There’s something honorable in absolute truths, especially in music. Then again, truth is a subjective term, a blurred territory that strays between fact and fiction. However, when a musician shoots an e-mail, explaining that, “I’m twenty. I’m the most normal, awkward person I know. I only write songs about sexual insecurities, perspectives, and interpersonal relationships, realities and truths—things almost no bands today do with any charisma,” the fiction tends to become sentimental (if not laughable). Though let’s stick with sentimental, which is a good adjective for the North Carolina artist, who is responsible for over sixty, all in the indie-pop sound. Who am I talking about, exactly? Stroik.

Even though I’m pretty sure hundreds of artists, even up ’til now, still write about sexual insecurities (how else did I manage to get through high school?), Stroik is a nice little vacation from the regular day to day swing of mainstream music, not to mention the occasional indie band. Its charm lie in the raw and independent sound, which stems from the fact that this is all the work of one person. Yes, he’s one of “those” artists. The ones that play drums, guitar, and sing; the ones that have music videos with all three members played by the same guy; the ones popularized by independent gurus like Trent Reznor.

Yet under the pseudonym Stroik, the music clenches upon different lullaby sounds. Its sweet and somber music, really. Whether it be the chamber music that backs the vocals, or the whispers that front the instrumentation, the sounds just chime rather than rock or roll. There are hints of early, demo’d Elliott Smith, bookmarks of Sunny Day Real Estate, and the more technical stuff alludes to even mainstream acts like Radiohead (think: “How to Disappear Completely”).

Available from his MySpace page are five albums (I recommend Blue Years From Now), including an E.P. (with eight songs, rather than the typical five), so the general consensus should be that this is an artist who is pretty adamant about what he’s doing. He’s even eager to tour, which one might presume would be complicated, given that he’s the sole artist. However, he contends that he will be backed by an effects pedal, in which he’ll be playing either a guitar or a keyboard while singing. Pretty inspiring, huh?

Soon enough, this one man musical tourney will make its rounds throughout the Carolinas. So, be on the look out, folks.

Check Out:
“Slide Right By”
“What You Want”

Categories: Listen
Tags: Stroik