Description
Label Review.
2020 album. Indie.
Our Overview.
After recording and performing for many years under the name of Mantler, Toronto’s Chris A. Cummings changed his band name to Marker Starling in 2012. A solo performer for much of his career, Cummings was frequently seen playing Melancholy Party Jams on a Wurltizer electric piano, with drum machine accompaniment. Following up his 2018 release ‘Trust An Amateur’ Chris updates his signature laid-back grooves (what he describes as "melancholy party jams") with the more ambitious ‘High January’. Swapping persistent hi-hats and vibe-y, albeit somnolescent, melodies for brighter dance-pop tunes, ‘High January’ plays with more layered instrumentation and diverse melodies.
Consisting of eight brand new compositions, ‘High January’ can be viewed an ode to ‘pastness’, music that sings to the sound and style of what’s come before - without ever submitting to pastiche and without imitating any one style. The songs here are rich and alive, made with the conscious decision to not use any strings or orchestral instruments, carried instead only by the live band and their specific instruments.
These melancholy party jams are for life's subtler moments — understated, elegant and wistful. These songs are more likely to be played at the end of a party rather than in the middle of it. It opts for cuteness over sexiness, romance over passion, tenderness over vulnerability, and melancholy over sadness. High January is a triumphant step forward for Marker Starling.
High January’ finds beauty in new terrain, thanks to the influence of Sean O’Hagan of the High Llamas and Stereolab, who produced the new record and helped form it’s idiosyn-cratic shapes.
Released this Spring via Tin Angel Records, ‘High January’ is the first record that Cummings has recorded in the UK, and British live-band members Joe Carvell (bass), Euan Rodger (drums) and Andy Whitehead (guitar), alongside the aforementioned O’Hagan, and a special-guest appearance from Stereolab’s inimitable founder Laetitia Sadier. Rounding out the Sterelab imprint, the album was recorded at Press Play, the South London studio founded by Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsay, who also engineered the album.
Tracklisting: High January / Wait The Night / Drop And Pierce / Waiting For Grace / Move It On / Starved For Glamour / Coin Of The Realm / A Little Joy