Mega Bog - Dolphine - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

On Life, and Another, Mega Bog (the world-inhabiting moniker of song-animator Erin Birgy) tends a succulent garden full of plants that the unwitting passerby might mistakenly perceive as extraterrestrial, but which are in fact very much of this Earth. Departing from the humid Holodeck spider plant nursery of previous record Dolphine (2019), Mega Bog's new album brings us back to our home planet, into the rarefied air pressure of a dried-up desert valley where it's fourteen songs were written and scattered like stones in the landscape. But true to Birgy's alchemical writing practice, these bright stones simply refuse to blend into their arid environment, each one a precious gem chiseled by the anti-capitalist geologist's hammer to reveal the impossible, dazzling life that inheres under the dusty exteriors of both the northern Nevada of her youth and the rural New Mexico of the album's birth.Cohabiting with Life, and Another's co-producer, engineer, and percussionist James Krivchenia (Big Thief) in a small cabin near the Rio Grande off of NM State Route 68, Birgy found herself often alone, suspended between their separate touring schedules. In these silent time passages, Birgy experienced a complete loss of self amid the expanse. Frequently thinking about death in the middle of nowhere opened a familiar black hole of troubling projections, and any desire to find freedom or remain positive continued to fold back into self-destructive thought and fear. Strange long days were spent pacing the property with a rake, befriending ants and spiders and struggling with the instinct to poison them if they ventured into the home. Comfort was occasionally found in internet reruns of Frasier and Star Trek Deep Space 9, texts on the ethics of terraforming and space colonization, and Ken Liu's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Over time, a budding interest in mindfulness, attachment

This album brings together world premiere recordings of three aesthetically diverse piano concertos that were written for Alexandre Tharaud. They are Left, alone by the Dane Hans Abrahamsen (b. 1952), Future is a faded song by the Frenchman Gérard Pesson (b.1958) and Kuleshov by the Argentian-born Frenchman Oscar Strasnoy (b.1970). Strasnoy has said that his concerto was Inchinspired by Alexandre Tharaud's unique and inimitable phrasing and clarity of playing.Inch No doubt those words could apply to all three works on the album.

Finally - a new transmission from the evil geniuses responsible for unleashing Naomi Punk and Weed on a wider audience! Less abrasive than either of the aforementioned, Mega Bog occupies just as singular a space in the Inchweird popInch world inhabited by their tag mates. Couple Skate haven't steered US wrong yet, and this one promises to be another break-out success story. Get on board on the ground floor! a thick green mist, a rich chill vibe; after 5 years and countless self-released tapes and CDs, Megabog - the brainchild of songwriter Erin Birgy - have completed their best work to date; a swirling pop cloud called Gone Banana. Influenced equally by the emotional psychedelia of Kevin Ayers and the pop whimsy of Steely Dan, Gone Banana is a joyous declaration of artistic independence and purpose. Alternately a tender songwriting project, a blazin-hot jazz-rock combo, or an open forum for goofy one-offs and fragile experimentation, Mega Bog is ultimately whatever Birgy wants it to be on a given day. Sounding equal parts Ariel Pink and Prefab Sprout, the assembled cast rip through 9 hazy burners with a tightness hidden behind layers of drizzle and reverb. Representing a unique moment in Birgy's songwriting maturation, Gone Banana is an immersive listening experience and a peek into the life of a truly strange soul.