[do action="play-this-page"/] “There are only two types of music: good and bad” – Duke Ellington. For the sake of description it is true that Oakland based quartet Trails and Ways are an indie pop group, but in some ways it feels counterproductive getting into a detailed description when the easiest way to describe them would be to simply say “good”, as Mr Ellington suggests. Regardless of what genre you may say you prefer, if you have ears, a heart, and a soul, Trails and Ways are for you. Trails and Ways’ popularity reached truly unprecedented heights in 2012. The unsigned group came virtually out of nowhere, consistently topping hypem charts with their outburst of elevating feel-good singles. One gets the feeling that the pure heart-warming musical joy that positively radiates from their music is not in any way an act or show but is just an expression of the genuine pleasure that they derive from bringing music into the world. This was confirmed when Trails and Ways sent us their remix EP "Detornar-se". While many artists and their labels spend their hours in between albums hurriedly badgering other artists/fans who have remixed their music to cease doing so and to take down their work, Trails and Ways were ecstatic to find the creative works that have rapidly proliferated from their original works. The title "Detornar-se" is a Portuguese term that roughly translates to "Remake-itself". To Trails and Ways "the name perfectly describes how the EP came to exist. Rather than us setting out and intentionally “creating” a remix EP, the remixes have instead come to us organically from self-inspired producers over the last 6 months. It was as if the songs went into the world and remade themselves completely outside of our control." To be able to release a full remix EP of this quality while having yet to sign to a label or release your debut EP is really quite extraordinary. As previously mentioned, these remixes were all made completely without the knowledge or additional creative influence of Trails and Ways and therefore their is an interesting variety of styles found throughout. Yet, the remix EP as a whole still manages to hold some congruency due to the largely retained fundamentals of T&W's melodies and vocals in each track. The energetic driving synth bass-line in Ghost Beach's remix is immediately juxtapositioned with the following downtempo blood pressure-lowering rework of T&W's M83 cover by Prismic Delight, for example. Detornar-Se is but one more strong warning to the music world that Trails and Ways are a force to be reckoned with - though a warm and lovable one - and have only just begun. Their -, I repeat again out of perpetual amazement - DEBUT record, Trilingual, is set to be released some time in 2013 (I know, I wish I could be more specific, too). In the meantime though, the whole 8-track EP "Detornar-Se" is generously available for for FREE DOWNLOAD off their website or can be purchased off iTunes [do action="add-song-soundcloud" artist="Trails and Ways" title="Border Crosser (The Seshen Remix)" id="70658981" sclink="http://soundcloud.com/trailsandways/border-crosser-the-seshen"/] [do action="add-song-soundcloud" artist="Trails and Ways" title="Mtn Tune (Wallpaper. Remix)" id="74059855" sclink="http://soundcloud.com/trailsandways/mtn-tune-wallpaper-remix"/] [do action="add-song-soundcloud" artist="Trails and Ways" title="Nunca (The Highweights Remix)" id="71664507" sclink="http://soundcloud.com/trailsandways/nunca-highweights-remix"/] [do action="add-song-soundcloud" artist="Trails and Ways" title="Nunca (Ghost Beach Remix)" id="74059909" sclink="http://soundcloud.com/trailsandways/nunca-ghost-beach-remix"/] [do action="add-song-soundcloud" artist="Trails and Ways" title="Midnight City (Prismic Delight Remix)" id="74059714" sclink="http://soundcloud.com/trailsandways/midnight-city-prismic-delight"/]
Trails and Ways