When I listen to this song by multi-instrumentalist Daniel James, aka Canon Blue, I picture a couple dancing on a stage in a packed auditorium. They pace out the dramatic steps, wandering apart to end up at opposite ends of the stage, coming together and separating once more. And all the while a small but powerful orchestra soundtracks their every move, the strings accentuating each twist and twirl and caress, and the bass mimicking the pitter-patter of their steps to and from one another. The plucked strings adding to the intrigue: Will they end up in an embrace, or exit on opposite ends of the stage?

James collaborated with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor in 2007 on the album Colonies, and Canon Blue has been touring in support of Foster The People this summer. “Indian Summer” is the first single from the forthcoming album Rumspringa, and the song is a carefully-crafted, playful jaunt where James, who is from Memphis, TN, shows off his gift for composition as well as melody. Those strings. That groove. It’s all delightful, my friends. Make up your own dance to it.

Canon Blue – Indian Summer by The Wounded Jukebox

(Rumspringa is out August 16 on Temporary Residence Limited)

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–Sean