Fresh Squeezed: Windmill

jason - Posted on 17 July 2009

As much as it is the responsibility of a parent to instill and encourage respect, responsibility, caring, compassion, and morality in our children, it is equality important to foster a sense wonderment and enchantment. The idea that an adult, a parent, will drop the heavy weight of the world and travel across the country to focus on fun, family, and the excitement of Disney World or any vacation is powerful for a child. At least I hope it is for mine as we take a week off next week and head to Disney, but it was clearly powerful for Matthew Thomas Dillon (aka Windmill). His sophomore album is entirely dedicated to a childhood trip to Epcot Center in Florida with his parents. Well not only is Epcot Starfields (Friendly Fires, 9/15/09) about the experience, but according to Dillon it is about "embracing the perfect moments in life and recognizing the sadness of everything passing in the moment of our death." The way he recalls his experience at Epcot is as a trip "far away from the worries of adulthood". I hope that is what I can give my family next week.

Windmill as a project is as much about the study of music as it is the study of limits or moreover breaking or dissolving limits. Dillon's debut, 2007's Puddle City Racing Lights, was an incredible journey through piano pop, orchestral symphonies, and indie rock classics, all guided by the high pitch sounds of Dillon. His voice is shaky, innocent, unassuming, and that is why the setting for Epcot Starfields is all the more fitting. During the recording process the themes of Epcot Starfields became all-consuming: opening track "Airsuit" tells of the end of a life here on earth, "IMAX Raceway" recalls that trip to the Kennedy Space Center, "Ellen Save Our Energy" is named for the Epcot ride Ellen's Energy Adventure, and "Epcot Slow" is the fear-laden track that kick-started Dillon's creative process. Elsewhere, "Epcotman" explores Walt Disney's creative obsession, "Photo Hemispheres" is dedicated to the ecologically minded astronomer Carl Sagan, and closing track "Spaceship Earth" envisages our eventual demise. When Dillon finally called in co-producer Tom Knott after a year working alone, the Puddle City collaborator became immersed in the project too, even agreeing to watch Tron - a key film in the album's genesis. Knott was instrumental in filling in the empty spaces and really allowing Dillon to create some of the best songs of his career, include the track below, "Big Boom". The cover for both Puddle City and Epcot were designed by the brilliant Jonah Buckley.

Windmill has alway made incredible videos so their is much anticipation surrounding what might come from this album. Here is the video for "Tokyo Moon" from Puddle City Racing Lights