Richard Edwards is not a fan of the "I-Tunes culture," the online purchasing and downloading of individual songs off the Internet.
"I think albums should be listened to as a whole," Edwards said. "Downloading individual songs takes the art out of the album."
When Edwards' band, Archer Avenue, was working on their debut album, "I Was an Astronaut," he said they worked to make the album its own entity.
In their quest to write the perfect album, the Muncie-based band learned a lot about what makes songs work.
"I used to think it was all about the melody," Edwards, lead singer and guitarist, said. "Now I think the best songs are the ones that can be both melodically amazing and lyrically amazing. Like Bob Dylan, or David Byrne."
The band looks to a variety of musicians for inspiration. Their name, for example, is a reference based off the movie "The Royal Tenenbaums." Costello cited the movie's sense of musical cohesiveness, as well as Elliott Smith and Paul Simon as his primary influences, while Brian Poole, the band's drummer, listed Weezer and Radiohead. Yet the most unusual duo of influences came from Edwards.
"I really like Led Zeppelin," he said. "And Dolly Parton, you can't leave out Dolly Parton. I have a wide variation of influences."
Despite their different tastes, the band works on the songs together. Edwards said he sits down and comes up with the music and then brings the songs to the rest of the band.
"We're all talented musicians," he said. "I write everything as little folk songs and then let them add their touch and make it better."
Their different taste in music shows in the album, which contains a variety of musical influences, from pop to blues, country to acoustic.
The band didn't consider a specific audience, though, while making the album.
"With me it was more aimed toward myself," Edwards said. "I wanted to make a record that I liked."
Edwards said the album was a concept album about suicide, and each song was about a girl he was trying to feel better about.
"I'm bipolar, and it's hard to explain," Edwards said. "You're conditioned to feel happy about things, but when you think about them they're often really bad. "
The album starts with a few seemingly misplaced empty piano chords, and then the first series of synthetic keyboard tones hit like a hammer.
"Lately I drifted away," Edwards sings, "with some coffee to keep me awake, and I'll sing to you one fine time, let this hopelessness shut up your eyes. Tuesday I woke with the dawn and put my old wedding ring on. She said, 'time is a fickle mistress, you can drink but you'll never fool it.'" On that dark note, the guitars and keyboard tones blend to a crescendo of darkness and depression.
Edwards said the band's album may not appeal to most people.
"A lot of people are really stupid," Edwards said. "They listen to something original, and they immediately say 'This is too weird,' and they throw it away."
People may also be thrown off by the band's pop sound, but Edwards said they tried to make pop music that was interesting.
Music fans can hear Archer Avenue for themselves when the band plays with White Eyes Return at 8 p.m. this weekend at the Warehouse in Anderson.
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