Don’t deny it. I know it is hard for you to even try and count the number of times you have thought to yourself, “I wonder what it would sound like if you put the Dave Matthews Band and the Dixie Chicks in a blender, with a pinch of bluegrass and Elton John, and poured it into a ten-song LP.” With Ten Mile Tide’s album “Flow,” you need wonder no more.
Ten Mile Tide (TMT) was brought to life in San Francisco by twin brothers Jason (lead guitar, vocals) and Justin (guitar, vocals) Munning and their Stanford roommates Steve Kessler (violin) and Marc Mazzoni (keyboard, organ, vocals). The quartet was later joined by J.D. Sowell (drums) and Jeff Clemetson (bass) to form a six-piece band who play stylings of rock, folk, and bluegrass with a laid-back mellow feeling.
You will not hear Ten Mile Tide much on commercial radio, but their debut “Flow” has been well received from California to Maine. Why? The band describes the vehicle of their success in one word: Kazaa. According to TMT, the online file-sharing program helped them get their start and many of their fans. Justin Munning said that the Internet may “finally allow more independent bands to make a livable wage playing music rather than making just a handful of record labels and superstars rich.”
As I sit and listen to Internet-baby “Flow,” it is obvious that more than just file-sharing has helped spread this band’s music. The Munning brothers and their companions are talented musicians. Ten Mile Tide somehow manages to blend the unlikeliest of instruments together to create beautiful songs. Guitars, piano, and violin lay intricate melodies, backed by a talented rhythm section. But the vocals are the center of attention on this album, and the singing is memorable and even intoxicating.
The album opens strongly with “Remember,” a song that seems equally appropriate for a top ten station, a romantic movie, or a long drive down I-95 (though I don’t recommend all three at once). It sets the stage for the album with its appealing vocals, flowing instrumentation, and thoughtful songwriting. Musicianship comes through on all levels from every member. The violin playing in particular is a wonderful surprise that they make fit into a contemporary electric group style, with flowing undertones, accents, and solos.
But the problem with “Flow” is that the “stage” never changes: the album does not seem to go anywhere. The further into the album you listen, the more you realize that it is formulaic and much of the same. With the exception of a couple of songs at the end of the album–the hillbilly “Never Gonna Drink Again,” the folk-rock “Siddhartha”–every track is mellow and smooth–to a fault. After the last song ends and your CD player spins to a stop, you feel like you could have gotten the same musical substance in half the time. Perhaps that is why TMT is so popular on Kazaa: you can download just the songs you want.
“Flow” is a gorgeous album through and through. The songs, taken apart, are beautiful and complex enough to evoke emotion from even the most stone-faced. But taken together, they are just boring. Ten Mile Tide had the right idea making their music available for free on the Internet. If you really like what you hear, buy the album; because you are going to get a lot of it.
Jake Christie can be reached at [email protected]