Stereo Six: The Messenger Birds Break Down Six of Their Favourite Records

The world can be an exhausting place, and thankfully, we have artists like The Messenger Birds to try to make sense of it all. The band just released their new EP, GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ALBUM IT’S ALL A BLUR, earlier this month. It features the lead singer “FAKE LIVES,” which discusses the hypocrisy inherent in social media and the disengaging effect it has on its users. The EP takes this topic a step further, diving into the world’s chaotic and dizzying landscape. It considers distorted truths, obscured and carefully curated identities, and the isolation that is prompted by social media and technology. Intellectualism has been supplanted by algorithmic thinking and advancements such as artificial intelligence.

Within this reality, it can be hard to exist in the present moment, and The Messenger Birds want to acknowledge this. It feels like the world is falling apart in a sense, and we’re all just standing by observing it happening. There are different versions of facts, and context is usually ignored altogether. It creates a setting where it can be challenging to make sense of where we are and what our purpose is. This is a record that serves as a commentary on the present moment. And given our current reality, it’s essential to hear artists like this speak out.

To learn more about the inspiration behind GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ALBUM IT’S ALL A BLUR, The Messenger Birds join us for a Stereo Six feature, sharing with us six albums that were instrumental in the recording of this EP.

The Messenger Birds ‘GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ALBUM IT’S ALL A BLUR’ album artwork

1. Bright Eyes – Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005, Saddle Creek Records)

“I have a couple of favourite Bright Eyes albums, but this Digital Ash is probably the most influential to me because it’s impacted me for the longest time. When I was in eighth grade, one of my guitarist friends who was a little older than I was showed me Bright Eyes. It started with the Oh Holy Fools split and Lifted, but then Bright Eyes simultaneously released two full LPs: the critically acclaimed and widely loved I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and its darker, more experimental counterpart Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.

“People who know and listen to Bright Eyes casually probably point to Wide Awake and songs like ‘First Day of My Life’ as favourites. It’s the mainstream Starbucks folk record for the masses, and it’s still objectively a great record. But Digital Ash is, to me, much more definitive of what Bright Eyes is at its core, and I think for a long time it was severely underappreciated in the shadow of its twin. It’s an indie rock record covered in layers of effects and glitchy drums with incredible arrangements and unforgettable lyrics, dark and sad and happy all at once. It’s everything I love in an album.”

2. Nine Inch Nails – Add Violence (2017, The Null Corporation, Capitol Records)

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Nine Inch Nails record or a film score, Trent Reznor is a master of composition and blending noise and tension and melody. I think Add Violence is pretty underrated within the full NIN discography. It starts with what is essentially a terrestrial radio rock hit that’s short, hard-hitting, and to the point, and then every other track on the EP does the exact opposite. There’s a ton of atmospheric noise and feedback, drum machines filtering in and out, long, droning synthesizers, and not many lyrics.

“At times, it’s extremely melodic, and at others, ominous and downright aggressive. The composition is the star, and it has a lot of room to breathe. You never know exactly where Trent is taking you on the journey, and eventually, Add Violence just glitches into oblivion and implodes.”

3. The Strokes – Room on Fire (2003, RCA Records)

“Like Digital Ash, Room On Fire shaped my whole teenage musical worldview. I didn’t know about it right when it was released, but about a year or so later, I started playing guitar, and a friend of mine showed me ‘Reptilia.’ I became obsessed with The Strokes immediately. They created such an original take on garage rock, this sort of lazy slacker vibe with blown out vocals on a condenser mic mixed with extremely precise, interwoven guitar parts and tight drum beats.

“I had this shitty 15 watt snakeskin Crate practice amp and a Black Beauty Epiphone Les Paul, and I would mimic the guitar tone as close as I could get (it wasn’t that close) and spend hours trying to figure out how to play these songs. YouTube didn’t exist yet, so there were no videos or tutorials of any kind like you have now. It was just sitting and listening to the CD, replaying the tracks over and over until you thought you had it figured out. If my mom weren’t also a musician, it probably would’ve driven her nuts.”

4. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002, Interscope Records)

“This one sort of goes without saying. I don’t think you could find a single millennial rock fan or musician who wouldn’t name Songs for the Deaf as one of the most important records to ever exist. It’s got some of the most memorable riffs, drums, and hooks of all time. The guitar tone is unmistakable, you know the second you hear it that it’s Queens. Songs for the Deaf became a core reference point and blueprint for rock bands and studio engineers for decades. I’d say it still is.”

5. Converge – Axe to Fall (2009, Epitaph Records)

“It’s hard to pick just one Converge record, but this one came out when I was a freshman in college and had a pretty lasting impact on me. I was living in Chicago at the time, and my buddy Nick asked me if I wanted to go catch Converge at Bottom Lounge. They were touring with Touché Amore (who was relatively unknown then), Black Breath (severely underrated), and Coalesce. I’ve seen Converge plenty of times, but that was easily one of my favourite shows I’ve ever been to.”

6. [Curveball] Andrew W.K. – I Get Wet (2001, Island Records)

“It’s funny that this is the curveball in the list because every album I’ve mentioned is so different from each other, but I don’t usually bring up Andrew W.K. as an influence. I Get Wet is and will always be one of the most legendary rock albums of all time. It’s completely oversaturated, relentless, and fun. Chris and I still put this album on from front to back pretty much every time we go on tour. It gets us super amped.”