something about the midwest honey, always makes miss you more than life...

i came with full intentions of talking about something upbeat. you know, to counteract the deep, serious blogs i've been strewing about. and then, i read some bad news. not quite bad news on a global level, but on a personal level. the kind of news a music fan does not want to hear. a breakup. or more like a hiatus, which we all know still means breakup.

oh, the format. i remember it vividly. i was a newbie at WZIP, let loose in the cabinet full of cds. most of which were local bands with attempts to make it big. some household names here and there, most of which were of the urban genre. and there it was. a bright red cover. with a spikey haired dude, and the big E-P letters.


five songs. nothing that absolutely blew my face off, but the first track (ironically called "the first single") is catchy as hell. if you can listen to this song and NOT clap your hands, i will give you one US dollar.

so another afternoon came, and i continued digging through the mounds of cds - and what do you know, i came across their first full length cd, interventions & lullabies. there it began. afternoons full of catchy, pop-infested tunes. but something was different. while the actual sound of the music may have been a familiar taste, for me, it was the voice. nate ruess. he's a unique fella. at first glance, he looks like your typical skinny indie singer. hair in the eyes, hipbones sticking out. and then he opens his mouth. he opens his mouth and out comes a folky, and at times country-twanged voice, that flows over the song as if there was no effort at all.

after what was quite the rollercoaster ride in 2005, topped by Atlantic's choice to drop them from the label, it looked like there may not be another album. that is, until nate and sam took it upon themselves to make an album THEY wanted to make, without the strings attached. and what resulted was one of my top albums of 2006.

dog problems. without a doubt, the best packaging of a cd that i own. it was july of 2006, and i was working at no milk records in red bank, new jersey. the first spin was thanks to kyle, who was in love with it. i went out and bought it after i was done working and the love hasn't stopped since then. it is a beautifully constructed piece of art. visually and musically. it has horns, and lots of 'em. jazz flavor, pop flavor, you name it. and the lyrics tie it all together.

throw in a live cd/dvd, another EP, and the infamous b-sides/rarities album. there you have it. the trail that was left behind by one of the best duos in music.

sometimes i get in a mood, and i don't know what i want to listen to. the format is just always something i can play, no matter how i'm feeling - it works. so it is with this that i say thank you. nate and sam - thank YOU for making music that matters and not selling your soul to do it.

http://www.theformat.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theformat

stay tuned. i'll share what female singer/songwriters are spinning in this ol' head of mine. and come on, when have i let you down before?