Pitchfork

If you've seen the commercials for Apple's endlessly drooled-over iPhone (sorry, I'm just covetous), then you might have noticed the serene acoustic guitar plucks accompanying the gadget porn and warm/fuzzy voice-over. That's the sound of Orba Squara, aka New York one-man band Mitch Davis, playing "Perfect Timing (This Morning)", a song from forthcoming debut album sunshyness. It's also the umpteenth example of the way music licensing has changed how listeners discover new artists.

Davis had plans to release sunshyness on his own, but a deal with Universal Music Publishing led not only to the Apple spot, but also to the use of another song, "Brand New Day", on the soundtrack to upcoming Jason Biggs/Isla Fisher movie Wedding Daze. Which you've now also heard of. For Davis, the catch is that he wasn't allowed to tell anyone about the iPhone commercial until it came out, and the ad ends before the lyrics begin. As for the song itself: It's hushed, childlike indie-folk, like a tamer hybrid of Iron & Wine and the Boy Least Likely To-- mild enough that two other tracks have already been licensed, with others sure to come. All the while, Orba Squara will still be "indie." Ahhh, synergies.

MP3:> Orba Squara: "Perfect Timing (This Morning)"
[from sunshyness; due 10/09/07 and self-released]