Stereo Embers The Podcast 0150: Michael Desmond (Local Nomad, Gabriel The Marine)

“Precision, Movement and Vampires” "I am abnormally fond of that precision which creates movement," e.e. cummings once wrote. Well, it’s hard not to think that the famous poet would be abnormally fond of Local Nomad. With a satchel full of songs all written with the kind of poetic precision that brings to mind the deft wordplay of everyone from Paul Simon to Elvis Costello, Local Nomad’s new EP Young Vampires is a stirring blend of thoughtful indie rock, laced with inventive percussion, sweeping instrumentation and breezy choruses. This is an EP that definitely creates moment. Led by Michael Desmond, who fronted the now-defunct Long Island orchestral indie rock outfit Gabriel The Marine, Local Nomad's sound is meticulous and intricate. Desmond is a true pop craftsman and his band’s new EP may have the pop hooks of a band like Squeeze but it also has the deft sonic architecture of Vampire Weekend or The Police. In this conversation Desmond talks to Alex about listening to the Replacements, heading back to college and the complexity of composition. He also talks about how to know when you’re playing the right gigs, growing up in New York and his family’s musical lineage.