Stop me if you’ve heard this before — Liverpool spawned two of the greatest singer-songwriters of a generation.
Now another critically acclaimed singer-songwriter duo has come out of the same city and the same art school in which then-future Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney met. Although Chris and Thomas haven’t reached the historic music levels of Lennon/McCartney (who has?), they’re clearly poised to influence this generation’s musical landscape, as evidenced by the solid critical and popular acclaim they’ve accrued. Although the attention is flattering to the duo — Chris Anderson and Thomas Hien — their music comes from what some would say is a higher calling.
“It’s a bit like a vocation,” Hien said of musicianship. “It’s like the calling a priest [feels]. You just hear it and have to follow it.”
Fans that have heard the duo — including listeners of NPR, which recently chose the indie-folk duo’s tune “Take These Thoughts” as a recent “Song of the Day” — have been turning out in droves at Chris and Thomas concerts. Many fans writing on MySpace and other cyberspace sites liken the pair to a modern-day Simon & Garfunkel or even Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
They’re not alone. In promoting the duo, NPR called the song “a warm, harmony-drenched roots-pop gem that hits its mark with glorious efficiency … Chris and Thomas are nothing if not born to sing simultaneously.”
And that magic hasn’t faded despite the rigors of almost two full years on the road. In fact, the musicians said the shows — which many herald for the intimate bond they forge between the performers and their audiences — has energized their musical creativity.
“Our latest music has more of an explorer feel to it,” Anderson said of the duo’s latest work. “It’s more spacious at points, more upbeat at points. … Our universe has expanded a lot.”
And it’s really just beginning. The duo just received the go-ahead to begin work on half of a soundtrack for a film set in Hien’s native Germany thanks to networking and an iPod loaded with Chris and Thomas tunes produced at an opportune time. Plus the musicians will work on their next album almost as soon as they compete their current tour.
“We have written so many songs over the past couple years, we have so much to draw from,” Hien said. “Now it’s just a matter of deciding what and how we want to record them.”
So is this the album that will push the duo into the musical stratosphere? Maybe. But again, if not, that’s OK too, they said.
“For me I just want to give play good music, to give it to our audiences,” Anderson said. “It’d be nice to support ourselves from this. But reaching the audience is really what I want.”
If You Go
Performer: Chris and Thomas (no opener)
When: 8:30 tonight
Where: Iota Club and Café, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Details: $10 at the door; no advance sales; 703-522-8340 iotaclubandcafe.com
