MP3 Saint Solitude - Journal of Retreat

Brit- and darker shoegaze pop; melodies for a starry night shining on a town of lonely bliss; filled with brilliant harmonies, hypnotic guitars , immediate hooks and extended-release sleepers, driving anthems and layered musings.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (39:53) !
Related styles: Pop: Britpop, Rock: Shoegaze, Type: Sonic

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Details:
Saint Solitudeâs Journal of Retreat has all the characteristics you want in a great pop album: the immediate hooks and the extended-release sleepers, the driving anthems and the layered musings. Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dup Crosson, the mastermind behind Saint Solitude, weaves a collection of twelve songs that is immediately accessible but still deeply interesting after many listens. Released on the recently imprinted Alive and Well Records, Journal of Retreat is a must buy for fans of indie rock, Britpop, shoegaze rock, or just great music.

Recorded and performed almost in its entirety by Crosson in a small rented home in the mountains of Asheville, NC, Saint Solitudeâs Journal of Retreat is a watershed moment for this young musician. Themes explored on Saint Solitudeâs 2008 EP, Disaster Stories, find their full voice on Journal of Retreat. Bringing the experience and wisdom gained over a year of extensive touring, Crosson uses his voice to evoke impressions of a soul set free amid intense engagement with his surrounding environment.

The drums pound or dance, depending on the mood, the bass is melodic, and together, with well placed percussion, the rhythm is always driving but never clichéd. The guitars alternate between hypnotic and playful, urgent and spacey, constantly engaging the listener with orchestrated precision. Keyboards provide an atmospheric cohesion, and contributions of trumpet and cello from guest musicians add a blast of Beatlesque color and musicality. At the helm of it all is Crossonâs voice and brilliant harmonies. He sings with absolute commitment, articulating the smart and spacious melodies and leaving no doubt where his emotions lie.

The sometimes low-fi aesthetic, a result of the home recordings, only makes the album more intimate and provides for haunting or blissful performances, depending on the tone of the lyric. Crosson took the tracks to producer Andrew Schatzberg for mixing at Landslide Studio in Asheville, NC (Schatzberg and Crosson worked together on the 2008 Disaster Stories). Schatzberg brings an alternating dreamy or distressed aesthetic to the mix, à la Radiohead meets The Flaming Lips.

Saint Solitudeâs Journal of Retreat is twelve songs of combination Brit- and darker shoegaze pop that envelops the listener for a full forty minutes. Plans for extensive touring with a full band in support of the release are in the works for early 2010.