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R.E.M. Share Unreleased Single
PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP
By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com
25.0443° N, 77.3504° W RAIN (I’M SORRY):
Earlier this month, R.E.M. let loose a pre
viously unreleased song that was originally
slated to appear on the group’s 2001 album
Reveal. It’s a deceptively simple-sounding
song named “Fascinating” that actually has
a very complex arrangement and, in any
case, is a treat to hear after all this time. It
is being made available now in order to raise
funds for Bahamian relief from the devas
tation of Hurricane Dorian. While you may
stream it for free, a download costs a min
imum of $2. The band recorded the track
at the famed Compass Point Studios in the
Bahamian capital of Nassau. Significantly—
at least from a music history perspective—
this was among the recordings done during
the final decade of the Chris Blackwell-
founded studio, which closed in 2010.
Funds raised will go to global relief organi
zation Mercy Corps. To buy your download,
see remhq.bandcamp.com. To learn more
about the history of Compass Point Studios,
see compasspointstudios.com.
SING OUT LOUD, SING OUT STRONG: The new
Dead Neighbors album is named Without,
and it was released last week. It was pro
duced by Terence Chiyezan (aka Murk
Daddy Flex), and, compositionally speaking,
it’s a step above previous releases, but it’s
not like this is a whole new sound at all.
If you were able to hang with the band’s
distinctive, legitimately emotional tunes
before, chances are good you’ll dig this one
a lot. The level of detail is kind of astound
ing, especially the arrangements of tracks
like “Nu Ew.” For the old folks in the back,
you’ll hear threads of everything from Polvo
to Sunny Day Real Estate. For those who
couldn’t care less about a dumb history les
son, you’ll hear a well edited and executed
collection of eight songs that operate inside
the rock and roll framework but punch the
sides pretty hard. Highlights are highlights,
indeed, and include the hyper tuneful (with
seriously nice vocals) “Sunless,” the inad
vertently rollicking “Lack Thereof” and the
every-pun-intended “Withoutro.” Grab this
at deadneighbors.bandcamp.com.
PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY: Jason Bronson
(Delorean Gray) is splitting the time-space
continuum with his new project, Sibylline
Lover. He’s planning on releasing a full-
length album next year, but he’s got two
songs available now. To record these self-
penned tunes, he enlisted the help of a
bunch of old classmates, as well as his
Delorean Gray bandmates, Jacob Chisenhall
and Freeman Leverett. Somehow, these
tracks—“Clarissa” and “Winter Isolation”—
capture the spirit and style of Burt
Bacharach, Carole King, Lee Hazelwood,
Harpers Bizarre and others without falling
into rote mimicry.
They’re really cool
pieces of timeless and
crafted pop music.
I’m kind of ready for
this whole album to
be out now. Listen
in at sibyllinelover.
bandcamp.com.
SEVEN IS AS SEVEN
DOES: Songwriter
Greg Meredith,
who was a finalist
for this year’s Vic
Chesnutt Songwriter
of the Year Award,
will release his new
EP, simply titled Greg,
this week. At seven
tracks, it’s a bit longer
than a traditional
EP. I’d never heard
of Meredith until the Chesnutt Award sea
son was well underway and hadn’t heard
anything from him since. Meredith’s song
writing is very big and very much along the
lines of Snow Patrol, Imagine Dragons, et
al. It’s earnest to a fault, with nary a mys
terious lyric to be found. It’s as close to a
wide-open confessional of musical self-heal
ing as one is likely to find, especially in
Athens. That said, there’s a sameness about
these tracks that makes me redouble my
criticism that the thing is too long. It’s a lot
to get through. From a professional stand
point, several of these could be big hits by
the right artist, and Meredith could take
home huge bucks and awards as the writer.
You can find this on Spotify beginning Sept.
27, and keep up with Meredith at facebook.
com/gregmeredithmusic.
STRUM ’N’ SANG: The Piedmont
Songwriters Society will host its
September meeting Thursday, Sept. 26
from 6-8 p.m. at its Athens campus (595
Prince Ave.). The society is an initiative
by Piedmont College faculty to get people
involved in songwriting and songcraft.
These meet-ups are designed for people of
all ages, skill level and musical background.
At these meetings, attendees are invited
to share songwriting styles, techniques,
etc. One caveat, though: I don’t have any
actual idea what room this is held in, so
if you’re interested, drop a line to these
fine folks via facebook.com/Piedmont
SongwritersSociety. ©
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 | FLAGPOLE.COM 17