From Team Clermont Casiotone For The Painfully Alone's Town Topic EP releasing September 23, 2008
The Town Topic EP is the
soundtrack to video artist and photographer Laurel Nakadate’s debut
feature film, "Stay The Same Never Change." Laurel commissioned Casiotone
For The Painfully Alone’s Owen Ashworth to provide all of the music
for "Stay The Same Never Change," right down to the character’s ring
tones. Laurel’s original intention was to use previously released Casiotone For The Painfully
Alone songs for the film’s soundtrack, but Owen opted instead
to re-construct the pre-existing material and blend it with a number of new
pieces to create a cohesive score specifi cally for the project.
Built from the sounds of electric pianos, organs, Casio keyboards, a
primitive monophonic sequencer / drum machine, and a shit-ton of spring
reverb, the music on the Town Topic EP parallels the stories of
trouble-making Kansas City teenagers as they detonate explosives, eat at
diners, watch fi reworks, get kidnapped, and make a couple of phone calls
over one sweltering Midwestern summer.
Town Topic EP cover The Town Topic EP consists of thirteen short instrumental pieces, book-ended by the two vocal tracks that were recorded specifi cally for the film: “Ice Cream Truck,” which, over a simulated July soundscape of Mr. Softee jingles, cicadas and trunk-rattling bass from passing cars, tells the story of criminal-minded kids who go joy-riding in a stolen ice cream truck and make other poorly-informed decisions along the way, and “Green Cotton Sweater (version),” which trumps the song’s 2001 appearance on the Pocket Symphonies For Lonesome Subway Cars LP with blown-out drum machine rhythms, clattering pianos, and loads of vintage amp abuse. Other stand-out tracks include “Town Topic (instrumental),” a jukebox-ready country shuffle that could easily be mistaken for the backing track of a long-lost Patsy Cline hit, and “Nashville Parthenon (instrumental),” which re-imagines the original electro arrangement as a lovely and minimal electric piano lullaby.The Town Topic EP collects tracks from two limited, vinyl-only EPs (the Town Topic 7”, released by OIB Records in Brighton, England, and STSNC Instrumentals 7”, released by People In A Position To Know Recordings, Inc. in Olympia, WA), plus one bonus track, the previously unreleased “Lesley Gore on the Tami Show (instrumental).” The cover photograph, which features two of the actors from "Stay The Same Never Change", was taken by Laurel Nakadate. Tour Dates 09.13.08 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Sochi 09.14.08 - Helsinki, Finland - Semifinal 09.15.08 - Oslo, Norway - Bla 09.16.08 - Bergen, Norway - Robotbutikken 09.17.08 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Din Nye Ven 09.18.08 - Mal, Sweden - Debaser 09.19.08 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis 09.21.08 - Tilburg, Netherlands - ZXZW Festival 09.22.08 - Cologne, Germany - Tsunami 09.23.08 - Berlin, Germany - Westgermany 10.13.08 - DeKalb, Illinois - House Cafe 10.14.08 - Chicago, Illinois - Empty Bottle |
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