Seattle Subsonic

FENCES….vs Wolf

June 25th, 2008

Local bookers/management group Expanding Brooklyn (Joshua Morrison) have hold of yet another outstanding local singer-songwriter, the FENCES. Genre: indie/shoegaze/grime according to their myspace page. Shoegaze. Perfectly fitting for this acoustic solo project. Their melancholic tunes launch me into my own introspective world, where I indeed find myself staring down, not-so-blankly, at my shoes. FENCES is essentially Chris Mansfield, stamped in tattoos and surprisingly much rougher-looking on the surface than his music suggests. Which makes him all the more appealing, in my mind at least. A refreshing diversion from most singer-songwriters. And for an artist that leans toward the mellow end of the spectrum, he distills plenty grime to draw a versatile crowd. Mansfield’s vocals are gruff but gentle, soft-spoken and a little shy. His thoughtfully simple lyrics and reflective stories are tainted at times (The Boys Around Here) and hopeful at others (The Same Tattoos).

I’m ecstatic to have been introduced to this talented folk-rocker, and will no doubt follow his outbreak onto the Seattle music scene. For now, FENCES myspace page is all we have to refer to. Check it out here, and keep a lookout for the ‘Ultimate Puke’ EP, due for release on August 22nd. FENCES will be playing the Triple Door on July 14th alongside fellow singer-songwriter Joshua Morrison (another SeattleSubsonic fave - you can read more about Morrison here).