his No Knife days, make for an entirely re-listenable record. “Only Trying To Help” is what “pop-punk” should be.
Remission [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
X’s and O’s [MP3, 3.9MB, 192kbps]
Kill My Confidence [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
www.betterlookingrecords.com
www.fergusong.com
Original entry 12/13/2005:
You may be familiar with Ryan Ferguson via his band, the seminal indie rocker, No Knife. If not, you’re in for double the pleasure. No Knife is to San Diego what Cursive is to Omaha. Unfortunately the band didn’t survive, but as musicians are wont to do (surprise!) Ryan Ferguson kept writing songs. He drops the energy level a bit with his solo pieces, but his move to acoustic-based songwriting is more a pragmatic rather than maturing move. Due to the geography of his current residence he can’t plug in and play loud. All the better really because Ferguson’s sense of melody takes precident. The songs here range from a punk sounding acoustic track in “Suddenly,” to a possible lost song from the Either/Or sessions in “On Elvira Street,” to “Windshield” (featuring Rob Crow from Pinback) which sounds pleasantly like Self. A refreshing change from the myopic range of too many solo artists.
Ryan has been kind enough to allow 3hive to post his entire EP, Three, Four. So get to it. Start sharing the sharing. Download and pass it around to friends before this becomes a reality.
Suddenly [MP3, 4.0MB, 192kbps]
Not on My Watch [MP3, 4.5MB, 192kbps]
Windshield [MP3, 4.4MB, 192kbps]
Wait for Me There [MP3, 4.4MB, 192kbps]
On Elvira Street [MP3, 5.3MB, 192kbps]
