A man with an affinity for melancholy, Andrew Siegel creates some of the most introspective, dissonance-bending music under moniker Standard Legal. His new track “Outside Maryland” has a bit of a beach bum vibe to it, Siegel’s reverb-filled vocals almost pitchy – but somehow simultaneously mellifluous – at times. It’s dark, whirring instrumentals make it feel heavy, something he’s known for.
In fact, he was aware of its darkness when he re-approached it. Admits Siegel, “The song had been reworked from something I’d recorded in L.A. a year earlier, became a bit darker, and this was during the fall when everyone was being pummeled with the election from every side. The song itself is a kind of bedroom ballad, basically 5 variations on the same theme. At the time I didn’t want to write about the election at all–the idea of it made me sick. But, since things like that end up corrupting everything they touch, even when the lyrics feel personal, they’re still laced with images or idea fragments that are vaguely political, that found a way in despite everything. It couldn’t be avoided I guess.”
Turn it up, and get deep, with “Outside Maryland”.
Keep up with Standard Legal here.
