Track a Tiger
Woke Up Early the Day I Died
Future Appletree Records

The first time I sat down to listen to Track a Tiger’s first release, Woke up Early the Day I Died, I was behind the steering wheel of a car driving to some predetermined destination. The music started and my head began to bob along to the sounds. I had read a few excerpts about the band, and there seemed to be a growing theme of adjectives proclaiming them to be “moody” and “sad”. At first I agreed, but as my drive went on, my mood seemed to fit the opposite. The songs were mostly somber, but behind that initial reaction, a smile found its way upon my face. It was a strange feeling, probably like the situation that the album title would imply. Maybe it is better to go out with optimism rather than worry?

Upon closer examination, this record seems really well thought out, and rightly so, it took them more than a few years of writing and recording to get the final product. Thankfully, after all of that hard work, the songs weren’t just thrown together on a CD. They alternate and vary in pace, which helped keep my attention throughout the listen. The wide assortment of instruments have an airy quality about them that really add to the overall mood, but what really make this release stand out to me are the male and female vocal harmonies. They blend together perfectly, almost acting as one voice, in order to show that this isn’t just another run-of-the-mill record. I searched through my brain for some band comparisons and I ended up with early Ryan Adams, and less-crazy Sparklehorse, but take those with a grain of salt. If you listen to any sort of alt-country, then you’ll probably like Track a Tiger. It’s as easy to enjoy as that.    

Overall, the only complaint that I could possibly have about Woke up Early the Day I Died would be its length. This is a dilemma, seeing as how I prefer to-the-point records over long, drawn-out yawns. With only 9 tracks, totaling out at about 33 minutes, I was actually left wanting more. The only remedy I could think of was to start the album over from the beginning on my way home. This seemed to suffice, but I’m sure with the success of this first attempt, there’ll soon be plenty more Track a Tiger to listen to.

As a sign of good faith, they’ve made the first three songs from the album available for download, so feel free to test-drive it for yourself.

MP3s
Glad to Be Scattered
Sound as Ever
Seashaken Heart

Website
Track a Tiger official website