Michael the Blind and I Am Bart(ek)

I've been doing little posts of pairs of tunes the past few weeks and enjoying it, so I don't see why I shouldn't keep it going. Tonight we have Michael the Blind and I Am Bart(ek).

Michael the Blind is the self-deprecating band centered on Michael Gerard Levasseur and they have a new album called Are's & Els. This track "Who Is She?" is a blast of ultra catchy power pop that's over all too soon. The vocals remind me a little of Michael Stipe for being both yearning and acrobatic.

On the other end of the "rock" spectrum, we have a meditative instrumental track from the artists known as I Am Bart(ek). When he or she submitted this track, we were encouraged to "close (our) eyes and listen loud," which is excellent advice for whenever you press play on "Happiness." It's in the vein of cinematic scores and post-rock and has quite an emotional pull over its journey.