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Alex Crispin

by Alex Crispin

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    ♦ INTERNATIONAL ORDERS - THESE ITEMS SHIP FROM THE UK AND AS SUCH MAY LEAVE THE BUYER SUBJECT TO TAXES WHEN PURCHASED INTERNATIONALLY. ♦

    12" Black vinyl LP

    Includes unlimited streaming of Alex Crispin via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Sabu 04:16
lyrics
There's just something about you now that makes me feel alive and when, worries surrounding me I leave it all behind Mirror under the banyan tree however, we survive sound out messages endlessly to know that they'll arrive No-one really cares beyond this moment, and even when it's here, it's never here. So lift it out your head and hold this moment to the air then let go I dreamed something so recently the world just passing by, inside, people like you and me, waving hello - goodbye No-one really cares beyond this moment, and even when it's here, it's never here. So lift it out your head and hold this moment to the air then let go
2.
Invisible (To Us) 05:01
lyrics
Before the world did end, there was just one moment when, when everybody thought there might be time, to look around again, to laugh to cry to sing I called you as the sun became the sky Is it all, invisible to us? Liminal, and nothing we can touch. Well I have never lived your life, so I could never really know, these times that we have been through, stay our own but with every forward step and every flowing note there must be many ways that we can grow... Is it all, invisible to us? Liminal, and nothing we can touch. Deep in the night, we're all alike in harmony in harmony
3.
Effert 06:06
lyrics
Like an animal, in the city lights Just an animal in the city. Half passed in day Once more in light No more dreaming tonight
4.
Listen & Learn 04:28
lyrics
buy track
Liberated soul, people rarely open wide Imitation whole We all must shake from time to time It could be worse, you fell to the earth listen and learn Oh well I didn't need to hear it all Oh well I never really cared at all So how'd you build that wall? There's nothing left from which to hide Imitation whole We make mistakes from time to time It could be worse, you fell to the earth listen and learn Oh well I didn't need to hear it all Oh well I never really cared at all See then, now you know the secret, (its not hard to find) Let your neighbours know take a drive and fantasise It could be worse, you fell to the earth listen and learn Oh well I didn't need to hear it all Oh well I never really cared at all
5.
Are We There 03:26
lyrics
Sleep in the day time, breathe in the night time you said that 'you'd be fine' Each of us break like dreams in the daylight, some kind of given right She won't wake until the beast lay dead and harmony reside, Even though that we know its not real Are we there? It's in the moonlight, it's in the headlights, we'll say that 'we're both right' She's at the bedside, hands out to hold tight lay the body down there'll be nothing left but sea and sky and earth to make the ground Only then will we know, this is real Are we there?
6.
When I Reach The Ocean 04:12
lyrics
When I reach the ocean will I, glide over the waves as if that nothing could be easier than navigating ways Will the wind be still and gentle guiding all aboard to shelter In this tiny boat we're travelling, such a long long way If you feel that you've seen it all when your eyes rest upon the bay You will say that you're seeing angels on the water distant miles away If the storm clouds hang above me shadowing the deck below look out for a beam of light to chase the dark away should we reach a cape of plenty we might dare to end this journey in this tiny boat we've travelled, such a long long way If you feel that you've seen it all when your eyes rest upon the bay You will say that you're seeing angels on the water distant miles away
7.
Alreal 03:58
lyrics
I won't believe it til I get to see it one thing to feel it another to mean it oh wow, you've been asleep so long things have really turned around now, yellow is green and blue is red I won't deny I want to try to live in the sky the birds, the bees the sun, the shine (it must be my time) I wandered off, I wandered off but came back so real It won't be long, til you believe the things that you feel
8.
Paradise 04:12
lyrics
On the day we drank the breeze the wide sky, holds my head above the the precipice all I hope I know is that your black train, rolls out of sight Off the streets and on the beach people stroll I read a book with no-one in don't you think I know? That for love to grow You'll need time Rip it up, kick it in do you give up, do you give in? Or hold the line Rip it up, kick it in do you give up, do you give in? Honestly I'll never say goodbye All it is...is paradise We let night come crawling in, stars like kind eyes All you said was "don't begin" Everything I know, could be understood by a child Rip it up, kick it in do you give up, do you give in? Or hold the line Rip it up, kick it in do you give up, do you give in? Honestly I'll never say goodbye All it is...is paradise
9.
Someones 04:32
lyrics
Some seek the safety, Some come so laden and some cannot find a home, Some need persuading Some will just make it and some want no help at all Some will not live to bear out their patience Some will have just been born Some fight until they're no long able Some let their candle burn One seek the safety, One come so laden and one cannot find a home, One need persuading One will just make it and one wants no help at all One will not live to bear out their patience One will have just been born One fights until they're no long able One lets their candle burn Some, Someone

about

He might be vocalist in bands such as Brighton-based progressive act Diagonal and psychedelic outfit Baron, but when it comes to his solo work Alex Crispin has typically worked in more wordless fields. Last year the songwriter, vocalist and producer released a triptych of ambient albums, consisting of two older albums in Idle Worship (Sounds of the Dawn) and Open Submission (Constellation Tatsu), as well as new meditative work in Resubmergency (Cobblers). On his new self-titled album, however, Crispin re-emerges from the cavernous soundscapes to – for the first time – put his vocal and song writing stamp on a record under his own name.

“I personally find it easier to create more guarded, moody music, but I was at a point where I wanted to embrace a more universal, intimate and open side to what I might say” Crispin says. “Over time I’d got over certain blocks or preoccupations and so wanted to create something accessible and open hearted, which became a big driver for this record.”

Pointedly self-titled to reflect the newfound confidence in his song writing away from the collective of a band, the album’s nine tracks are a warm embrace amidst troubled times. Musically there’s nods to everything from tropicalia and Brazilian MPB, to 80’s dusk pop balladeers The Blue Nile and Paul Simon’s explorations into African & South American music. Lyrically aware of the snowballing turbulence that surrounds us, Crispin in reaction tries to see hope and looks around at the relationships and connections in his life that provide him strength.

He opens 'Invisible (To Us)' with the words “Before the world did end, there was just one moment when...when everybody thought there might be time, to look around again, to laugh to cry to sing.” Elsewhere, 'Listen & Learn' strikes at the heart of other underlying themes of the record, of the rarity of people opening up, taking on new ideas and allowing change. It’s accompanied with a rich, maximal sound palette of flute and sax that play around each other as Crispin’s vocal chips in with gentle encouragement.

“One of the main markers on the album that I was aware of from the start, was to let myself express joy and positivity in the music” he says. “I have come to greatly prize the power of accessibility and universality over artistic 'coolness or trend', much in the same way that so often for me, the greatest pieces of art humans make nowadays are things like Pixar movies, with their combination of undeniable human talent and craft, alongside genuinely moving and accessible themes.”

Indeed, there is a cinematic feel to much of Crispin’s own music, something brought over from his ambient creations – although his self-titled album possesses a panorama all of its own. Something like 'When I Reach The Ocean' has a hazy, pastoral feel to it like something out of the Canterbury Folk scene; there’s space between the notes though, which in turn pushes the track out to a greater expanse than the comparatively soft-edged and modest sound palette used to create it. Similarly, the likes of 'Effert' revel in the space afforded to them - in the case of the aforementioned in particular, Crispin lets his voice take a back seat and creates an open wash of sound that he allows the guitar to probe and explore within.

“In making any music I am definitely conscious of trying to put in only what is effective” Crispin says. “It is so easy to clutter tracks without realising it, just having the ability to add stuff can just become addictive as it’s so easy to do with recording setups now.”

The album started coming together at the end of 2020, with Crispin getting most of the songs to a concrete state, before starting recording in May 2021 with Diagonal bandmates Luke Foster (drums) and Daniel Pomlett (Bass), who put down rhythm tracks. Jazz saxophonist Rob Milne then added parts which would become the glue that held the whole organic aesthetic of the album together.

There’s no doubt that lockdown played a part in proceedings, with a kind of forced focus resulting in a need for joyful expression. However, Crispin and his partner also suffered a bereavement which led to her travelling for large periods of time. “It was a very intense and difficult time and I think some of the intensity of emotion of that situation coupled with being alone must have inevitably contributed to the work itself” he says.

It's perhaps why when even in moments of sheer happiness, such as the 'Sabu’s' breezily euphoric opener, Crispin ponders: “No-one really cares beyond this moment, and even when it's here, it's never here”. It’s the first of several bittersweet moments on the record that give the album its weight. On this new LP, Crispin recognises that sadness doesn’t mean throwing out hope, and that even in moments of joy there’s still a path ahead of you to take.

credits

released July 1, 2022

Streaming Links ⋯ ffm.to/alexcrispin_lp

Written, produced and performed by Alex Crispin with:
Luke Foster・Drums, Percussion ⋯ Daniel Pomlett・Bass ⋯ Rob Milne・Tenor Saxophone & Flute ⋯ Joe Hollick・Electric Guitar (track 3)

Mastering by Anne Taegert at Dubplates & Mastering
Cover by Antoine Cossé

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Alex Crispin Norwich, UK

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