myopic

You might not recognize Jeff Ryan's name, but you've probably heard his drumming on a number of acclaimed releases in the past few years. Playing on albums by Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent, Pleasant Grove and Crushed Stars, he's also had time to do an ambient side project called Myopic. Myopic's second release, We Were Here, comes out this week, and we talked with him about that, as well as drumming for all of these great bands.

How did you end up being such an in-demand drummer around town?

You know, I ask myself that same question a lot. That's not false modesty. Honestly, I think it's two people: Stuart Sikes and John Congleton. That's it!

Good people!

Good people! Two of my best friends. When Sarah [Jaffe] needed a drummer or the Baptist Generals got back together for a new record that's gonna come out on Sub Pop. Stuart and I worked together. When Annie [Clark, aka St. Vincent] needed a drummer. When the War on Drugs needed something on a couple of tracks. Luckily, they called me. I think it's because I'm kind of a no-frills kind of player. They know I will go in and get the job done, be there on time, be cool to the artist. Every artist that I've played with, whether it's St. Vincent or Sarah or whoever, they're still my friends. We still communicate, still play shows together, and it's a [knocks on wood table] very lucky thing.

Do you consider yourself a session musician?

You know, I don't. I don't mind being called that. I never think about it. It's like I get an e-mail or John comes up on my IM and says, "Hey, Annie wants to go to Alaska and do a show. You want to go with her?" I'm like, "OK."

Total drummer nerd question: I remember reading Modern Drummer in the '90s about how bands like Soul Asylum would have a drummer, but then they be rather dickish about replacing him in the studio. And that was my perception of what a session drummer was. It's like, "Oh, I can learn a song in five minutes and my timing is perfect!" and blah, blah, blah. Have you ever had that kind of negative perception of other session drummers?

Like, taking over other people's parts?

Yeah!

Not really. There were a couple of artists that I did the drums for, and normally the drummer wasn't there. Normally I would only do it circumstantially. The drummer couldn't make it financially. I never pushed it like, "Hey, if you need somebody, call me!" Because if they've got somebody, then it's their deal, it's their job. With Sarah, Sarah didn't have a drummer. The very first song we played together, she stepped back and said, "Hey, you want to play some gigs?"

So, when do you find the time to do Myopic?

Late at night, usually. Headphones. It's my little bedroom project. I literally have an idea and I would either sing it, or play it on these little vibes that I have, or I'd go and record a drum part on my phone. I have this sampler and I'll record some Brian Eno droney stuff into. Honestly, it's never something I set aside five hours and try to finish the Myopic song I've been trying to finish for the last year. It's, "Hey I've got an idea! Let's loop it, collage it, and take it into the studio." Normally it's Stuart who will help me flesh it out. Stuart is kind of the other part of Myopic, as well as Todd from Crushed Stars. They have been integral in terms of helping me finish stuff. And Todd always plays on it and [Simulacra] is his label.

With We Were Here, was most of it recorded in your house?

Demoed. Demoed in my room where I live. Then I get this piecemeal on GarageBand or whatever and I go into Stuart's studio, Elmwood, in Oak Cliff and we just work at night, kinda piece it together. Pretty much, it was me and him doing everything. I had some session guys come in. I had Daniel Hart come in and play some violin. I had Todd play guitar. Stuart can play everything: guitar, keys . . .

And he can tell you about recording the Promise Ring!

And Loretta Lynn! He and I have this sixth sense about us. We know when things are kinda going good and when they're not going good. I can say anything or play anything know that I'm going to get the right response back. He's not afraid to say, "Ah, that sucks" or "Let's try it this way."

How long have been into ambient/electronic music?

A lot longer than I realized. I mean, even in high school, I would totally freak about the Orb and Orbital. In college, it was Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, and even New Order to a sense. I always loved that analog keyboards sounds meshed with organic [stuff]. I do like a lot of dance music. I like taking that aspect of electronic music and put it with some hushed, close-miked snare and beautiful kick drum with a piano. For some reason, that sounds right to me.

Were th - Dallas Observer

Myopic stands on the platform of The Dallas Morning News TV studio with his instruments before him. Instruments should be used loosely here, since we’re talking about an Apple laptop computer, an iPad synched to a Moog synthesizer app, an iPhone in mellotron mode and a glockenspiel-like keyboard no bigger than a loaf of bread.

Dallas’ Jeff Ryan, in his Myopic musical guise, is a minimalist. Well, at least he is for his second Myopic EP, We Were Here, just released on Dallas-based Simulacra Records. It follows his 2009 EP, Plays and Pieces.

Myopic is Ryan’s side project, alter ego and true self all rolled into one. To the local music connoisseur, Ryan is best known as the drummer for Pleasant Grove, the Baptist Generals, the War on Drugs, Sarah Jaffe, and briefly for St. Vincent. That’s how he made his reputation.

But left to his own devices, Ryan is all about the bare-bones sonic experiment. He’s a musician completely by ear; he’s never had a stitch of formal training. Spin We Were Here and you’ll hear soundscapes, ambient instrumental compositions inspired by the seemingly mundane and everyday. If you need a frame of reference, home in on Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin and the Orb.

“It’s part of my experiences that I have gone through,” Ryan, 41, said. “I see old friends and family members, memories, my kids, a light shining through a window, my neighbor’s chimes. I get inspiration from thinking of melding the electronic with the organic.”

For Ryan, Myopic is very personal. The idea behind his moniker fits in with the scheme of the music he creates. Think myopia, which is nearsightedness. Ryan decided to use what was within his reach — a piano, a laptop, cymbals, a Muppets keyboard. He decided to capture a mood immediately, to encapsulate emotions as quickly as he felt them.

“I am coming at this from a guttural perspective,” he said. “These are pieces of a puzzle that I put together. This record is a part of me that I don’t really get to experiment with. I do experiment with other bands, but this is me having full rein of what I want to do.”

His tenure with Pleasant Grove, a band that reunited last year for one performance during the opening night of City Performance Hall in the Arts District, and his continuing involvement in Denton’s the Baptist Generals, whose sophomore album Jackleg Devotional to the Heart will be released in May, begat Myopic. Ryan, born in Arlington and raised in Celina, sees it all as a natural progression.

“Pleasant Grove in particular, when I was in that band, we started to meld that process of organic and electronic,” he said. “I feel very lucky that I have been able to play with Pleasant Grove, Sarah Jaffe and all these artists. This makes sense to me. This is what I have always wanted to play. This is who I am as an artist.”

Yet it’s not even as structured as that. Ryan, a husband and father of two children, swears there’s no master plan. He hears music, he’ll tell you. He doesn’t think it. Even in today’s heady world of indie music, where a project like We Were Here could easily develop an underground buzz, Ryan isn’t concerned with the opportunities.

“I am not trying to do this to sell a thematic record,” he said. “I don’t think of it in so far as genres. The whole idea is to get these ideas in my head and get them down and do it for myself. There is no grand vision.”

But he is grateful. He appreciates the invaluable help from producer Stuart Sikes, violinist Daniel Hart, guitarists Todd Gautreau and Jason Reimer, all guests on the record. He cherishes the patience of wife Karen and children Alexander and Isla. He crafted much of We Were Here in his bedroom, so his family must have wondered what all the musical tinkering was all about.

There is, however, a method to the moodiness. Ryan aims to re-create We Were Here with Dallas experimental electronic music outfit Water Falls come May 3. They will perform at a new space dubbed Vault Music Project that’s being built in downtown Dallas. His thinking is to play the disc from start to finish. He’ll be on the bells and keyboards, and Water Falls will interpret the record however they hear it.

The experience will be minimal and emotional, totally of the moment. It will be in true Myopic style.
- Dallas Morning News

Myopic is a music project started by Jeff Ryan of the Dallas experimental rock band Pleasant Grove. On his CD, Plays in Pieces, Jeff skillfully orchestrates ambient, electronic grooves using bells, keyboards, and drums.

In the song "As Much as You Can III", bells play complicated patterns to create a subtle melody while synth phases in the background. The delicate piano piece, "Things I Saw", sounds like it could be a dramatic film score which is not surprising since Jeff's music has already been used in several theatrical productions.

For "As Much As You Can III", Jeff Ryan worked with producer Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, the Walkmen, the White Stripes). Todd Gauthreaux also contributed guitar and keyboards on the recording.

Jeff is currently finishing the recording for the full length release of Plays in Pieces
- National Public Radio

When he's myopic, Jeff Ryan speaks volumes musically without singing a word.

“I'm not the kind of person that's gonna sit down and write a song like on a guitar and write lyrics,” says the Dallas-based drummer and multi-instrumentalist.
Myopic is Ryan's ambient instrumental project, and “we were here” is his just-released seven-song EP follow-up to 2009's “plays in pieces.” It's shadowy electronic space-dream music that could match up well with such moody, Twilight Zone-ish cinematic fare as Steven Soderbergh's “Solaris” or Duncan Jones' “Moon” as a perfect atmospheric soundtrack.

“I'm not Will Johnson, you know, and I love Will, he's a very good friend of mine, but that's his vehicle,” Ryan says, using the Denton, Texas-based frontman of Centro-Matic as an example of the kind of singer-songwriter that he, Ryan, cannot be.

“I just can't do that,” he said in a recent phone interview. “What makes sense to me is just a collage of sounds. If it makes sense, great, if not I don't know, but that's how I hear things first. More just rhythm and melody and mixing the organic with the electronic, and that's always been something what's very close to my heart. Bands like Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse and the way that he would interpret the organic and the electronic into something pretty heartfelt is hard to do.”

Not that Ryan is averse to accompanying others who do sing. He first came to prominence in the early 2000s drumming for Dallas-based alternative country-rock band Pleasant Grove, which featured frontmen Marcus Striplin and Bret Egner on vocals.

He also was hired by Grammy-nominated engineer John Congleton and Grammy-winning engineer Stuart Sikes (“Van Lear Rose” by Loretta Lynn) to play and record with Sarah Jaffe, The War on Drugs, The New Year, The Baptist Generals and St. Vincent, aka Tulsa-born Annie Erin Clark.

“It was a very, very quick session for ‘Actor,'” Ryan said of the St. Vincent gig. “John Congleton was recording her and just said, ‘Hey, I need you to come play some drums and things,' and luckily I did the title track, ‘Actor Out of Work,' and another track, I think it was called ‘Black Rainbow' ... she and I have remained friends. We did a one-off show together in — of all places — Anchorage, Alaska, last year. That was fun.”

Work with others — and alone

Meanwhile, Ryan has been a regular member of Denton-based lo-fi acoustic indie-rock band The Baptist Generals for 10 years, replacing original drummer Steven Hill shortly after that band released its first full-length album, “No Silver/No Gold,” in 2003. The Generals are finally poised to release their sophomore album, “Jackleg Devotional to the Heart,” May 21 on Sub Pop.
“It's done. We did finish it,” Ryan said. “We finished in January with Stuart Sikes here in Dallas. It's just we haven't been that active ... We said, look, let's finish this thing. I had some creative input (and) I don't consider myself just a session drummer for that band. I'm the drummer in that band, which I feel very honored to be.”

The Baptist Generals hosted a listening party for the album Friday at 35 Denton — the music festival founded by the band's lead singer, Chris Flemmons. A tour will probably follow the album's release.

As for myopic, Ryan plans only a couple of live performances.

“I'm going to do two performances, one in Dallas and one in Denton, and I've considered some very good friends who run the Opolis up in Norman, so I was thinking about doing something there as well,” Ryan said.

To help him re-create the seven pieces from “we were here” in a live setting, Ryan has recruited the Dallas-based band The Waterfalls.

“They're mainly soundscape, experimental, instrumental music, and they've accepted,” he said. “They're going to play the record, and they're going to play it the way they're going to interpret it, like an interpretation of how they see or how they hear the record. And that's kind of what I want because I've done shows in the past, off and on, with the last release and it's great to get an ensemble together and try and put these pieces together.”

But one wonders how Ryan puts these introspective instrumental pieces together in the first place, when he's alone. And what do they mean to him? Take the title track, for example.

“Actually I wrote that song a few years ago,” he said. “It was written and recorded in a matter of maybe four or five hours, and it was in one room, one bedroom in a little apartment we had and my wife was actually in Scotland (her native country) at the time.

“And the only instruments I had around me were an old keyboard and my little vibes set and a Muppet keyboard and a couple of cymbals and a slightly out of tune piano. And when I was done with that track it was like, you know, that's kind of what this - News OK: The Oklahoman

-Greg’s Take-

When I hear the words “Ambient-Instrumental Project” I immediately throw in the “Sorry, I’ve got…a thing” excuse and attempt to avoid a twenty minute violin ballad while Rose throws the Heart of the Ocean over the railing. Because, let’s be honest, that classification is usually reserved for backing tracks to sentimental moments where teen girls cry uncontrollably over a fictional character.

But when We Were Here fell on my desk, I hit play without knowing it would carry the predetermined shroud of “Ambient-Instrumental Project.” And the result was one of the best surprises I’ve had in quite some time.

“Myopic” is to be shortsighted, but when applied to Jeff Ryan, it does not mean unable to see beyond what is now. No, for Ryan it means appreciating the here-and-now and utilizing what is at your fingertips at this very moment. And let me tell you, the man knows how to make things work.

The seven track release We Were Here by Myopic brings Ryan’s experiences recording with the likes of The New Year, The War On Drugs, Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent and more, twists it with his influences of Orbital, Sparklehorse and Kraftwerk, and incorporates some very personal, very profound, experiences.

The resulting sound is definitively unique. The looping and layering instantly reminds me of deep track early Jamie Lidell, yet holds a persona all its own. Three tracks come in at over five minutes (“Toner,” “6of1” and “Jura”); two under three minutes and the release is bookended by tracks that are forty-five seconds each. The reason I find this so interesting is that from the moment “Puzzle Pieces” begins to the point “Puzzle Pieces” ends (yes, same begins and ends the album), all sense of time disappears. We Were Here settles on you like an intimate meditation. The always fascinating precision sound is one that you know is experimentation, but conveys itself with great ease; feeling as natural as breathing. Ryan paints a landscape rich in color and void of monotony.

I jumped into Myopic’s We Were Here with no hesitation and the result was unforgettable. Not all “Ambient-Instrumental Projects” are soundtracks for tearjerkers, but then again, not all are like this. Myopic slips into the realm of chill meditation ambience. To lump this into electronic or experimental or even simply ambient-instrumental does not do the sound justice. Simply because something is labeled for you as a style you may not be keen on doesn’t mean it should be disregarded; if fact, the only thing that will convey the beauty of Myopic is to hear Myopic. Don’t just take my word for it, hear this record.
- Nanobot Rock

Long drawn to the mix of organic and electronic sounds — a hallmark of acts ranging from Kraftwerk to Tortoise — Jeff Ryan makes lush, sweeping, emotionally resonant music under the name myopic. On ‘Jura,’ today’s free MP3, the Dallas-based musician offers a stirring preview of his new album ‘we were here,’ due out Feb. 26.

While myopic is a forum for some of Ryan’s more experimental leanings, the drummer and multi-instrumentalist got his start in more traditional settings. After touring the United States and Europe with the band Pleasant Grove, he began taking assignments from a couple of friends — Grammy-nominated engineer John Congleton and Grammy-winning engineer Stuart Sikes — and recording with the likes of St. Vincent and the War on Drugs.

That led him to looping and sampling, and while he’s clearly got a thing for technology, he infuses his music with plenty of heart and soul. Case in point: ‘Jura.’

“My wife is from Scotland, and during my first visit, there was a moment when I stepped outside of myself, and for a second everything made sense,” Ryan says of the track, named for a Scottish island. “Her life, my life, how we met — everything just made sense in that moment. That’s what life is to me: moments. Some good, some really bad, but they’re all important.”


- Diffuser.FM

-Greg’s Take-

When I hear the words “Ambient-Instrumental Project” I immediately throw in the “Sorry, I’ve got…a thing” excuse and attempt to avoid a twenty minute violin ballad while Rose throws the Heart of the Ocean over the railing. Because, let’s be honest, that classification is usually reserved for backing tracks to sentimental moments where teen girls cry uncontrollably over a fictional character.

But when We Were Here fell on my desk, I hit play without knowing it would carry the predetermined shroud of “Ambient-Instrumental Project.” And the result was one of the best surprises I’ve had in quite some time.

“Myopic” is to be shortsighted, but when applied to Jeff Ryan, it does not mean unable to see beyond what is now. No, for Ryan it means appreciating the here-and-now and utilizing what is at your fingertips at this very moment. And let me tell you, the man knows how to make things work.

The seven track release We Were Here by Myopic brings Ryan’s experiences recording with the likes of The New Year, The War On Drugs, Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent and more, twists it with his influences of Orbital, Sparklehorse and Kraftwerk, and incorporates some very personal, very profound, experiences.

The resulting sound is definitively unique. The looping and layering instantly reminds me of deep track early Jamie Lidell, yet holds a persona all its own. Three tracks come in at over five minutes (“Toner,” “6of1” and “Jura”); two under three minutes and the release is bookended by tracks that are forty-five seconds each. The reason I find this so interesting is that from the moment “Puzzle Pieces” begins to the point “Puzzle Pieces” ends (yes, same begins and ends the album), all sense of time disappears. We Were Here settles on you like an intimate meditation. The always fascinating precision sound is one that you know is experimentation, but conveys itself with great ease; feeling as natural as breathing. Ryan paints a landscape rich in color and void of monotony.

I jumped into Myopic’s We Were Here with no hesitation and the result was unforgettable. Not all “Ambient-Instrumental Projects” are soundtracks for tearjerkers, but then again, not all are like this. Myopic slips into the realm of chill meditation ambience. To lump this into electronic or experimental or even simply ambient-instrumental does not do the sound justice. Simply because something is labeled for you as a style you may not be keen on doesn’t mean it should be disregarded; if fact, the only thing that will convey the beauty of Myopic is to hear Myopic. Don’t just take my word for it, hear this record. - Nanobot Rock

My first experience with vinyl was probably a lot like everyone else’s, it was with The Beatles. My mom had won a dance contest when she was in high school, the year the Beatles broke in America, 1963. She won a first edition of Meet the Beatles, and I still own it and listen to it.”

“It was one day, I was very young, probably not much older than 6 or 7, but I was very lucky to have a family and especially an older brother who was into great music , and we had a record player, and he would put that record on. I know it may seem trite to say, but honestly , it did change my life. I obviously wasn’t old enough to catch them the first time around, but hearing that record , just the whole experience of it blasting through these old speakers, it sounded very familiar and yet completely mysterious and exciting all at once.
We then, of course moved onto Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, etc…as a kid hearing “A Day in the Life” or “I am the Walrus” was actually quite frightening at times, but again very exciting.



I’ve since moved onto listening to a lot of new and older music on vinyl when I can. I think it’s great that a lot of new bands are putting the time and effort into 180 gram vinyl, and even if indie budgets permit, spending time on developing a story with the artwork, or amazing photos and having it in the gatefold format.

I think in the ’90s and even part of the ’00s, most of us who loved vinyl so much never could have imagined it coming back around with such force as it has now which is fantastic!

Lastly, in Dallas , some old friends of mine put together a once-a-month listening gathering at a renovated theatre—The Texas Theater (by the way, where Oswald was caught) called Tuesday Night Record Club where two people share their favorite record with the group and then we commence to listening, visiting with friends, and just having, what I think is the best part of listening to vinyl, just having that communal experience.”
—Jeff Ryan

Simulacra Records will release myopic’s latest album, “we were here,” on February 26th, 2013.

myopic Official | Facebook | Twitter
- The Vinyl District

My first experience with vinyl was probably a lot like everyone else’s, it was with The Beatles. My mom had won a dance contest when she was in high school, the year the Beatles broke in America, 1963. She won a first edition of Meet the Beatles, and I still own it and listen to it.”

“It was one day, I was very young, probably not much older than 6 or 7, but I was very lucky to have a family and especially an older brother who was into great music , and we had a record player, and he would put that record on. I know it may seem trite to say, but honestly , it did change my life. I obviously wasn’t old enough to catch them the first time around, but hearing that record , just the whole experience of it blasting through these old speakers, it sounded very familiar and yet completely mysterious and exciting all at once.
We then, of course moved onto Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, etc…as a kid hearing “A Day in the Life” or “I am the Walrus” was actually quite frightening at times, but again very exciting.



I’ve since moved onto listening to a lot of new and older music on vinyl when I can. I think it’s great that a lot of new bands are putting the time and effort into 180 gram vinyl, and even if indie budgets permit, spending time on developing a story with the artwork, or amazing photos and having it in the gatefold format.

I think in the ’90s and even part of the ’00s, most of us who loved vinyl so much never could have imagined it coming back around with such force as it has now which is fantastic!

Lastly, in Dallas , some old friends of mine put together a once-a-month listening gathering at a renovated theatre—The Texas Theater (by the way, where Oswald was caught) called Tuesday Night Record Club where two people share their favorite record with the group and then we commence to listening, visiting with friends, and just having, what I think is the best part of listening to vinyl, just having that communal experience.”
—Jeff Ryan

Simulacra Records will release myopic’s latest album, “we were here,” on February 26th, 2013.

myopic Official | Facebook | Twitter
- The Vinyl District

Today’s song is “Jura” by myopic. mypoic is the brainchild of Dallas-based drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Ryan. This is the first single from the band’s upcoming EP which is released today via Simulacra Records. Ryan, a drummer live and on records with St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, and Baptist Generals, among others, enlisted Stuart Sikes, producer of Cat Power’s The Greatest and Grammy-winner for his engineering work on Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn to record the project.

“Because it’s layered, dramatic and emotive, it might be tempting to just lump the impressive project in with no-vox bands like Explosions In The Sky, but, as myopic’s name implies, that would just be shortsighted,” says the Dallas Observer.

Ryan’s sound is also influenced by Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Orbital, Sparklehorse, and Tortoise, and the myopic project accurately reflects these inspirations. “I’ve always been into electronic music, and especially by artists melding the organic and the electronic,” Ryan explains.

About “Jura,” the first single from we were here, Ryan says that “My wife is from Scotland and during my first visit, there was a moment when I stepped outside of myself, and for a second everything made sense. Her life, my life, how we met – everything just made sense in that moment. That’s what life is to me. Moments. Some good, some really bad, but they’re all important.”
- eatsleepbreathemusic

Today’s song is “Jura” by myopic. mypoic is the brainchild of Dallas-based drummer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Ryan. This is the first single from the band’s upcoming EP which is released today via Simulacra Records. Ryan, a drummer live and on records with St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, and Baptist Generals, among others, enlisted Stuart Sikes, producer of Cat Power’s The Greatest and Grammy-winner for his engineering work on Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn to record the project.

“Because it’s layered, dramatic and emotive, it might be tempting to just lump the impressive project in with no-vox bands like Explosions In The Sky, but, as myopic’s name implies, that would just be shortsighted,” says the Dallas Observer.

Ryan’s sound is also influenced by Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Orbital, Sparklehorse, and Tortoise, and the myopic project accurately reflects these inspirations. “I’ve always been into electronic music, and especially by artists melding the organic and the electronic,” Ryan explains.

About “Jura,” the first single from we were here, Ryan says that “My wife is from Scotland and during my first visit, there was a moment when I stepped outside of myself, and for a second everything made sense. Her life, my life, how we met – everything just made sense in that moment. That’s what life is to me. Moments. Some good, some really bad, but they’re all important.”
- eatsleepbreathemusic

Jeff Ryan, the multi-instrumentalist behind the atmospheric post-rock moniker myopic, seems hesitant to stand still for any appreciable amount of time. Having played drums for artists such as St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, and Baptist Generals, Ryan is no stranger to the kind of cathartic indie soundscapes that seem to be part and parcel of the artists with whom he has worked. His latest release We Were Here plays with the kind of ambient athemicism of bands like Sigur Ros and Explosions in the Sky but manages to carve out a unique position among his post-rock peers. By appealing to the gradual build and release aesthetic of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion, Ryan’s music feels vaguely familiar, while also sounding like more than just the sum of its influences. He was kind enough to sit down with Beats Per Minute recently to talk about a few records which have influenced the way in which he approaches his own music. Ranging from the pop perfection of Robyn Hitchcock to the fractured indie stylings of Sparklehorse and the ambient experimentalism of King Creosote, Ryan’s choices—and the resulting influences—can be seem scattered throughout the music on We Were Here. Read his descriptions of these records in the latest installment of our On Deck feature.

- Beats Per Minute

Jeff Ryan, the multi-instrumentalist behind the atmospheric post-rock moniker myopic, seems hesitant to stand still for any appreciable amount of time. Having played drums for artists such as St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, and Baptist Generals, Ryan is no stranger to the kind of cathartic indie soundscapes that seem to be part and parcel of the artists with whom he has worked. His latest release We Were Here plays with the kind of ambient athemicism of bands like Sigur Ros and Explosions in the Sky but manages to carve out a unique position among his post-rock peers. By appealing to the gradual build and release aesthetic of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion, Ryan’s music feels vaguely familiar, while also sounding like more than just the sum of its influences. He was kind enough to sit down with Beats Per Minute recently to talk about a few records which have influenced the way in which he approaches his own music. Ranging from the pop perfection of Robyn Hitchcock to the fractured indie stylings of Sparklehorse and the ambient experimentalism of King Creosote, Ryan’s choices—and the resulting influences—can be seem scattered throughout the music on We Were Here. Read his descriptions of these records in the latest installment of our On Deck feature.

- Beats Per Minute

Instrument wrangler Jeff Ryan has a hefty rock résumé, having played with Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent, The New Year, Pleasant Grove, Crushed Stars and plenty of others. Dallasites recognize him most often as the skilled drummer who seems to drift from stage to stage, fervently exorcising demons from his tom or hi-hat.

Ryan's solo, instrumental project, Myopic, born of ideas surrounding a commissioned theatrical score, slays those same beasts...but with more instruments. The seven-song release, Plays in Pieces, feels familiar, warm and plays like a soundtrack to a movie you know you've seen but just can't place—and that's such a good thing. "As Much As You Can III" is Ira Glass' dream transition music with its tinkling bells that morph into something intense and dreamy, sensitive and bombastic at the same time. "Things I Saw" showcases Ryan's restraint—beautifully simple piano contrasts with Rebecca Howard's dramatic violin resulting in a track that feels like it should play over the close of a tear-stained film—perhaps the same film that opened on better times with the driving, poppy "Fixture."

Because it's layered, dramatic and emotive, it might be tempting to just lump the impressive project in with no-vox bands like Explosions in the Sky, but, as Myopic's name implies, that would just be shortsighted. —Merritt Martin

- Dallas Observer

Instrument wrangler Jeff Ryan has a hefty rock résumé, having played with Sarah Jaffe, St. Vincent, The New Year, Pleasant Grove, Crushed Stars and plenty of others. Dallasites recognize him most often as the skilled drummer who seems to drift from stage to stage, fervently exorcising demons from his tom or hi-hat.

Ryan's solo, instrumental project, Myopic, born of ideas surrounding a commissioned theatrical score, slays those same beasts...but with more instruments. The seven-song release, Plays in Pieces, feels familiar, warm and plays like a soundtrack to a movie you know you've seen but just can't place—and that's such a good thing. "As Much As You Can III" is Ira Glass' dream transition music with its tinkling bells that morph into something intense and dreamy, sensitive and bombastic at the same time. "Things I Saw" showcases Ryan's restraint—beautifully simple piano contrasts with Rebecca Howard's dramatic violin resulting in a track that feels like it should play over the close of a tear-stained film—perhaps the same film that opened on better times with the driving, poppy "Fixture."

Because it's layered, dramatic and emotive, it might be tempting to just lump the impressive project in with no-vox bands like Explosions in the Sky, but, as Myopic's name implies, that would just be shortsighted. —Merritt Martin

- Dallas Observer