By Andrea Conley/tr news editor
To call this eight-piece Austin band and its music eclectic would be a gross understatement.
Its music is Pete Seeger meets The Beatles mixing it up with Bruce Springsteen and Tchaikovsky. But even if you never thought yourself a fan of any of those artists or their respective genres, you might like Tiny Tin Hearts.
Its 2009 debut release, Last Flight of the Martyr Aviator, is a happy marriage of classical, pop/rock and folk renderings featuring pristine arrangements, simple but affecting vocals and at times, sunny, upbeat instrumentals backing dark, melancholy lyrics as on “The Aviator.” The theme on this track as well as on “Love and Jet Engines” is a small airplane crash as a metaphor for a failed love affair.
The musicians, together since 2007, bring to mind a chamber ensemble and a soft rock band tossed together in a blender. Where else do you get a song that features a driving drumbeat, a regal French horn together with a banjo, cello, tambourine and screaming electric guitar? This music is the perfect soundtrack for a misty Sunday morning, lounging with the newspaper and a big mug of cappuccino.
The Austin Chronicle named Tiny Tin Hearts the winners of the first ever Sound Wars competition. We agree they are winners indeed — a bit odd, but very good at what they do.
Download “Navesink” and “Love and Jet Engines.” Buy Last Flight of the Martyr Aviator at iTunes.
