I’ve spent far too many days in my life not listening to Shelf Life. Drenching sadness in comfort, the solo project of Scotty Leitch is solace in patient riffs and sing-along refrains. Scotty is a member of a number of bands in Philadelphia and one of those people that everyone loves. Listening to his music, you can understand why. It’s genuine, emotive, gentle and totally at home in the bedroom pop community of Philly. He takes an unassuming approach to creating and releasing music which brings out its sincerity.
A few days ago, Scotty and his band of mellow men closed out one of the loveliest house shows I’ve been to in a long time. It was my first time seeing them live and it was memorably magical. Everyone in the audience seemed to be fully immersed and willing to participate in the frank but warm energy filling the room during Shelf Life’s set. “Mortal Bus Boy” was one track that really stood out from the show. In less than three minutes, it rides the ups and downs of longing with grace. It is equally powerful in its quiet strums as it is in the echoing blast of the refrain. Little shifts in strumming patterns and the abrupt disappearance of layers are important in emphasizing the song’s sedated desperation. Listen below. If you love it as much as I do, you can listen through the rest of Shelf Life’s latest album Alright, Okayyy and more on Bandcamp.
P.S. If someone could tell me which song included the bit about the gaggle of geese, my curiosity and I would be forever grateful.
