Film School Dropout

No, Nyles Lannon (pictured above) is not really a film school dropout, but rather the guitarist for the band Film School (cut me some slack, just trying to be creative over here). He is still in the band, but he also releases solo albums under the names n. Lannon and n.Ln. I don't even remember how I first heard of him, although I will take a guess and say I was simply listening to random things in iTunes and happened upon him. Lucky me.
His first solo album, Chemical Friends released under the name n. Lannon, came out in 2004. I don't know if you are like me, but I am usually very wary when a guitarist from an already established band releases a solo record. It is definitely natural to wonder, "If this guy can sing and write songs, why isn't he the front man for his band?" Trust me, this album does not disappoint, much in the same way that John Frusciante's solo records managed to pleasantly surprise me. Nyles is more than competent in both his song writing and his singing.
I was reading something about him earlier today and saw his music described as "folktronic," which is the most accurate way to describe the style on Chemical Friends. The album is full of acoustic guitars, gently strummed or fingerpicked, with computerized drum beats and synth sounds hovering ever so lightly in the background. Essentially, Nyles combines elements of traditional folk music with that of electronic music. The combination of such differing musical styles has the potential for disaster, which Nyles manages to avoid by allowing the folk style to take the forefront while using the computerized beats and other sound effects to add fullness and texture to the songs. This "folktronic" style is one that seems to becoming ever more popular within the indie folk revival that has been taking place over the past few years.

I have put up a couple of tracks from his album Chemical Friends, one of the better albums I've heard in the past couple of years. If you like what you hear, please go out and purchase the album and check out his other projects, Film School and n.Ln.

n. Lannon - The Catch

n. Lannon - Turn Time Around

n. Lannon - Hollow Heart

n. Lannon - Cruel

For more Nyles, check out his website and his MySpace page.. For all you musicians out there, he also does mixing and mastering (cheap...for now, he says).