blake edward conley- fender guitars, fender amps, noises
with Rachel Thode- drums on "New House for an Old Façade" and
“It Speaks German in Its Sleep”
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Sam Scholten at Fontaine recordings in Louisville, KY
Dedicated to everyone who ever loves in the face of disappointment and every bridge that has ever been a victim of arson
(accidental or otherwise).
Love and thanks to- Jessi Wiggers, Sam Scholten, Rachel Thode,
Cory Fusting, Jason Lameroux and Somewhere Cold, Keith Chandler,
Zachary Corsa, Chris Siegler, Gore, Cole Morse, Courtney Reese,
Michelle Sullivan, Trevor Evans-Young, Mark Kramer AKA Tender Mercy, Ben Traughber, Brett Eugene Ralph and Darby, Surface Noise,
Adam Dennison, Nic Whitaker, Open Community Arts Center, Saint Cats- Our Lady of the Good Couch, Nicole Kondra, Jeremy Michael Camp, Amber Biggs, Cody Gaisser, Stan Richardson II, Jonathon Reeve, Tyler Franklin, Seth Baxter Ratcliffe, and you, yes you!
Art by
Cory Fusting
Design and Layout by
droneroom & Zylophonica
Somewherecold Records 2019
somewherecoldrecords.bandcamp.com
All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws.
released September 27, 2019
“I’ll Make It Up To You, I Swear…”
February 18, 2020
I love long, prosaic titles, whether it be for an album or a song because I was so struck by the otherworldliness of Joan of Arc’s Live in Chicago, 1999 and absolutely loved song titles like “It’s Easier To Drink On An Empty Stomach Than Eat On A Broken Heart” or “I’m Certainly Not Pleased With My Options For The Future” that complemented the tableaux like cover art enhanced by super rich resolution and lush color schemes. Such titles defy the convention of the genre (rock) as much as the music as they open a little window of a myriad of possible meanings and contain a degree of wit that I find compelling, providing us with opportunities to exercise our skills at polysyllabic locution; for instance, say them out loud when you read them; they’re a happening in and of themselves, demanding consideration and attention—just lovely.
Louisville’s Droneroom, the project of Blake Conley, put out a record in September 2019 full of clairvoyant introspective swirls and layers that take you down long, dark southern dirt roads where whispers of past sins, losses, heartaches, and failures murmur in a light breeze. The record is suggestively titled “I’ll Make It Up To You, I Swear….” and was released by Louisville based Somewherecold Records, a small independent label that has been steadily putting out left-of-center records for a little while now.
You should listen to all five tracks to discover where they take you; however, I will suggest you listen from beginning to end when you’re in a mental and physical space that you will be uninterrupted—a long car drive, train ride, walk, or just an old fashioned sit in a comfortable chair. My favorites on the record and the ones I have something interesting to say about are songs one, two, and three. “New House For an Old Façade,” the record’s opening track, is a slow build of bluesy patterns, tremolo-like effects, enhanced by Rachel Thode’s sparse drums—hits of precise demolition. “Borrowed Trouble” takes you for a walk out on in a field under a bright moon and clear sky where you go to pay back the trouble you borrowed, if not in fact at least in gesture—like an act of atonement with no witnesses. I started thinking about what I wish I could forget after I noticed the third track is titled “…To Forget” and I guess as the track moves along I go to memories of a time where I made decisions that caused immense emotional harm to my family and how in that moment of life when I was most mixed up I somehow found my way out, at first floating on what I hoped/believed would be true until I had made it onto firmer ground, ground that inherently contains the possibility of sinking if I forget to take care of it. The opening guitar riff took me there—it’s a simple, repetitive motion that maintained, will maintain! You should listen to all five tracks to discover where they take you, and when you do, let me know what you find.
--Christopher R. Boss (Kind Skies/The Warm Jets/M E Moore)
softshake.org/blog/f/%E2%80%9Ci%E2%80%99ll-make-it-up-to-you-i-swear%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D