The RGM Inbox - May 2022
Welcome to the latest instalment of the RGM Inbox where we showcase a quartet of recent arrivals that have found us hitting repeat play. Three of the four are singer-songwriters, while the fourth comes from the world of Ambient and New Age music. What they all have in common is they’re done the hard miles to get to where they are now, producing cool new music as a result of their experiences. So please join us as we check out Mountain Time, Space Between Clouds, Freedy Johnston and Cujo Moon.
First up, it’s easy to get lost in the lush sounds of ‘Meet The Kid’ the latest release from Mountain Time aka Chris Simpson (Mineral, The Gloria Record). The press release refers to ‘Meet The Kid’ as “a joyous Kinks-ian romp through the kaleidoscopic visions of lead-provocateur Chris Simpson’s mind and pen”. If that sounds good - it should - and lush folk-rock/Americana with lots going on is your thing, then I’d advise checking out this track ASAP. An album is on the way via Spartan Records, but not until 2023 so we’ll just have to continue to delve into the depths of ‘Meet The Kid’ in the meantime to keep our anticipation in check.
Photo by Jessica Smith
Regular RGM readers will be aware that we’re quite happy to take an occasional journey into the realms of New Age and Ambient music. It’s a genre, to be honest, a little outside our comfort zone, but when we hear something we like... This brings us to David Ralicke aka Space Between Clouds. Ralicke’s musical CV includes playing trombone behind Beck, Rodrigo Amarante, and Broken Bells; or saxophone with Devendra Banhart and Cat Power. The list of artists with whom Ralicke has played in fact goes on, unfurling in an almost unbelievable way: Paul McCartney, John Cale, M83, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Van Dyke Parks and so on. Impressive, to say the least. If you’ve enjoyed Vangelis’ Blade Runner or the work of Ryuichi Sakamoto then Space Between Clouds should be on your radar.
Space Between Clouds is released on May 20th and is available via bandcamp.
https://spacebetweenclouds.bandcamp.com/album/space-between-clouds
“The original desire for this recording came from a series of drones that I made whose sound was intended to sneak by consciousness and lay down in the shadows behind thoughts or to be a center in the midst of chaos. The drones were born to be mediation aides. Each was created with analog and fm synthesizers using sequences that have repetitive interwoven cycles of varied lengths. Some of the cycles also included probabilities so that the cycles never repeated the same way twice . I wanted the effect to be like an undisturbed spiral; a view of a familiar center within an ever changing context. The sequences were created at 30 bpm roughly half the speed of the human resting heart rate.
Although each drone has a neutrality in its intent the effect of each is still with a subtle emotional imprint. It was from that imprint that I decided to further develop each drone into an electroacoustic musical work. With the drones dismembered yet still present the context shifted in the compositions from moving around a center to moving through thoughts, spaces and feelings unattached, in a dream-like way. Field recordings , acoustic instruments and synthesizers all intertwine creating melodies, textures, tensions and releases that rise and fall all with equal importance. No moment leads to the next and rarely is there a return to what was before”
We return to the land of the singer-songwriter to catch up with a veteran of the scene, Freedy Johnston. Kansas native Johnson is probably best known for a run of albums on Elektra in the 1990s that received impressive critical acclaim, with Rolling Stones naming him Songwriter Of The Year in 1994 and comparing him favourably to Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Elvis Costello. Acclaim doesn’t always turn into huge commercial or chart success, but undaunted Johnston has continued to release well-received albums much admired by his peers. His latest album ‘Back On The Road To You’ is set for release on September 9th via 40 Below Records. The album features a cool list of guests; Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, and long time collaborator, Susan Cowsill, along with an all-star roots music band, including Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams), Dusty Wakeman (Jim Lauderdale), Dave Raven (Shelby Lynne) and Sasha Smith (Priscilla Ahn).
First single from the record ‘There Goes A Brooklyn Girl’ is a witty, catchy, infectious tune rooted in NYC but with a little bit of LA gloss (and I’m a sucker for a finger snap).
Image credit: Rachel Deeb
Born in Lexington, Kentucky and currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, Cujo Moon is known to his friends and family as Trevor Willmott and has plenty of experience with various bands over the years such as The Wild Jays, Dream the Electric Sleep, and one half of duo Neon Rain. The singer/songwriter brings all of this experience to bear on ‘In The Stars’ which is expected to appear on an upcoming EP ‘Horizons’ set for a June 3rd release. Cujo Moon’s introspective approach draws the listener in with piano taking centre stage over a backdrop of light synth smudges and tasteful guitar lines. If your taste in Indie-Folk includes the likes of Bon Iver and Ben Howard then Cujo Moon should be at the top of your artists to discover list.
And if you’re wondering about a connection to a certain multi-million selling author…
“I have always been drawn to wolves and the image of howling at a crescent moon. One of my favorite guitars was actually made from the wood of a black walnut tree in the Stephen King film, Cujo. This idea of a sweet dog getting bit by a rabid bat and turning into an unrecognizable monster always intrigued me. I think we all have scars of some kind. The phrase Cujo Moon is a metaphor for this hidden pain that changes us...for better or worse.”
Welcome to the latest edition of Sounds on Sunday, an occasional series where we showcase new and upcoming releases perfect for a relaxing Sunday (or any other day, for that matter). For this episode, our musical choices seem to be centred in Canada, with a nod to Norway and the Middle East. So join us as we listen to, and hopefully learn more about, Justine Giles, Drea Lake, Marthe Halvorsen, and Tenise Marie.