so, the king of france's frontman, steve salett, has a new project in the works entitled the poison tree. the difference between the king of france and the poison tree? radical. the king of france is indie rock that has a bit of quirk to it. the poison tree is all singer-songwriter vibe.
john wray had the following to say about salett's new project:
This record, dearest listener, was a long time in the making. Since high school, if you take Steve's word for it. These are the songs, he says, that he'd have written and recorded when he was sixteen, if he'd had the chops and the experience and the nerve. He has all three now, more than his share, and these songs are the velvet evidence. They were written at home—mostly late at night, I'm guessing—then put through the collective filter of some of the best players in New York City, and recorded little by little, when time and money permitted, in all sorts of places, from the world-famous Sear Sound on 54th street to Steve’s own lovingly-made crackerjack studio in a basement under the Manhattan bridge. A lot of great bands happened to pass through that basement, and you can hear echoes here, if you listen closely enough; but it's to the cabal of singer-songwriters that Steve truly belongs, people like A.C. Newman and Paul Simon and Bill Callahan and Leonard Cohen. He's played with a lot of great talents since high school some of them have returned the favor here. He's been feted and raved about and jammed with and envied by musicians who play in stadiums these days. Steve's last project, The King of France, was courted by big swanky labels and fawned over by the likes of Spin and The New Yorker. But he himself never felt quite at home in that band, or even in his own skin, which is part of what makes him the artist and truth-teller that he is. Elegant—even seductive—as this record can be, there's a pain to these songs, a carefree kind of despair, and an honesty that can hurt to listen to. These are the songs a teenager would write, if that teenager happened to be a connoisseur of heartbreak. If that teenager could see into the future—see all the way, past the setbacks and the self-discovery and the sweetness and the terror—the result might sound something like The Poison Tree. If he was a very, very lucky boy, that is. There's no arrogance to be heard on this record, no defensiveness, no posturing of any kind at all. A grown man's hard-earned wisdom and skill went into making it, not to mention his love; but—as with everything true, on record or otherwise—hearing it can leave you as defenseless as a child.
--Berlin 10.9.10
come on come on is a bit of a tragic song - it's got regret tinged with a hint of hope. it talks of friendship, of redemption, and of frail humanity (apologies ahead of time for a couple of missing words):
This record, dearest listener, was a long time in the making. Since high school, if you take Steve's word for it. These are the songs, he says, that he'd have written and recorded when he was sixteen, if he'd had the chops and the experience and the nerve. He has all three now, more than his share, and these songs are the velvet evidence. They were written at home—mostly late at night, I'm guessing—then put through the collective filter of some of the best players in New York City, and recorded little by little, when time and money permitted, in all sorts of places, from the world-famous Sear Sound on 54th street to Steve’s own lovingly-made crackerjack studio in a basement under the Manhattan bridge. A lot of great bands happened to pass through that basement, and you can hear echoes here, if you listen closely enough; but it's to the cabal of singer-songwriters that Steve truly belongs, people like A.C. Newman and Paul Simon and Bill Callahan and Leonard Cohen. He's played with a lot of great talents since high school some of them have returned the favor here. He's been feted and raved about and jammed with and envied by musicians who play in stadiums these days. Steve's last project, The King of France, was courted by big swanky labels and fawned over by the likes of Spin and The New Yorker. But he himself never felt quite at home in that band, or even in his own skin, which is part of what makes him the artist and truth-teller that he is. Elegant—even seductive—as this record can be, there's a pain to these songs, a carefree kind of despair, and an honesty that can hurt to listen to. These are the songs a teenager would write, if that teenager happened to be a connoisseur of heartbreak. If that teenager could see into the future—see all the way, past the setbacks and the self-discovery and the sweetness and the terror—the result might sound something like The Poison Tree. If he was a very, very lucky boy, that is. There's no arrogance to be heard on this record, no defensiveness, no posturing of any kind at all. A grown man's hard-earned wisdom and skill went into making it, not to mention his love; but—as with everything true, on record or otherwise—hearing it can leave you as defenseless as a child.
--Berlin 10.9.10
come on come on is a bit of a tragic song - it's got regret tinged with a hint of hope. it talks of friendship, of redemption, and of frail humanity (apologies ahead of time for a couple of missing words):
come on, come on
let me see it through
there’s a light
we can break into
with no letter burned
bells to sound
but we need you now
still letting ‘em down
still letting ‘em down
come on, come on
if you only knew
when you fell
oh, we fell with you
and it’s easier
when you’re not bound
but we need you now
still letting ‘em down
still letting ‘em down
see my body
from the rafters down
i’m no loner
but i’m never xx
and it’s easier
and about about yourself
we’re just here
to help
let me see it through
there’s a light
we can break into
with no letter burned
bells to sound
but we need you now
still letting ‘em down
still letting ‘em down
come on, come on
if you only knew
when you fell
oh, we fell with you
and it’s easier
when you’re not bound
but we need you now
still letting ‘em down
still letting ‘em down
see my body
from the rafters down
i’m no loner
but i’m never xx
and it’s easier
and about about yourself
we’re just here
to help
the poison tree is set to debut in march of 2011. go HERE to listen to yet another song, never knew me. check out the beautiful album art:
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