Early Day Miners

Early Day Miners - "Errance"

Bloomington, Indiana's Early Day Miners are one of those bands that I've long heard about but never actually heard. I also recognized their name from a split 7" that they did with Unwed Sailor, instrumental post-rock vehicle of one Jonathan Ford (ex-Pedro the Lion/ex-Roadside Monument). Four or five years ago, I sort of *accidentally* witnessed Unwed Sailor live at the unlikeliest of venues (David's Place, VA) and had been completely blindsided by them. It was eye-opening, surreal. So when I noticed Early Day Miners had released a new record, All Harm Ends Here, on Secretly Canadian a couple months ago, I decided to finally give them a listen. After all, if they could somehow be aligned with Unwed Sailor, maybe they were pretty good. In fact, as it turns out, my suspicions weren't off the mark at all. Hear for yourself. If this song is any indication, then I've got some backtracking to do in EDM's catalog.

Their sound is one that leans a tad toward the side of mellower rock, but it's exquisitely rich. Listening to this song, my mind conjures up images of sunlight and open skys just as they're beginning to peek through thick layers of clouds. There's a sense of some kind of healing taking place - it's refreshing, almost cathartic. There's an undeniable presence of some element of hope in EDM's music (for me, at least). I know things like that and visual imagery connected to music are usually quite subjective. Regardless, the product of this band's densely layered & noodled guitarwork and it's driving rhythm section is quite enveloping, mood-inducive, and incredibly soothing. And it's so gentle. At certain moments, Joseph Brumley's vocals are so delicate that they practically disappear in the mix. These are things that I do not feel can be argued.

Also recommended: check out the video for "Comfort/Guilt", another track from All Harm Ends Here. It's pretty cool.