Artist Of The Day: I Am The Branch

Over the past couple years, Count Your Lucky Stars has become one of my favorite labels due to the combination of top notch mail-order service, fantastic label owners (love you, Keith) and most importantly a wide group of excellent bands. The emergence of the label as an emo powerhouse in recent years has given plenty of exposure to the label's groups, however some of the label's earlier works have been forgotten. The recent "free discography" weeks have helped dig up some of those groups, and none of them has stood out more to me than the late I Am The Branch. The group's 2008 Count Your Lucky Stars EP Drink Tea is an emotional juggernaut, pointing more towards the late 90's than the upbeat emo-punk that's currently popular. Jazzy rhythms dominate the EP, while Robbie Pieschke's smooth vocals carry a certain fragility to them, as well as a similarity to Mike Kinsella. The band's 2010 LP Only Connect is just as strong, if not stronger, and Count Your Lucky Stars is finally reissuing this excellent release on cassette. The remastered release should be up for preorder soon, but for now, you can stream the album on Count Your Lucky Stars's Bandcamp. Be sure to check out Drink Tea as well.