poppinfresh

Let It Baaa

Date Released: 8/29/2008   Tracks: 10   Sales: 29   Listens: 38

Ruminental Journey

Date Released: 8/31/2008   Tracks: 10   Sales: 10   Listens: 15

Label: Roadapple Records Producer: George Freemartin Ruminental Journey was the first solo album by the former Bleatles drummer. Departing from his flock 'n' roll roots, Starr delivered a collection of standards -- partly to please his parents and partly on a "double-dog" dare. Each song is arranged by a different musician, including one track by former band mate Poll McCardigan. The album fared reasonably well, peaking at No. 22 on the Buckboard album chart.

Meet the Bleatles

Date Released: 12/30/2008   Tracks: 10   Sales: 20   Listens: 24

With the opening chords of "I Wanna Hold Your Hoof," history was made. The release of the Bleatles' first American album, coupled with their appearance on the Ed Solognote Show, sparked Bleatlemania and ignited a movement that would change the world of flock music forever. Within weeks, the Bleatles would occupy the top 5 positions on the Buckboard singles chart, a feat that has never been duplicated.

Shorn Fleece

Date Released: 1/25/2009   Tracks: 11   Sales: 11   Listens: 16

Shorn Fleece is not just a Japanese wool product, it's also the name of ex-Bleatle John Lanolin's first greatest hits album. Every aspect of John's early solo career is touched upon -- from the social activism of Give Fleece a Chance to the psychedelic imagery of No. 9 Dip and the hopeful vision of I'm Itchin'. Many of the tracks, including Happy Xmas (a duet with John's wife Yang Ono), are available only now for the first time on CD.

Inseparable

Date Released: 3/21/2009   Tracks: 13   Sales: 12   Listens: 15

The world's most famous conjoined twins were born in Siam in 1811. They grew up touring the globe as "The World's Eighth Wonder" before settling in North Carolina where they bought a plantation. They married a pair of sisters and raised 21 children between them. They survived domestic quarrels and a civil war. Each struggled to find his own identity before finally finding peace. The twins died just an hour apart in 1874. This motion picture documents their incredible lives.

My Science Project Disaster

Date Released: 10/17/2010   Tracks: 5   Sales: 15   Listens: 22

Release Date: October 1, 1980 The band's first release was recorded on a portable tape recorder while the members were still in high school. The songs on the EP featured a Swingtime organ as well as pots and pans and a couple of hair combs for percussion. It peaked at No. 137 on the national charts.

Kidnapped by Aliens

Date Released: 10/24/2010   Tracks: 10   Sales: 15   Listens: 17

Released Dec. 1, 1981 LN&SWD has just finished their intended first LP "High School Confidential" when Dusty's Uncle Ed boasted he'd been adducted by aliens. Inspired by Ed, they put "High School Confidential" aside and began writing songs about alien abduction. They threw in a couple of commercial songs for radio, and their actual first LP release "Kidnapped by Aliens" was born. It quickly became a favorite on college radio stations across the South, peaking at No. 81 on the album chart.

Loretty, Chicken's On! (single)

Date Released: 11/18/2010   Tracks: 2   Sales: 17   Listens: 24

Release Date: Dec 14, 1982 Peak Chart Position: 78 The band's first release after entering college was this single (the title came from a cooking oil commercial starring a certain country singer of the day). This was their first foray into psychedelia -- the songs featured backward loops of chicken sounds and Dusty's expert yodeling. The songs are said to have resulted from sampling some questionable mushroom soup at the campus cafeteria.

Mashed Potatoes and Groovy

Date Released: 11/23/2010   Tracks: 13   Sales: 18   Listens: 31

Original release date: May 3, 1983 Peak chart position: 48 From the unbridled optimism of "I Can See Tomorrow from My Rooftop" to the intricate rhythms of "Your Watusi Is Deadly" and the earnest homage to past musical greats in "The Last Song to Leave the Station," this album epitomized the early LN&SWD sound. Some say the album is best enjoyed with a Moon Pie and an RC cola.

Go On and Shake It (EP)

Date Released: 12/18/2010   Tracks: 5   Sales: 13   Listens: 16

Original Release date: May 3, 1984 Peak Chart Position: 41 This EP of dance music was recorded live at Thrice's mom's home. The strange sound twelve seconds into the third track is the dishwasher coming on. That take was shaping up as the best one of the day, so the band decided to play on through it. Also, to add more urgency to the band's singing, Thrice's brother kept poking them with a stick. He accidentally punctured the head of the bass drum, ending the recording session prematurely.

Merry Stinkin' Christmas

Date Released: 12/23/2010   Tracks: 15   Sales: 11   Listens: 12

Release Date: Dec 1, 1985 Peak Chart Position: 58 Stella's pleading with her mother to go to bed before Santa saw the light on and skipped their house completely... Dusty's torture of his little sister on Christmas Day, threatening to flush her favorite dress-up wig down the toilet... Thrice's leaving out a plate of cookies for Santa, then going back to see the plate empty and his mother beside it with a cookie hanging out of her mouth... Christmas memories (and albums) are made of such...

She Works at the Uranium Plant (EP)

Date Released: 1/23/2011   Tracks: 6   Sales: 18   Listens: 24

Release Date: May 10, 1986 Peak Chart Position: 26 LN&SWD recorded this EP as a light-hearted tribute to Stella's Aunt Fay who worked at their town's nuclear plant (the vinyl version's label even glowed in the dark). Then shortly before the EP was released, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history occurred at Chernobyl, Ukraine. Music critics subsequently (and incorrectly) hailed the EP as a masterpiece of subtle protest, and the band's reputation and sales rose dramatically.

Out of the Picture

Date Released: 3/3/2011   Tracks: 9   Sales: 23   Listens: 40

Release date: May 3, 1987 LN&SWD pulled together some of their varied influences from music (Rodgers & Hammerstein, The Doors) and literature (Aldous Huxley, Dr. Seuss) for their fourth full-length album. To give the lyrics a surreal quality, on some tracks they used the "cut-up" technique popularized by William S. Burroughs: taking the finished lyrics, cutting them into pieces, then rearranging the pieces. A few outraged Doors fans bought the album just to burn it. Meh. A sale's a sale.

Tin Man [EP]

Date Released: 4/12/2011   Tracks: 5   Sales: 18   Listens: 32

"Tin Man" is the band's first release of new material since making their music available on Figment. As the cover might suggest, this EP deconstructs the Oz character of the Tin Woodman and reassembles him with a LN&SWD twist. Psychedelic with a slight steam punk edge, the cut-ups of classics by Nirvana and America comprise the "heart" of this collection.

Wilde Dreams

Date Released: 5/1/2011   Tracks: 9   Sales: 16   Listens: 34

Oscar Wilde wrote: "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." Quotes by Wilde and other great minds serve as points of departure for LN&SWD's celebration of vilified visionaries -- those who dare to dream and those who dare to act.

Furioso

Date Released: 5/10/2011   Tracks: 6   Sales: 12   Listens: 18

As the demolished violin on the cover attests, this is not your father's classical music. The highlight of the CD is Andropov's Electric Guitar Concerto in D Minor ("Furioso"), which pits the savagery of rock music's most iconic instrument against the majesty of the symphonic orchestra in a cross-genre musical free-for-all. Also included are some shorter pieces in the style of Andropov's single greatest musical influence, 19th century Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.

That Dog Won't Hunt (EP)

Date Released: 10/18/2011   Tracks: 6   Sales: 15   Listens: 25

Following a couple of releases ("TIn Man" and "Wilde Dreams") where the band cranked the surrealism dial all the way up to eleven, this time out Let's Not and Say We Did decided to go back to their roots and turn out an EP filled with some of the most basic, straight-up rock and roll tracks they've recorded since 1984's "Go On and Shake It" EP. They even recorded some of the songs using pots and pans for percussion -- just like they did on their first release, 1980's "My Science Project Disaster." Some of the tracks (such as the EP's opener and closer) feature racy innuendos and double entendres, but they are all quirky in the way that LN&SWD's fans have come to expect and enjoy.

Everyone's Evolving But Us

Date Released: 11/3/2011   Tracks: 11   Sales: 17   Listens: 34

LN&SWD's latest full-length album takes its title from a "Far Side" cartoon by Gary Larson in which a distressed cavewoman is complaining to her husband that they aren't keeping up with their neighbors who have started using fire and the wheel. Musically, "Everyone's Evolving but Us" goes farther down the road already traveled on "That Dog Won't Hunt," their last EP: they have pared the instrumentation for most tracks down to a 4-piece drum kit, bass, guitar and keyboards, with Stella wailing away on her harmonica on a few tracks. Lyrically, this is the most personal collection of songs they've ever produced. The result is one of their most intimate studio releases to date. On the surface, the songs might seem to have little connection to one another. For instance, some of the songs -- such as "The Carwash on the Edge of Forever" -- tell of everyday life in their small Southern town of Hawkins Springs, Kentucky. On the other hand, "Neanderthal" is about the problem of being perceived as a middle-aged rocker whose best days are in the past. All the songs, however, reference to one degree or another the central theme of staying true to one's self in a rapidly changing world. That small town may look different from the way it did 30 years ago, but the core values of its people are still the same. Likewise, LN&SWD has followed very few of the musical fads of the last three decades but has proudly gone its own way and carved out its own niche in the musical world. Perhaps saying that they aren't evolving overstates the case, but for die-hard LN&SWD fans it's a welcome promise that the band will continue to give them what they want. All songs written by LN&SWD Recorded July 30 - September 18 at The Sprawlin' WIMP Complex Produced by LN&SWD Cover design by LN&SWD, based on a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti Sandwiches by Purdy Bros. Market Ms. Delcielo's hair by The Curl-Up and Dye

Based on a True Story

Date Released: 1/31/2012   Tracks: 11   Sales: 16   Listens: 33

Although he has released several singles as a solo act while still serving as guitarist and bassist for Southern indie band Let's Not and Say We Did (LN&SWD), Thrice Knightley is only now releasing his first full-length album. The songs on "Based on a True Story," like many of the songs he has written lately for LN&SWD, center on life in the American South. Taking inspiration from the people and events of his youth in western Kentucky, Knightley has crafted these songs to illustrate the character of the town he grew up in. Often brutally frank, these songs are nonetheless loving and respectful portraits of the people and places that helped shape the man he would grow into. Knightley not only wrote all the songs on this album, he also played all the instruments and provided all the vocals. As he says, "I'm reasonably good at guitar and bass, and I can handle the drums as long as I don't have to do a paradiddle or a roll. I can even play keyboards if there aren't too many of the black keys!" All songs written and produced by T. Knightley, recorded at the Sprawlin' WIMP Complex in Hawkins Springs, KY All instruments and vocals by T. Knightley Cover from a self-portrait by T. Knightley

The Night We Didn't See Carl Sagan [EP]

Date Released: 6/1/2012   Tracks: 6   Sales: 12   Listens: 24

Original Release Date: January 4, 1988 Peak Chart Position: 23 This follow-up to LN&SWD's classic album "Out of the Picture" was partially inspired by an ill-fated 1987 trip to see one of the band's idols, renowned astronomer and television personality Carl Sagan. Sagan's distinctive delivery of the word "billion" in many of his public appearances gave rise to Track 1 on the EP. Once they learned that Dr. Sagan was going to be giving a lecture at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, the band eagerly leapt at the chance to see him in person. So they piled into Thrice's car and drove the 125 miles to Nashville -- on a school night even! (Thrice and Dusty both had exams the next day.) Upon arriving at the venue, they were dismayed to see that the line outside the tiny auditorium already stretched halfway across campus. They waited in line until it was clear they would never get in. Still plagued by an astronomy jones, they decided to seek out a planetarium. They found a pay phone (no cellphones in those days), and Dusty called Information. The sadly ill-informed operator thought he wanted to view plants and suggested parks and gardens whereupon Dusty shouted "No! No! Stars! STARS!!" and the idea for Track 4 was born... Denied yet again, the band went to dinner where they proceeded to have too much to drink. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur, but before they left the restaurant Stella enthusiastically shared her newly-minted riddle (the genesis for Track 5) with the rest of the diners: "What's a Greek urn? About five draculas an hour!" After they got back home, the band decided to "immortalize" the evening with their next release. They promptly wrote and recorded the three aforementioned songs and collected them along with three other new tracks on this EP. They even sent Dr. Sagan a complimentary CD and received autographed copies of his book "Cosmos" in return. The band hopes that you enjoy this re-release.

The World Is Dark and Wild

Date Released: 8/15/2012   Tracks: 3   Sales: 11   Listens: 17

"The World Is Dark and Wild" is the lead single from Let's Not and Say We Did's upcoming album "... it's the journey." This tongue-in-cheek yet respectful pastiche borrows ideas from sources as diverse as Eric Burdon's "Spill the Wine," Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and Maurice Sendak's childhood classic "Where the Wild Things Are." They also throw in a little of the legend of the Hawkins Springs Varmint, a creature said to roam the region surrounding the band's hometown since the 1950s. Two bonus tracks not available on any album accompany "The World Is Dark and Wild:" The first bonus track is "Arbus," a jab at the photographers down at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. With its rapid-fire verses and sing-along chorus, "Why does every picture of me look like it was taken by Diane Arbus?", this song has been a staple of LN&SWD concerts for years and is available here in a studio version for the first time. (Ms. Arbus was a photographer known for her disturbing portraits of odd-looking people on the margins of society -- her work even moved author Norman Mailer to quip "Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child.") The second bonus track is uncharacteristically somber for LN&SWD. "Voices from the Next Room" was inspired by an elderly widow from the band's home town. Her only child, a son, died suddenly when he was 40, leaving her alone in the world. Devastated, she turned to psychics and spent the rest of her life and a good deal of her savings in a desperate attempt to reconnect with her son. All songs written and performed by LN&SWD. Recorded and mixed at The Sprawlin' WIMP-FM Complex, April 11 - July 12, 2012. Cover photography by T. Knightley.

Land of 1000 Dances

Date Released: 9/16/2012   Tracks: 5   Sales: 8   Listens: 8

LN&SWD's remake of "Land of 1000 Dances" -- the second single from the band's album, "... it's the journey." -- is made for parties. With its thumping drums and infectious "naa na na na naa" hook, it'll have you off your feet in no time. Over the years, this song has been covered by many artists, some of whom updated the lyrics about different dance steps to reflect current moves. LN&SWD has chosen to supplement the song's traditional lyrics with a couple of verses telling a bit of the history of the "Hawkins Springs Sound." This danceable genre, which has elements of Southern garage rock and psychedelia, arose in the late 60s, and Hawkins Springs' storied Hee Bee Gee Bee Club has been integral to its development. Scores of practitioners of the Sound got their start at Hawkins Springs' oldest and most revered musical venue -- bands like Highway 109... DUI... the Three Dollar Bills... Opposable Thumbs -- the list goes on and on... and for three generations of western Kentuckians (including LN&SWD), the Hee Bee Gee Bee has been the real Land of 1000 Dances. But wait -- there are also four bonus tracks. Two of the bonus tracks are remakes: "The Road Goes On Forever," about the misadventures of a couple of colorful characters named Sonny and Sherry, was made famous by country supergroup the Highwaymen. "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?" was originally recorded by Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, and surely has one of the best titles of any song -- regardless of genre. The other bonus tracks are LN&SWD originals: "Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen" is a tribute to record producer Mutt Lange (who first uttered those famous words) that borrows a little of the styles of both Def Leppard and the Offspring. "I'm Burnin' Down" gets its name from Thrice's dad's way of saying he's too hot, and is a prime example of LN&SWD's take on the Hawkins Springs Sound. Recorded/mixed at The Sprawlin' WIMP-FM Complex, 9/10/11 - 7/2/12.

... it's the journey.

Date Released: 9/22/2012   Tracks: 15   Sales: 15   Listens: 22

Thrice Knightley's Uncle Marvin once said (and he's been quoted by so many) "It's not the destination that's important, it's the journey." Let's Not and Say We Did began a journey three decades ago in a high school cafeteria in a small town in western Kentucky... a journey that has taken them to places they never dreamed of... a journey that has enriched their lives in unexpected ways... a journey they did not even realize they were starting at the time. This album is a tribute to that journey, and it is dedicated to the band's loyal fans. Without them, the journey would have been over as soon as it started. The release of this album coincides with the 25th anniversary of the events that inspired the EP "The Night We Didn't See Carl Sagan," and the cover of "... it's the journey." is a nod to that EP. This album's wide variety of songs reflects the band's diverse experiences over the course of their career. Some of the songs come directly from the band's travels. For example, the surreal "Tiny Grass Is Dreaming" gets its name from a sign they saw in Tokyo asking people to stick to the sidewalks. Other songs are about the fascinating people they've met: the improvised "Something to Write Home About," is about getting to meet and jam with some of their musical heroes, while "(Taking) Tim Back to Timbuktu" was inspired by a surgeon they met who worked in Africa with Doctors Without Borders. There are also introspective tracks such as "A Work in Progress" and the Lennon-esque "This Paper Palace" (the latter about the fleeting nature of fame). Others are purely whimsical, like "The World Is Dark and Wild" and the album's opener (a tribute to a gent who favored paisley back in the day). And what journey would be complete without a Journey cover? Except where noted, all songs written by LN&SWD. Recorded and mixed at The Sprawlin' WIMP-FM Complex, January 10 - September 8, 2012.

Just One Day in the Garden of Your Mind

Date Released: 10/25/2012   Tracks: 7   Sales: 14   Listens: 28

"Tiny Grass Is Dreaming in the Garden of Your Mind" is the latest single release from LN&SWD. The single is a mashup of two tracks from their most recent album: the surreal "Tiny Grass Is Dreaming" and their remake of the YouTube sensation "Garden of Your Mind" comprised of auto-tuned clips from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Music critic and retired high school shop teacher Karl Buzzard has described the result as "reminiscent of the B52s singing a spirited version of 'Strawberry Fields' with Lynyrd Skynyrd providing musical backup." The project before you was originally intended to be a maxi-single, but as the band was choosing bonus tracks, the (very) loose theme of a "look inside the collective mind of LN&SWD" developed, and the maxi-single became the mini-album "Just One Day in the Garden of Your Mind." In addition to the afore-mentioned single, there are six other songs on the album: The first two, whose titles were inspired by a Bugs Bunny cartoon and an episode of "The Twilight Zone," respectively, examine the darker side of childhood imagination. "Cuss Jar" celebrates that device which millions of Southern women have used to deter their husbands and children from swearing. These jars have also funded countless NASCAR weekend vacations over the years. The final three bonus tracks form a suite of songs about the early years of the NASA space program: "The Herd Shot 'Round the World" is a pun-filled account of how the space program might have faired had NASA used cows instead of chimps and monkeys in the first experimental flights. The last two tracks salute the first two people to set foot on the Moon. "Goodnight to the Man in the Moon" eulogizes Neil Armstrong who died this past August -- some 43 years after making his "giant leap for mankind." The final track of the suite, "Buzz Aldrin," is a remake of Pragmatica's tribute to the man who followed Armstrong onto the lunar surface. All tracks composed by LN&SWD unless noted otherwise.

Octopus Moon [Maxi-Single]

Date Released: 2/11/2013   Tracks: 5   Sales: 12   Listens: 17

One evening, Stella, Dusty and Thrice were sitting around Stella's house with some friends watching the TV show "The Future Is Wild" which speculated on how life on Earth might evolve over the next 200 million years. One of the possibilities was that, on an Earth with a climate far more hostile than the one we know, where humans had long since departed for another planet, octopuses and squids would be the most intelligent remaining creatures. One species in particular was an air-breathing squid that swung through the branches of trees much like a gibbon or some other primate might do today. The beast was called a "squibbon." One of their friends challenged the band: "Hey, guys! Let's see you make a song out of that!" And so they did. In "Octopus Moon," Let's Not and Say We Did imagine a human astronaut in the distant future returning to Earth to explore the planet. He encounters the squibbons in a moon-lit forest and is overwhelmed -- both by a sense of loss for the world that has passed and a sense of wonder for the world yet to come. (OK, octopuses and squids are different animals. The band decided that "Octopus Moon" sounded better than "Squid Moon" and used artistic license.) Long-time LN&SWD fans will recognize the chorus of "I Wish I Had 8 Arms to Hold You" (from their 1983 album "Mashed Potatoes and Groovy") played by Stella on her electric bagpipes over the fade-out. "Octopus Moon" is the first single from the forthcoming album "youhaveusedallyour50listensinthelast7days." Four new non-album bonus tracks accompany the title song on this maxi-single. All songs written by LN&SWD. Orchestral odds 'n' ends by the Hawkins Springs Philharmonic Orchestra. All tracks recorded and produced by LN&SWD at the Sprawlin' WIMP-FM Complex (11/08/12 - 01/31/13). Cover from an original work by Thrice Knightley. Ms. Delcielo's wardrobe by Hugo Gerll. Mr. Knightley's and Mr. Rainwater's wardrobes by Uta Mann. Catering by Sam & Ella's Diner.

ESP

Date Released: 3/11/2013   Tracks: 12   Sales: 13   Listens: 17

Mourning, Noone and Knight's debut album is certain to be compared to the work of their label mates, Let's Not and Say We Did. Certainly, there are some quirky lyrics that would be right at home on a LN&SWD record. But while LN&SWD's music jumps from style to style, Mourning, Noone and Knight's sound is a bit more cohesive -- most of the songs here adhere fairly closely to their core sound of traditional rock with sparse arrangements. The album cover features Zener cards, one of the tools used to measure the extent of a person's gift for extra-sensory perception. The simple design of the cards and the album's short title reflect the minimalist nature of the band's music. The band has mentioned a few of the tracks as favorites: "Chick Pea" is a tribute to Dan's mom, who was known by that name while she lived on a commune in the early seventies. "Horton Hears the Who" tells of Dr. Seuss's gentle elephant's not-so-gentle introduction to rock & roll. "Little Dirty Birdy Feet" is a reworking of the twentieth century American folk song "Great Green Gobs of Greasy Grimey Gopher Guts, featuring the cut-up skills of Let's Not and Say We Did. Finally, the band hopes you will enjoy the irony of their including "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" on this album. All songs written by Mourning, Noone and Knight except where noted. * Traditional, cut-up by Let's Not and Say We Did ** Composed by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts

The Japanese Euphemism Song [Maxi-Single]

Date Released: 3/13/2013   Tracks: 5   Sales: 13   Listens: 22

Every year, juniors at Hawkins Springs High School had to write research papers. The year that the members of LN&SWD were juniors, Mrs. Culpepper assigned the topics - and some people got good topics. Stella, on the other hand, received "The History of Profanity" as hers. Being a diligent student, Stella researched the %#& out of dirty words and wrote a very good paper. Mrs. Culpepper gave Stella a zero, however, because she had used actual profanity in her paper. When Stella expressed incredulity over her grade, Mrs. Culpepper smiled her sickening smile and said, "You could have used euphemisms... you know... words that sound like the real thing but aren't dirty at all... like 'shid' or 'fug'..." (Later, Stella learned that such expressions are more correctly called "minced oaths.") After school, Stella drove to Thrice's house where they improvised and recorded a very raw demo of "The Japanese Euphemism Song." Stella's ear-piercing screaming of Mrs. Culpepper's euphemisms and brutal fist pounding set the pace for the song, and Thrice tortured his electrified koto and shamisen (traditional Japanese stringed instruments) like never before. Their record company at the time expressed no interest in releasing this very odd song, but it went on to become a fan favorite at LN&SWD concerts. Now the band has decided that it is time to release "The Japanese Euphemism Song" as a single - the second single from their upcoming album. Knowing they could never top the energy and anger that the teenaged Stella spewed into the microphone on that afternoon many years ago, they have decided to release the original demo unaltered except for a percussion track added by Dusty. It is the band's most savage and animalistic release in some time and may surprise a few listeners. Accompanying "The Japanese Euphemism Song" are four tracks inspired by the Japanese-born proto-punker and mother of New Wave, Yoko Ono.

Incognito [EP]

Date Released: 4/25/2013   Tracks: 6   Sales: 13   Listens: 18

Many people live safe, boring, small lives, but they dream of something more exciting... perhaps traveling to a city where no one knows them... leaving behind everyone else's expectations... casting their inhibitions aside and indulging in every hedonistic excess available... squeezing every drop out of life that their timid hearts can bear... As long as no one finds out...

Checkered Present

Date Released: 5/5/2013   Tracks: 10   Sales: 12   Listens: 13

Thrice Knightley was keeping a secret... a secret he didn't even let himself in on. In much less than a year Knightley had worked on two LN&SWD albums plus numerous singles with bonus tracks, he had toured extensively, and he had even worked on some side-projects. All this activity without rest had left him completely burnt out. Actually it had left him mistaking his shoe for a phone. And even holding conversations with... someone... Knightley's hallucinations reached the point where his doctor hospitalized him for "exhaustion." With expert medical care, the hallucinations gradually stopped, and he was released. But he found himself a changed man -- more sympathetic to people with emotional problems and more open to the idea of creativity springing from madness (and vice-versa). And so he released his latest solo album documenting his recent difficulties: An album forged in the fires of delirium. An album that explores both strength and weakness. An album by an artist who recognizes and has even learned to celebrate his limitations. "Checkered Present" provides an often tongue-in-cheek account of Knightley's hospitalization and the events that led to it. But while Knightley rarely takes himself seriously, he always takes his craft seriously: these songs tell their stories on multiple levels -- both lyrically and musically. For instance, the melody of "To Mock a Mockingbird" wanders around from key to key like a bird searching for food on the ground -- or a man searching for desperately for his sanity, while the simultaneous ascending and descending guitar runs of "Must've Got Lost Going Up the Down Staircase" suggest Knightley's sense of being pulled in two by the demands placed upon him. Knightley says that this collection is not only his most personal one to date, but his most personally satisfying. All songs composed by T. Knightley Cover image from a self-portrait by T. Knightley

One of Our Planets Is Missing

Date Released: 5/15/2013   Tracks: 4   Sales: 8   Listens: 8

Classical composer and conductor Pickopp Andropov's got his baton in a twist over the 2006 decision by the International Astronomical Union to demote Pluto to "dwarf planet" status. Andropov, an avid amateur astronomer, asserts: "I live in a solar system with nine planets, not eight!" Andropov's outrage festered until the summer of 2012 when he finally cleared his schedule to begin composing a "space suite" devoted largely to his favorite former planet. Andropov has used rock instruments in his compositions before (most notably his 2011 electric guitar concerto, "Furioso"), and his new release goes even farther in that direction. These four songs use only rock instruments, although they maintain the structure and complexity of classical pieces. To give his endeavor more "street cred," Andropov enlisted the help of several practitioners of the "Hawkins Springs Sound." The first three pieces feature vocals by Daniel Mourning of Mourning, Noone and Knight, and Stella Delcielo and Dusty Rainwater, both of Let's Not and Say We Did. The cover of this release was even designed by Thrice Knightley, the remaining member of Let's Not and Say We Did. Recorded at the Sprawlin' WIMP-FM Complex, 02/14/13 - 03/22/13 Cover image: "The 3-Body Problem" by T. Knightley * "Dancers before the threshold of the Great Worlds" is the term used by author C. S. Lewis in his space trilogy to refer to the asteroid belt.