Hello my shortscale brethren,
so after having worked on this album for the past 3 years i'm finally unleashing it unto the world
you'll be able to snag it via iTunes, Google Music, or via my bandcamp page
it has a couple songs from my last two EPs on it, though they have been re-recorded, or re-mixed, and now everything has been mastered as well.
INCLUDING my cover of Communist Daughter that I did for the first Neutral Milk Hotel comp, but re-arranged..
it comes out February 28th 2012, though you can pre-order it from bandcamp for $7.99 and download four of the tracks RIGHT FUCKING NOW.
so I hope you check it out.
I will be releasing it on Compact Disc as well, though I have yet to get them back from the pressing plant, so i'm not quite sure when those will be available for purchase.
also, and this is short notice, but i'm going to be promoting the album and playing a few tracks from it on Edmonton's college radio station CJSR in about an hour, you can listen locally at 88.5FM or online anywhere in the world at www.cjsr.com
(2 - 3PM MST)
i'd love to hear (read) some reviews from you cats.
and i hope to get back to posting here on a slightly more regular schedule again soon.
**edit: updated links to be correct.
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:24 pm
by serfx
Compact Disc versions are now available, as well as the ability to stream the whole album via the bandcamp site.
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:13 am
by serfx
for those of you who prefer iTunes, it is now available on iTunes
if you haven't had a chance to check out the album, i'd really like you too, and if you can't afford it let me know as i've got some download codes to give away for promotional use etc..
i'm certainly down with hooking my fellow short scalers up with a free copy.
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:12 pm
by endsjustifymeans
I'll see about downloading this tomorrow and will feedback.
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:23 pm
by endsjustifymeans
It's all really good stuff... my only complaint is the complete lack of consistency in production across the album. Production is as much part of the theme of an album as the songs. Levels bounce around from track to track and recording ranges from digital sounding clean to tape recorder sounding lofi.. it's just a bit off putting. But the songs are all dead solid. Alberta Advantage especially kicks ass.
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:24 pm
by serfx
this is what happens when i master stuff myself.
thanks for the input.
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:28 pm
by endsjustifymeans
Also, tracks 11-15 are silent 5 second tracks. Is that intentional?
There is no doubt that Jim Nowhere is a political artist. There is also little doubt that I respect the hell out of Jim Nowhere for being such an unapologetic, political artist. The world needs a hell of a lot more people like Jim Nowhere if we want to unfuck society, but that’s just my humble opinion.
With this in mind I threw "Devil’s Convent" into my car’s CD player and drove off to pick up my band mates. Being a hyperactive punk drummer, the first thing I noticed about the overall tone of the album was the slower tempos, but the slower nature of the album does nothing to detract from its overall quality and it in fact serves to make the lyrics and the mood of the album all the more poignant. This is not to say that the whole album is slow though. There are many upbeat tracks and bring about a more upbeat sound while still retaining the dark and seething qualities of the lyrics. One of the best examples of this is the final track on the album, “Alberta Advantage�. “Alberta Advantage� puts forth all the intensity and aggression of a punk song and couples that energy with the thought provoking and intelligent lyrics normally found in folk music. I could use bigger, fancier words to describe it further, but I’ll just say it’s really fucking great and move on.
Another stand out track from “Devils Convent� is “Blind Eye�. “Blind Eye� is yet another intense song from Mr. Nowhere that addresses how apathy has become acceptable in modern day society. It’s great to see an artist take a firm stance on an issue like political apathy and call people out on their shit. In my opinion, the best track on the album is “Fortune Teller, a song that still has a political edge to it, but takes a much more personal approach in doing so. Allow me to insert a brief, personal anecdote here. One of my favorite comic book writers is Mark Waid. What makes Mark Waid great is the fact that 99% of his writing makes you want to curl up and cry because it makes you realize how cruel and despicable the human race can be. What makes Mark Waid better than great is that when you come across the 1% of his writing that is life affirming and optimistic, you feel like the human race has a pretty good chance to overcome all the bullshit and right a few major wrongs. “Fortune Teller� does exactly this for Jim Nowhere’s “Devils Convent�.
Overall, Jim Nowhere’s album is far from pretty and that is what makes it one of the best local albums I’ve ever come across. It attacks important issues head on and makes no apologies for not having a ton of happy, upbeat songs. At the end of the day, I believe in music because it has the power to force people to think. Sadly, not a lot of music does that anymore, but Jim Nowhere’s “Devil’s Convent� sure as hell does.
