Jeremy Messersmith's second album of dreamy pop, The Silver City, employs minimalist storytelling to pay homage to his home of Minneapolis, Minn. A concept record, it's heavily influenced by the lives of city-dwellers and largely autobiographical, chronicling Messersmith's experiences in the Twin Cities. With simple chord progressions and beautifully crafted melodies, his music feels reminiscent of '60s-style, Beach Boys-influenced pop.
Though Messersmith claims to work better in solitude, his collaboration with Grammy-winning musician Dan Wilson gives the album fresh energy. In a session with host David Dye, Messersmith describes Minneapolis' tradition of inspiring musicians — and plays a cover that follows in this tradition, "Skyway" by The Replacements.
Copyright 2009 XPN
