Nathan Asher & The Infantry: Sex Without Love

Back when I used to live in Nigeria, a guy I knew once told me that tears of joy were proof that joy and pain were the same emotion. Days later, they found him naked at the village square, rambling on and spewing Shakespeare quotes at odd intervals. I promptly ran to the square to see this man go unhinged. It was the last time I got goose pimples. Until today. While listening to Nathan Asher & The Infantry, a band out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Band members include Nathan Asher (vocals, guitar), Turner Brandon (organ, harmonica), Chris Serino (guitar), Nick Abbate (bass), Dan Abbate (drums), and Lawson Taylor (piano). These guys, they have garnered some serious accolades and raves, including winning the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest, the Great American Song Contest, and Independent Weekly's Annual Indy Music Award for Best Rock Band. They were also finalists in the 2005 International Songwriting Competition. Last year the band released a full lenght album titled Sex Without Love.

All that aside, their music taps into a variety of influences including Dylan and Springsteen. Nathan's vocal style is kinda like of a full shot of Conor Oberst with a sprinkling of Leonard Cohen, part tremble, part spoken poetry. But the real winner here is the band's instrumentation, laden with strong melodies that wedge the songs on all sides, carefully pacing Nathan's vocals in studied accompaniment. Hear for yourself.

Sex Without Love/A War
Storms
Turn Up The Faders

Sex Without Love is available here or here. Read more about the band on their website or myspace.