Straight White Teeth

Straight White Teeth is the alternative musical project of Patrick McGuire, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Kansas City. October 22nd marked the release of his latest collection of songs, an EP called World’s Greatest Video Editor: Volume 1. For over a decade, McGuire has produced an impressive body of work– to take it all in, a listener would likely have to carve out an entire day. His most recent single, however, “Don’t Block My Light,” has landed in our stacks of submissions and though we do not know much about his prior musical endeavors, we do know that the bulk of this latest EP sails upon the seas of indie-folk.

When you first listen to “Don’t Block My Light,” you will immediately notice that McGuire does not try to hide behind a wall of production tricks. This thing is raw as hell and reminds us that no amount of plugins in a DAW can make up for a lack of talent or craft. The track fills the sonic space through the layering of multiple instruments and is a smooth ride from start to finish. The vocals are harmonized for the entirety of the second verse, which is simply one of our favorite ingredients that musical chefs add to the mix when preparing these aural dishes. It is also a fantastic way to spread the sound as the song progresses and we are absolutely dumbfounded as to why any songwriter would ignore this approach. As a listener, if you are patient, you will find that the last third of “Don’t Block My Light” has been fitted with an entire choir of McGuires vocal overdubs, a tactic used by the masters of modern folk, including our forever-favorites, Elliott Smith and Bon Iver. Have a listen:

Not to be overlooked are the other tracks on World’s Greatest Video Editor: Volume 1, including one of our favorites, “Deepfake.” And for your convenience and listening pleasure, we are placing it here:

Straight White Teeth’s “Don’t Block My Light” is definitely one for the playlists that bear an introspective theme, which is exactly why we have added it to ours:

-TM