Diagonal Tim - Ramblewood Recordings

Diagonal Tim

Ramblewood Recordings
self-released; 2016

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Diagonal Tim aka Tim Schrag is an artist located in Durango, CO.  He ran an open mic night in a local coffee shop and it's not that surprising that his recording of Ramblewood Recordings reminded me of something you would hear at an open mic. His songs on these recording are simple, revolving around a guitar and his vocals. Suffice it to say Schrag strums a lot of major and minor chords and sings catchy, simple melodies. 

The most unique thing about Ramblewood Recordings is that the recordings are live from KSJD  complete with the interview and all. I can’t say most will listen to the interviews after the first time they hear them but it did make the experience unique. The sound quality isn’t great but gives you an idea of what Schrag is capable of. 

Some of the topics he sings about don’t seem very serious (even a bit silly in a good way). In fact you can make an argument that his songs feel more apt for children in some cases. Take for instance “A Red Dawn” which tells the story of a pirate who gets shipwrecked at sea. He sings “From underneath the sea I could still hear them singing Yo Ho Yo Ho, we're coming home.”

There is no denying the lyrics on “Knight in Shining Armor” could be out of a children's book. Schrag sings, “Oh princess princess / Tell me it's so / Tell me you've been taken by my long time foe / So I can storm the castle / And break into your heart.” Other songs while not particularly poetic spell out a simple, familiar narrative that veers away from lyrics which could be for children songs. Take for instance “Enjoy the Ride,” “Yellow Bricks” and “Let the Embers Burn.” 

At the end of the day Schrag writes pop songs. I’m willing to cut him some slack here because of the live sessions but I would have liked to hear some more complexity along the way. Some nuanced guitar picking would have been nice along with more complex guitar patterns. 

​The good news is Schrag is working on his first proper release Enjoy the Ride EP. Who knows what's in store for us but i’m hoping the arrangements will be a little more fleshed out with instrumentation. If you liked these songs I would certainly keep your eye on Schrag because he will be releasing more songs in the not too distant future. 

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