Band of the Week: The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up

[May 19-25]
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
Sounds Like: Indie/Post-Rock
Drinking Buddies: Xiu Xiu, Grizzly Bear, The Album Leaf
Synopsis: Quietly textured, thoroughly layered pictures of life, magnified, and made audible.
Makes You Want To...: Socialize; Stay at home; Introspect.
[Myspace]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up.

I don't know about you all, but I'm quickly beginning to miss winter. Here in the Lone Star State, it's SWELTERING. And it's only mid-May. Guess I better get used to it, since it will no doubt be this hot until... mid-November. But it's a good excuse to stay inside and listen to some great music!

But let's talk about a different sort of music. Down tune - I mean really down tune. I mean Yellow House magnified. Somewhere between the lines, where romance meets "just friends," where problems meet solutions, and where music blends; where one can no longer classify the genre of the sound heard.

This is where you'll find The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up. This quintet from Oakland plays a modern style of indie rock hovering somewhere mysteriously between the post-rock This Will Destroy You, classic indie material from bands such as American Football, and 90s college rock by Sunny Day Real Estate. These boys show their musical prowess as they weave, layer, and texture sounds with steady rhythms in their songs. Whether they're blaring through a dissonant, fuzzy, fast-paced tune or a song that slows so much to make you question if it hasn't stopped all together, The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up soothes the soul as they speak all the feelings of the soul for you. And when they aren't sifting through a steady, hypnotizing instrumental, they are singing heartfelt lyrics of parties gone awry and love gone AWOL through the speakers to you, the faithful listener.

The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up are nearing veteran status at the rate they've released albums over the past decade. With a handful of EPs floating around, a few split/albums they share with other arists (the legendary Xiu Xiu being amongst the co-stars), as well as three full length albums, The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up offers plenty of material to indulge in. Camp Jim Yoshii is surprisingly quiet at the moment, as they remain on hiatus until further notice. But obviously they have a Myspace. They also have a neat website which is worth a view or two.