Noir by Jesse Markin

Posted on June 2, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Sometimes I struggle to find words for a blog about music. The reasons are as varied as the music. Perhaps the music is uninspiring, that happens, and there isn’t a lot I can do about it. Occasionally the music will grow on me but not always. There are recordings at the other end of the spectrum that I can’t stop listening to long enough to write anything.

Jesse Markin did that to me over the last four days. I listened to his newest release, Noir, several times. And then I went headfirst into his previous release, Folk, and swam through that for a day. Noir went back through my ears and wormed its way into my brain. I do not know how this will turn out but here goes my attempt at a brief review of Jesse Markin‘s album Noir

Several tunes deserve mention on their own. The fourth track, Sidney Poitier, jumps out of the speakers with a heavy riff reminiscent of Muse on their song Uprising. Then it rapidly becomes evident that this tune is carving its groove and not resting on anyone else or their interpretations. The catchphrase of Sidney Poitier is ‘I feel like yo papa don’t like me,’ catchy as shit, but it rang hollow for me because my papa-in-law and I were best friends. Still a catchy line in a great tune.

After Sidney Poitier, some more high-energy tunes lead us to a favourite of mine, Counting Money On A Sunday. I was an usher in a church in a previous life, and I counted money on a Sunday many, many times. I feel this song wouldn’t go down well with that particular congregation, but I dig it in my present life.

On June 4, Jesse will be releasing the single Hemostasis, featuring Terrell Hines as a vocalist. That powerhouse is followed by Exodus, another single that sores with the guest vocalist Akua Naru. This tune grooves with shadows of African rhythm mixing with electronica and the overlapping vocals of Akua Naru and Jesse Markin. I have a message for Jesse, bottom line; this is your time…to shine.

Mothers! Where would we be without them! I feel that Jesse is searching for his identity in this song.

Your favourite colours are white and blue

Mine are red, black and green

White and blue are the colours of the Finnish national flag. Finland is where Jesse grew up and now resides. He lived in the small town of Viljakkala which was small and all white, and it is through that lens that Jesse is peering hoping to find some identity that clings to him.

Red, black and green is the flag of Liberia, the birthplace of Jesse Markin, and the Pan-African flag.

A small history lesson follows to show how that is relevant.

The Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World was drafted and adopted at the Universal Negro Improvement Association Convention held in New York City‘s Madison Square Garden on August 13, 1920. Marcus Garvey presided over the occasion as Chairman. It was at this event where he was duly elected Provisional President of Africa. He is

Among the articles is Declaration 39, which states as follows:

“That the colours, Red, Black and Green, be the colours of the Negro race.”

It is from that statement the Red, Black and Green flag came into existence.

From that statement, Jesse Markin’s favourite colours, as listed in the song Mother!, are essential, at least in my mind and thus in this blog.

The album Noir closes with the powerful pairing of the songs It Was August and Pushing Daisies.

There are nuggets scattered throughout this recording. In the last song, Pushing Daisies, there is an excellent example of this in the line Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone. This line is from the song Ain’t No Sunshine, a massive hit for Bill Withers way back in 1971. I prefer the cover done by the hillbilly goth band Woven Hand. It is dark, which is what I read in the lyrics.

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone

Only darkness every day

Back to the present day, there is sunshine because Jesse Markin

said that the bravest thing I ever did

Was to continue living life

I am glad Jesse continues to live life and to make music. It is worth a try. Thank you, Jesse Markin.

https://www.instagram.com/jesse_markin/

https://www.facebook.com/markinjesse

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mxJuHRn2ZWD5OofvJtDZY?si=hxacPtb2Rmi86C6R9Qgv0A

For all press enquiries, please contact james@mysticsons.com OR megan@mysticsons.com

Chewing Gum

Posted on May 12, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

This is a follow up from a review that I posted back in October of 2020. I had been listening to Promise and the Monster and I was loving every moment. Then I put the album on the shelf until just this past week. Promise and the Monster’s EP was officially released and I have been listening to it over and over again. This is good music my friends.

Having established herself as one of Sweden’s most esoteric and mesmerizing songwriters, with
critical acclaim from Uncut, Mojo, Clash and Pitchfork, Promise and the Monster has set
forth on a new path with her upcoming EP Chewing Gum out on 30th April 2021 on her new
home label Icons Creating Evil Art.

Promise and the Monster is the brainchild of Stockholm-based Billie Lindhal. Now joined by Love
Martinsen, who Billie calls “the invisible other half”, Promise and the Monster is undergoing an
electronic tilt. Inspired by the discord between urban and rural, Billie balances organic
instrumentation with ethereal soundscapes — a heavenly synergy that is more prevalent than ever on Chewing Gum.
Chewing Gum follows leading singles ‘Beating Heart’ and ‘Closed My Eyes’, continuing her penchant for finding the romantic within the dark. Whilst demonstrating a shift towards electronic

instrumentation, Billie’s roots as a classical musician shine through, with cinematic string sections
adjoined with shimmering synths lifting each track into a warm, fairy-tale haze. “Chewing Gum is a
collection of songs that are dreamy, dark and romantic and spins little stories from hell” she says.
Traversing the ambiguous, Chewing Gum creates allure in the unsaid and leaves space for
interpretation. Inspiration doesn’t run short in the world that Billie Lindhal has crafted with her
music, touching on unrequited love, sisterhood and the many reasons someone might close their
eyes. She says, “I wrote ‘Closed My Eyes’ surprisingly quickly after thinking about the ambiguity in
that image, closing one’s eyes for various reasons. It was good fuel. The women in this song are out roaming in the streets.”
However, her musings also extend past the human psyche. Third track, ‘One Summer’ took shape
after watching Swedish 1950s drama, Sawdust And Tinsel, a tale of a travelling circus, she says, “We watched a movie called Sawdust and Tinsel to get the right feeling while recording this one. It is about a tired circus company dragging their circus wagons around in a dusty old landscape.”
The six-track EP features four unheard songs from Promise And The Monster: ‘Diamonds On
Concrete’, ‘Vykort Från Förr’, ‘One Summer’ and title-track ‘Chewing Gum’. Each track serves as a
platform for the hypnotic power of Billie’s haunting vocal.

Chewing Gum comes out on 30 th April 2021 via Icons Creating Evil Art.

D I S C O V E R
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M9SZIojabB1ukKSYEz2TM
Facebook: www.facebook.com/promiseandthemonster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/promiseandthemonster

For all press enquiries, please contact megan@mysticsons.com

Pentral – What Lies Ahead of Us

Posted on May 12, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Brazilian progressive rock / metal trio Pentral present their debut long-player ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’on the trail of high-energy singles ‘Aiming For The Sun’, ‘All My Wounds’ and ‘Silent Trees’– the sonic launching pad into the sonic expansive of a concept album reflecting on today’s society, presenting the saga of a lowly couple fighting for their lives and sanity.

This long-player tells of the tragic reality of many Amazon dwellers, whose habitat, lifestyle and livelihood are brutally taken from them, not to mention the destruction of the forest itself. Through their videos and lyrics, Pentral tells the story about the destruction and pilfering of the Amazon’s natural habitat. The video for singles ‘Silent Trees’ (part 2) and ‘Aiming For The Sun’ (part 2) were filmed in their native Amazon – as chapters in a dedicated saga that will unfold, track by track. Directed by Roger Elarrat and produced by Luana Klautau, this also involves Lucas Escócio as director of photography and editor Roger Elarrat, this video features actors Anne Costa, Guto Galvão, Eduarda Cursino, Boris Knez and Aldo Lima.

Hailing from Belém in northern Brazil, Pentral is made up of Victor Lima (vocals, guitars, songwriter, lyrics), Vagner Lima (drummer) and Joe Ferri (bass guitar). Their unique take on alternative rock can be described as progressive, heavy, groovy and melodic, while the band also deliver a strong political message about what is going on in Brazil and all over the world.
Pentral stands for ‘spirit’ in Latin, indicative of the message this band is trying to inspire via their sound – the need to transcend this material world through the power of music, without losing connection with reality and human frailties.

For this 10-track LP, the trio worked with legendary producer Tim Palmer (David Bowie’s Tin Machine, The Mission, HIM, U2, Robert Plant, Tears For Fears, Ozzy Osbourne, Goo Goo Dolls, Pearl Jam). Produced jointly by Pentral and Tim Palmer produced this album, with Sergio Fouad and Cesar Bottinha co-producing. Palmer also mixed the LP, which was mastered by Justin Shturtz (HIM, The Psychedelic Furs, Nancy Wilson, Slipnot, Tin Machine).

Deeply influenced by their Amazon roots, Pentral’s music is influenced by many global influences while also striving to honor Brazil’s groove and unique harmonies, progressive rock, metal music, atmosphere and melody. This debut album sums up years of experimentation and the search for human awareness of the environment, peace and equality.

“The album ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’ is like a “declaration” and it was conceived way before COVID-19 came out…But it kind of fits the current reality we´re going through. This pandemic is the outcome of the unfriendly way we’ve been treating our environment and ourselves as well, and it served to expose our insensitivity, our lack of empathy,”says Pentral frontman Victor Lima.

“It’s a story about a man and a woman who lives in the woods. The forest is invaded by a group of mercenaries (pretty common in Brazil) in order to burn the woods down and make money with that, the man is killed, the woman manages to survive and she is pregnant, then she gives birth to a girl, and They try to survive in the city, experiencing racism, violence, hunger, selfishness, indifference. The only thing they have – they love each other. So, the elements of the story – environment being destroyed, people suffering discrimination by the color of their skin, by the place where they came from, being selfish and violent for the sake of their own interests and prejudices, politics and religion abuse and extremism and the only way I believe things could be solved – the power of love. The album is like a journey of the three characters (a woman, a man, and their kid) passing through all the issues I’m talking about in the lyrics for these ten songs.”

As of May 7, the ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’ album is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Musicand Spotify. It can be ordered via https://pentral.lnk.to/WhatLiesAheadOfUs or via Amazon.

CREDITS
All songs written by Victor Lima
Produced by Pentral and Tim Palmer
Co-produced and engineered by Sergio Fouad and Cesar Botinha
Justin Shturtz – mastering
Tim Palmer – mixing, additional guitars, percussion and keyboards
Victor Lima – vocals and guitars
Vagner Lima – drums
Joe Ferri – bass guitar
Cover artwork by Heidi Teillefer

Dead Can Dance

Posted on April 11, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Dead Can Dance members Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell have teamed up under a new guise with James Chapman (MAPS) to create a studio album, titled ‘Burn’. The record began its journey more than seven years ago, when Lisa met Irish theatre composer Jules Maxwell before working together for the first time. ‘Burn’ is set for release on 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

Speaking about the origins of the album, Lisa Gerrard explains, “It is with great pleasure that I share this collaboration with Jules Maxwell. Jules and I began our creative journey with Dead Can Dance. We realised that we could connect through improvisation and that musical exploration continues to evolve with this present work.”

Although this record is a new release, its beginnings go all the way back to 2012 during that year’s Dead Can Dance world tour. Originally brought in as a live keyboard player, Jules Maxwell helped create a new song with Lisa Gerrard called ‘Rising Of The Moon’, which was performed as the final encore of each show. By the time the tour finished in Chile in 2013, a strong affinity had begun to develop between the two of them and further opportunities to collaborate with each other resulted over subsequent years.

In 2015, when Maxwell was asked to submit songs for the Bulgarian choir The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares), he approached Gerrard to co-write material and travelled to Australia to work with her in her home studio. The pair came away with four new songs for that release, as well as the building blocks for this new venture together.

Jules describes the introduction to James Chapman.

“About a year later, over dinner in Sofia after a concert by the Bulgarian women, my publisher suggested to me that I work with James Chapman on completing the BURN songs. James had established a sound with his band MAPS, which also had big horizons at its core, and it seemed like an intriguing proposition to me.”

With Chapman joining the duo as producer, ideas began to be generated freely and over time a distinct sound for their work began to emerge. Their focus was to create a sound that was both euphoric and compelling, more inventive than what they had worked on separately in the past. From gentle beginnings, each track builds and intensifies, creating a hypnotic experience to listen to from start to finish.

With Lisa remaining in Australia, Jules adding his keys and percussion from France, and James bringing new light to the sound from England, the three were literally worlds apart, but those worlds fused in the music.

Recently, Jules Maxwell also released his debut solo album ‘Songs From The Cultural Backwater’, Lisa Gerrard received a Grammy nomination and returned to Dead Can Dance to release the group’s critically praised ninth studio full-length ‘Dionysus’, and James Chapman released MAPS 4th full-length album ‘Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss’.

Stylistically, the new album ‘Burn’ is a diverse mix of electronica, alternative, cinematic soundscape and world music with hints of early Vangelis. Accumulatively, this is a stunning departure for all three of them.

Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell’s new album ‘Burn’ will be available as of 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

D I S C O V E R

https://www.facebook.com/LisaGerrardOfficial

https://twitter.com/Lisa_Gerrard

http://www.lisagerrard.com/

https://www.facebook.com/JulesMaxwellOfficial/

http://julesmaxwell.com/

Press enquiries please contact james@mysticsons.com

Mimi Bay

Posted on March 27, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

I “Have No Doubt” that you need to “keep it”. The ‘it’ that you need to keep is your attention; keep it glued to Mimi Bay’s music.

Her new single “keep it” dropped on March 26th; hey, that’s today on my watch.

Keep your ears glued to her music.

1https://song.space/2emckg/song/1650726

Keep your eyes glued to her video.

2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuplHj8lTVQ

That’s it. That’s my review. Keep listening to Mimi Bay and have no doubt; she is a voice to be reckoned with.

3https://www.instagram.com/hiimmimib/

4https://open.spotify.com/artist/7BhFHZkSEe09pVDQZC6kVf?si=3vfBGe0VSEmTIifMe-IDQQ

5https://soundcloud.com/bbabym

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRtHvUqrz5qdA-a8K9QkmJA

6https://twitter.com/hiimmimib

For Press enquiries please contact jack@mysticsons.com

2020

Posted on December 27, 2020 by normanweatheredmusic

I have gotten into the habit of documenting my listening habits over the spaces of time to seeing if I could glean anything meaningful from those statistics. With over 500 unique albums listened to over the course of 2020 I had some sifting and sorting to do.

So…?

Did I?

Did I find anything worth writing about? I think there are some insights that can be gleaned from these lists. For instance, which albums did I listen to the most based on the year they were originally released?

The top spot in that category was taken by the year 2020 with 96 unique albums listened to. This statistic did not surprise me in the least because I like listening to new music. Second place was 2019 with a significant drop to a mere 19 albums, not as many as 2020 but these were still relatively fresh and deserving of another spin around the turntable.

For third place I took a big jump back to 1971 and 1978 with 18 albums released in each of those years that I listened to. The next three most listened to years are all in the 1970s, which came as no surprise to me. In 1970 I turned 16, got a summer job and bought some records with the money from my first foray into the working world. In 1973 I graduated from high school and two days later got a full-time job with a decent salary that helped feed my appetite for music. After the 1970’s my listening jumped all over the place from 1958 to the present.

The next stat is for how I listened to all that music. Thanks to Covid-19 and isolating at home I decided to go through our vinyl collection, starting at A and going through the alphabet. I didn’t listen to every album but I did listen to 210 slabs of vinyl. iTunes came in second with 146 albums that I listened to. I only listened to three cassette tapes in 2020 and no 8-track or reel to reel tapes. I should mention that these statistics are all for full albums, I do not keep statistics for single releases or album samples.

The next category is for the most listened to artist in 2020, and the winner is Pink Floyd, with eight albums in 2020 that I listened to. ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ was the only album with two listens, which is interesting to me because I am a huge DSotM fan, 1973 right!

A line of hospital beds stretch into the distance on an overcast beach. A man sits on one bed holding a mirror. The sky is slightly purple.

Second place was Daniel Amos with eight albums and two listens to their album ‘Mr. Buechner’s Dream’. These two come as no surprise to myself or anyone who knows me, the two artists are longstanding favourites for me.

The most listened to album goes to ‘Greatest Hits’ by Various Artists. This happens every year, for some reason I like listening to compilation albums such as this one from K-Tel, which I bought in 1973 from the Hudson’t Bay store in Grande Cache shortly after I graduated from high school, if my memory serves me well there were only about a dozen of us in the grad class.

After that there was a log jam for the most listened to albums of 2020 with these all tying for the top spot:

‘Hermit of Mink Hollow’ by Todd Rundgren

‘Lateralus’ by Tool

‘Shades of Deep Purple’ by Deep Purple

‘Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs’ by Colter Wall

‘The Beatles’ by The Beatles, aka ’The White Album’.

The final observation is for the 2020 album of the year award.

Wait, I don’t do album of the year awards.

What we do have are some of my favourite listens from 2020, with a heavy emphasis on the word some.

Bob Dylan: ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’. I saw him live in concert in 2017 and that was not a pleasant experience, this album restored Dylan to my good books.

Gwenifer Raymond: ‘Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain’. I had never heard of her before this album came out, and now I can’t stop listening her. An achingly beautiful album.

Colter Wall – ‘Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs’

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 1280px-westernswingswaltzes.jpeg

Colter Wall came roaring out of Saskatchewan playing honest country and western music and with this, his third release, he builds on what the first two laid down and then upped the ante.

Speaking of good C&W music, Sturgill Simpson – ‘Cuttin’ Grass ‘, entertained me for hours.

Sturgill Simpson is like Colter Wall in that I have been listening to his music since he released his first album back in 2013. His newest, ‘Cuttin’ Grass’ is both a departure and a return. It is different from his last release and similar to his first. I have played this on vinyl, and it sounds incredible.

Lucinda Williams – ‘Good Souls Better Angels’ I am a latecomer to Lucinda Williams’s music but having found it I only want to hear more and this release sounds might fine.

Neil Young – ‘Homegrown’ I have been listening to Neil Young’s music since the day before forever. This is reminiscent of some of his early stuff, more acoustic and folky.

Steve Earle and the Dukes – ‘Ghosts of West Virginia’ All I knew about Steve Earle was his big hits, Guitar Town and Copperhead Road. Until last year, when I started streaming some of his music, and then this album came out and now I have my ear glued to his music.

The Avett Brothers – ‘The Third Gleam’ I keep ‘Emotionalism’ and ‘The Carpenter’ in fairly steady rotation, at least once a year and now this recording will start that round dance with them.

Colter Wall, Sturgill Simpson, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young, Steve Earle and The Avett Brothers are all to the Country and Western music of today in same way that Willie and Waylon and the boys were to the Nashville establishment back in the ”70s. Outlaw country isn’t dead; it’s alive and well in the hands of folks such as these.

Kronos Quartet & Friends – ‘Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet & Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger’ The Kronos Quartet hasn’t laid down a lousy album, ever. This record is story telling at its finest.

Shabaka and the Ancestors: ‘We Are Sent Here By History’ This album is jazz, new jazz, attention-getting jazz. Smooth and raw and emotional. It is good music, nothing more and nothing less. I also nominate this for album artwork of the year. It is stark but it conveys a message by forcing us to focus on what is shown.

This brought to mind the album cover of ‘Unknown Pleasures’ by Joy Division, stark but striking in the same way. I also listen to ‘Unknown Pleasures’ frequently.

I hope you have enjoyed your 2020 musical experience, if nothing else it provided a soundtrack to the year through the gift of music. Some of these albums created a distraction away from the shit show that 2020 was. Demi Lovato created the best commentary on 2020 with her song ‘Commander In Chief.’ Music also provided more than a few moments of pure pleasure. For each of the artists in this list and to all of the artists that I listened to but who didn’t make the final cut, thank you.

pee.s. this picture disc was number 500 for 2020

Lockers by White Jackets

Posted on October 23, 2020 by normanweatheredmusic

Lockers, an EP by the band White Jackets is my new favourite band that I know nothing about; they went to the top moving Jazz Sabbath from the #1 spot.
A/ White Jackets are from Finland, that’s a good starting point, I have Finnish in my DNA.
B/ They are a two-person band, that’s nice. I have listened to some excellent music played by two-person collaborations over the years, and these two guys do more with two guitars than some bands manage with four people.
C/ They live in Vaajakoski, a small town in south-central Finland; there are more people in the community that I live in than all the people in Vaajakoski, Finland.
D/ One of the people in this musical collaboration is Jussi Petäjä. From his Facebook page, I have found that Jussi is an incredibly gifted musician who has kept himself busy with numerous music projects.
E/ I like their music. I have listened to this EP, Lockers, six times. End to end. The front end opens with Locker 65, a right smart instrumental that features some solid grunge guitar work over bright guitar accents, drums and assorted other noisemakers. We then listen to four well-crafted songs with lyrics that speak about the human condition, i.e. love found and love lost with lots of confusion between those two. The EP closes with Locker 57, a nice bright instrumental that is closer to shoe-gazer than grunge, and it leaves us with fond memories of the music behind it.

I recommend this EP; it is quite an excellent listen start to Finnish.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5QV7laMyP1TRhOyxgj6U7o?si=U9QctSRTSd-0O9j9IGHKaQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGjD8tnwwYBJUr3SS3DTXoQ
https://www.facebook.com/whitejacketsband/?ref=page_internal
And on iTunes as well.
Happy listening and play safe.

I…can’t…breathe…

Posted on October 20, 2020 by normanweatheredmusic

This is a short playlist of some music that I feel speak to the day and age that we find ourselves in.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6rE7v1qjyIOsJYkWb6vD92QUS_G2pRkZ

Sonny Winnebago & Lemonade

Posted on September 21, 2020 by normanweatheredmusic

Lemonade?

No thanks, I’ll have a coffee, please.

No, no, no. Lemonade is a song that you should give a listen.

Oops!

Sonny Winnebago.

It’s a bit cloudy actually, and I prefer staying in hotels.

No, no, no. Sonny Winnebago is the stage name of Welsh-Australian pop troubadour Harvey Jones.

Harvey who?

Harvey Jones, remember that name because I think you will hear more from him.

I wish it were summer so we could drink Lemonade.

It is summer in Australia, and good music sounds good anywhere, anytime.

Where can I listen to this bloke’s tunes then?

You can listen to it on SoundCloud, here:

https://soundcloud.com/sonnywinnebago/lemonade

On Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0uEmdkMwhbmqSsUFoulGIT

And you can discover more about Sonny Winnebago here:

https://www.facebook.com/sonnywinnebago

and here: https://twitter.com/sonnywinnebago

and here: https://www.instagram.com/sonnywinnebago/

Harvey tells us: “Everyone’s got good memories of picking up a recorder or triangle in school, so we used lots of instruments. Davey brought along some shakers; there’s also a ukulele, woodblock, kazoos & a kalimba. My school instrument was the flute, so we put that in too.”

“I was walking to my job as a barista one sunny day in North London and saw some little go-getters selling Lemonade outside their house. I thought that was really cool and reminded me of when I used to make Lemonade from a lemon tree we had in the back garden. Anyway, I had a charity shop acoustic that I kept upstairs at work & I wrote the song on my break that day. Some songs take weeks, months and even years to write, but Lemonade only took a few hours. I think that’s how you know it’s a good tune – just totally uninhibited, like the song was already in me somewhere, or in the air that day! In terms of its lyrics and meaning, there’s not really much to analyze, haha. There’s a nice Gremlins reference in the first verse which makes me happy. In terms of production, with the help of wonderful producer Charlie Francis, and awesome session musicians Davey Newington (Boy Azooga) and Matt Evans (KEYS), we achieved this cool ‘classroom’ sound. Everyone’s got good memories of picking up a recorder or triangle in school, so we put in loads of fun instruments. Davey brought along some shakers, so we used all of them. There’s also a ukulele, woodblock, kazoos & a kalimba that Charlie keeps on his desk for good measure! My school instrument was the flute, so we put that in too! If you listen closely, you can even hear a kitchen sink. Enjoy!

Lemonade is available to stream now, with Phwoar & Peace.

For press enquires, please contact jgreen@mysticsons.com

Crawford Mack / Firing Squad

Posted on September 18, 2020 by normanweatheredmusic

This is a great sone with a great video to round it out. I present for your viewing pleasure: Crawford Mack and his new single/video, Firing Squad.

Following on from the release of his gracious love ballad ‘Depends on Where You Stand’, we see a change in the singer, as he swaps orchestral melodies for downtempo acoustic stings in his second offering ‘Firing Squad’. Building a sharp momentum using melodious gentle guitar riffs and a rhythmic drumbeat, ‘Firing Squad’ explores the power of a guilt-ridden conscience that one might feel due to their own behaviour; specifically targeting the action of mistreating others.

Accompanied by a short film conceptualised by the songwriter, the new music video directed by Liam Hendrix Heath, borrows heavily from space oddity era Bowie and Stanley Kubrick; following an astronaut’s journey through suburbia and his past in a jarring, mirroring the claustrophobia and hidden menace of the track.

The lyrics draw on the use of power to oppress the powerless and were inspired by a reference in a William Mcllvanney book to the blindfold used in firing squads being to spare the shooters seeing the condemned eyes. The teacher in the film embodying a particular personal memory for Crawford.

Discussing the new music video, Crawford tells us: “I didn’t want to go for something obvious with a literal ‘Firing Squad’ and soldiers because I think I’ve seen plenty of that in music videos before. Liam and I spent a long time over lockdown talking through what the song was about for me, until one day out of the blue, he came up with the idea of the astronaut walking past tableaus that are flashbacks of his life. The idea grew from there until we started to create our antagonist teacher character for the final face-off.”

https://www.facebook.com/crawfordmackmusic/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6CKMgHCNRQ5bQTV0Nx4LuM?si=6wobUzdNQBKqK6LcJhYqnQ

https://www.instagram.com/crawfordmack_/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/crawfordmack_?lang=en

https://soundcloud.com/user-671874636-571628367

Press enquiries, please contact james@mysticsons.com or leanne@mysticsons.com

Press enquiries please contact james@mysticsons.com or leanne@mysticsons.com