Jamie Barnes

Barnes' strengths lie in simple, hooky, lo-fi bedroom pop gems. His delivery is beautifully understated and even optimistic as he sings poignant autumnal folk songs that recall failed attempts at unrealistic plans. Barnes confesses with candor that many of his influences are actually Silber-related (most notably Rivulets), though his songs seem closer to the subtle musings of Nick Drake, Secret Stars, or Field Mice than the sonic assaults of Small Life Form or Kobi.

The Fallen Acrobat, Barnes's Silber debut, was recorded over the course of one year in Barnes's bedroom (like all personal records should be). Here Jamie manages to capture the intimacy of home in his songs, working not only with solo instrumentation, but with a diverse blend of elements like toy piano, xylophone, and basically "all the cool stuff from around the house." Just more proof that Silber is working to bring tunes out of the bedroom and into your headphones.

Jamie's second album Honey from the Ribcage shows his songs becoming more orchestrated & more personal. The lyrical content focuses around personal fears, feelings, & events. "All these things are so" draws parallels to events in Jamie's life & the biblical story of Samson. "Second guess my own" is about Jamie's suffering with long-term memory loss & "red prescription" is about his fight with prescription drugs that caused that memory loss. Throughout the album demons, angels, creatures, & colors (black, red, white) appear as symbols of one thing or another.