Description
James issues the sharpest entry of his vision,The Blackberry Trainengineered by Steve Albini Nirvana, The Pixies and PJ Harvey, to be released worldwide May 6th on Maybenot via Kobalt Label Services.The opening track Too Hard which can be described as a jangling rocker, James says I wrote it in L.A, and tried to infuse it with a country feel to really bring out that desperation, and the idea of trying too hard. Dhani Harrison came into the studio and we both collaborated on the guitar solo in the song.The Blackberry Trainmanages to be both diverse and cohesive. Opening with the invigorating Too Hard and closing with the stately and aptly named folk song, Peace and Stillness. Between these bookends, highlights include the roughedged and urgently melodic Unicorn, the anthemic Peyote Coyote, and the soulful ballad Prayer. One very personal song is the winsome and reflective Waterfall which was inspired by memories of his mother.Its all been an evolution, James says. This set of songs definitely has a harder edge, but its a continuation of the last album. The main thing for me is to not conform or compromise.To accurately capture the music in his head, James sought out the distinct audio stylings of Steve Albini. The results make for an edgy and eclectic album with fastidiously crafted songs documented in the studio with glorious purity.I like the music to have elements of the avantgarde, psychedelic, and be just a little against the grain, James reveals. But in the end, its about having as much emotion as possible for me, musically and lyrically. Its all about the music being cathartic, heartfelt and true.