Lend Your Ear: Tom Misch
In June 2018, I found myself in a situation most folks are all too familiar with. I had gotten a new job and within two weeks I was sure I hated it. I had been hired as a merchandiser for Coca-Cola United Bottling Company, a distributor for Coca-Cola here in west Georgia. A merchandiser is nothing more than a stock boy. But instead of working for one particular grocery store, I went from store to store only tending to the Coca-Cola products, isles, coolers, vending machines, and displays.
Work started at five a.m. at your first store and did not end until you had worked four or five stores and returned to your first again to straighten everything up before evening grocery shopping. If everything went well, which was not likely, you might end your day around three p.m. but it was common to have to work five p.m. or even later. The work was hard, the pay stunk and the worst part was that you worked every weekend and even major holidays. It was awful, however, it was better than being unemployed, which I had been for 3 months before starting. So even though the job was awful I had no choice but to give it my best. To make it all worse they had one annoying rule. We were not allowed to listen to music while working. I broke that rule as soon as I was sent out on my own which was just a week into the job. The work was dreadful enough. I wasn’t going to suffer when the only punishment for breaking the rule was a slap on the wrist.
I was in a Walmart Supercenter, filling up coolers at 5:15 a.m. Dreading the long day in front of me, I put my headphones in and hit shuffle on my Spotify Discover Weekly Playlist. A couple of songs played as I got into a good flow and then a song stopped me in my tracks. It began with a beautiful monologue which was followed by a gentle, groovy bluesy guitar riff and genuine vocal and I was hooked. That song was “Movie” and it kickstarted a two-year time span where Tom Misch was on repeat day in and day out helping me get through that terrible job.
As soon I listened to “Movie” three times, I went to Tom Misch’s Spotify profile and explored his most current album at the time, which was Geography. The album opens with “Before Paris” giving the listener a feel for the album and artist and then jumps into “Lost in Paris” which for a song that is not even 3 and a half minutes, is so packed with goodies it’s hard to describe. The guitar riff shows skill, a feel for the tone, and groove of where the song is going, and is just super catchy. The vocals don’t blow you away but they wouldn’t fit the song if they did. They’re perfect for the song. There is a groove you can’t help but move to, which makes the song good for a low-key party. The background vocals give you the quirky nature that is always present in Tom Misch’s music in the best way, and this all culminates in the last minute of the song where a delightful saxophone solo pulls all of these elements together before the song gently drifts into the rest of the album. “Lost in Paris”, “South of The River”, “Movie”, “Isn’t She Lovely”, “Disco Yes”, “Man Like You”, “You’re On My Mind”, and “Cos I Love You” were all my favorite song on the album at one point. That’s 8 songs out of 13. This means the entire album was so good that I couldn’t pick a favorite.
After a few weeks, I moved on from Geography and explored the rest of his catalog. Out to Sea, a collaborative EP with Carmody, a great artist in her own right, kept my attention for a while. “With You” in particular stood out to me. The melody was unique, the guitar was perfect, and the duet between the artists felt very genuine.
I then came across his first two albums, Beat Tape 1 and Beat Tape 2. Beat Tape 1 from my understanding, was a collection of music from Tom’s early days on SoundCloud. It showcased his early skills of combining chill beats with skillful and extremely catchy guitar riffs and chord progressions. “Marrakech” was the stand-out single from Beat Tape 1. In my opinion, Beat Tape 1 seemed to serve as a way for Misch to test the waters. He found his groove, found an audience, and was able to put forward Beat Tape 2 which took all the skills showcased on the first to entirely new levels.
Beat Tape 2 was clearly an evolution of artistry. This can be seen just in the fact that it features collaborations with 8 artists while the first had none. This speaks to the success of the first. These other artists could hear the talent and wanted to validate that by working together while also introducing more listeners to Misch. The first collaboration is once again Carmody on “Wander With Me”. These two seem to work together seamlessly. Her soft melodic voice paired with his lush guitar playing make for great music. “Nightgowns” follows with the hip-hop side of Misch coming out with this collaboration with Loyle Carner. I might suggest here, even if you are not the biggest fan of rap, Carner is extremely listener friendly. I don’t know if it’s the British accent, the chill demeanor he shows on the song, or the skillful flow flaunts but “Nightgowns” is one of the best songs on the album and it wouldn't be so without him. My personal favorite is “Woke Up This Day” featuring Jordan Rakei. This song is everything we love about Tom Msich. Great guitar-focused intro jumping straight into a hip-hop groove and then joined by soulful vocals courtesy of Rakei. The song is extremely catchy and ends with more splendid guitar work. I definitely had it on repeat for days. Maybe even weeks. “Your Love” featuring Alexa Harley comes in a few tracks later. Here we get the indie, dance, and quirky sounds the Misch seems to combine with ease. He does this again on “Beautiful Escape” featuring Zak Abel. There is, throughout this album, a genuine love for the music that is front and center. Sometimes an album full of different collaborating artists can feel so busy and forced. Misch seems to have a way of pulling these artists together. They are unique and distinguished from one another yet when the album concludes you feel like you’ve all been on a journey together. It’s not just a place for these artists to become the center of attention. They come together for the music and leave the listeners with music they can appreciate for years.
While this incredible music was helping me work through my awful job, something great happened. I got a new, much better job! I won’t name them for the same reasons I listed here, but trust me when I tell you, it was a major upgrade! No more working weekends or holidays. More time with my wife and friends, and I was making a little more money. And, my employer allowed me to listen to music while working. Most of the day is spent driving so the time I had to listen to music and podcasts skyrocketed. Beat Tape 2 and Misch’s entire catalog were no longer just getting me through tough times, I was having fun listening. Things were shaping up nicely. But all of a sudden the world came to a halt. A new virus had been spreading all over the world and it finally reached us here in Georgia. In March 2020 the governor banned gatherings of more than 10 people and life wouldn’t feel normal again until, well, that still to be determined. Little did I know, Tom Misch would once again become a companion through hardship. In April of 2020 Misch, along with fellow Englishmen Yussef Dayes (a truly world-class Jazz drummer) released their collaborative album What Kinda Music.
“Lift Off” was the first single released for the album and right from the get-go fans could tell this album was going to be very different. Misch had always floated around the genres of jazz, hip-hop/ dance/, and indie but this single led him into the territory of alternative rock and he owned it. The next single was “Kyiv”. “Kyiv” seemed to be somewhat of an extension of “Lift Off”. The music videos for each seemed to be filmed back to back. “Kyiv” was more of a showcase of Dayes talents but all in all, listeners knew the album was about to be incredible but also had no idea what to expect musically. That to me might sum up one of the best and most defining aspects of Tom Misch. You cannot plug neatly into any genre. He won’t let you do that. Anyway, the album finally drops and it came right just at the right time. I was out of training but without a daily routine. I was just doing whatever I was asked. Because of Covid-19 and all the labor issues we began to face, it became my job to run our products back and forth from our warehouse to our distribution plant. This was a 2-hour drive in one direction which means a lot of time for What Kinda Music.
As with Geography, What Kinda Music was now on repeat during tumultuous times. But this album was even more unique. Songs like “What Kinda Music”, “Tidal Wave”, “Lift Off”, and “Kyiv” captured the intensity of the moment while also offering a sense of hope as they all contained beauty within the intensity. “Nightrider”, The Real”, “I Did It For You”, and “Last 100” gave you the fun hip-hop, indie, and lush guitar we all had grown to love. And the finale “Storm Before The Calm” became one of my most played songs of the entire year and I would say is my favorite song on the album. This track includes the brilliant artist Kaidai Akinnibi on the saxophone. This is a jazz song yet it somehow pulls all of these other genres in with it as the album comes to an end. I have never heard another record that begins with an indie rock song, journeys through all these genres, and ends with a jazz tune while maintaining a distinct, listener-friendly sound throughout. To me, What Kinda Music became Misch’s masterpiece. To find a masterpiece during the pandemic was a light in the darkness. The madness was far from over, but thankfully so was Tom Misch.
In September 2021, long after the 2 weeks in which we were supposed to “flatten the curve,” Misch released Quarantine Sessions. This project began as a youtube series while touring was on hold and life was mostly shut down and was later released as an EP. In its simplicity and spontaneous nature, the project harkened back to the feel of the Beat Tape EPs while highlighting how much Misch had evolved as a musician. The guitar playing throughout is masterful. It is the perfect EP to have on while reading, relaxing, or indeed quarantined. “Cranes In The Sky” shows an incredible feel on the guitar and is as groovy as it is peaceful. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” shows up as the cover I never knew I wanted but now love. “For Carol” from 5 Day Mischon makes a reappearance and makes for a spectacular Youtube video as we see Misch open the song not on guitar, but on violin. All in all Quarantine Sessions solidified the fact that Tom Misch is a genuinely creative man who makes music because it’s just what he loves to do.
There are artists like Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Adele who have been so consistently great that no matter what they release, I’ll be listening. Tom Misch has become one of those artists for me. The genuine love he feels for his music comes through every note. I know with him I won’t get over-produced singles just to be hit songs on top 40 radio. I’ll get real art. I’ll get music that helps people get through awful jobs and pandemics. Music that you can dance to when you get married and start a family. He could retire today a happy man. Thankfully at just 27, Misch shows no signs of slowing down. The future is bright for this young man and I cannot wait to listen.