It's usually hard for me to get into albums that are primarily instrumental. Not sure what it is but I've always been like that, I need words/singing. As with anything else in life, there are exceptions and Tom Hagerman's sophomore solo release Idle Creatures is one of them. If that name sounds familiar it's because you likely know him as one of the current members of Denver, Colorado's own DeVotchka. You will likely recognize his work/sound as he has collaborated with numerous artists such M. Ward, Amos Lee, and She & Him, as well as Calexico to score the film "The Guard." Tom was most notably a major contributor to the scoring for the 2006 hit movie "Little Miss Sunshine."
Where's Olive?
I had just recently started listening to DeVotchka late in 2011 so when Hagerman's solo album was released in early December I wanted to see how he worked things on his own. While there are DeVotchkaian qualities to Creatures this album has a life all to its own. At times it feels like you are watching a Tim Burton film and just zoned out focusing so much on the music. Other times it feels as if you are a child again and this should be the soundtrack to your every day life and adventures.
Hagerman delivers a beautiful instrumental gem late in 2011 that did not have a chance to make my best of 2011 list because I never got to it until it was completed. For me, Idle Creatures is a perfect album to have in the background while working on a project or even just to zone out too. After all, it's not like I need to focus on the lyrics or anything....
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