Manchester UK post-punk blues keyboardist & guitarist HARRY STAFFORD (of Inca Babies) has presented his single ‘Painted Ocean‘ ahead of a new album release: ‘Gothic Urban Blues‘ — inspired by the carpings of jazz and blues stalwarts such as Mose Allison and Hoagy Carmichael.
“Despite the trash, plastic and pollution I’ll take it all because . . . I still have you. There’s only you.”
“This is a message that riffs on a sublime ‘painted’ ocean, which, while once was a heaving beautiful living thing, is now a dump,” says Harry.
Along with a gracious keyboard riff, there is gentle balance between the sandstone quality of the coarse-grained, floatstone voice — with all its stunned and agonizing sadness — and the rescue initiated by the brave splendor of euphony and mercy.
The upcoming album ‘Gothic Urban Blues‘ is about the Metropolis, the naked city, urban expansion and the need to return to torn streets when you’re away…
Mixed and engineered by Ding Archer (The Fall, PJ Harvey) at the 6Db Studio in Salford, this album was co-produced by Archer with Stafford and the band’s core [Guitar Shaped Hammers] includes drummer Rob Haynes (The Membranes, Inca Babies), trumpeter Kevin Davy (Lamb, Cymande), guitarist Andy Mills, and with Vincent O’Brien on Weisseborn slide guitar.
‘Painted Ocean’ is available 28th Feb as a digital single and the new ‘Gothic Urban Blues’ LP will be released on March 27 via Black Lagoon Records .
For fans of Tom Waits, David J, Nick Cave.
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