Canadian songwriter Barzin will release his fourth full-length album, To Live Alone In That Long Summer, on February 24th, 2014 on Monotreme Records. His past work has won acclaim from NPR Music “Song of The Day”, Salon.com, Stereogum, Uncut, Exclaim!, and La Blogotheque among others. "To Live Alone..." follows his well-received 2009 album "Notes To An Absent Lover", praised by Mojo Magazine as "Americana Album of The Month".
In the not insignificant stretch of time since his last release, Barzin has pursued projects outside his own songwriting, including assisting in producing his compatriots Memoryhouse s recent album, The Slideshow Effec t (Subpop Records). He has also written a book of poems entitled, "Something I Have Not Done Is Following Me."
When he began work on To Live Alone... 3 years ago, Barzin originally envisioned a stripped down affair, but has since traveled in a different direction. While still embracing a relatively minimalist aesthetic, songs that alternate between up and down-tempo are replete with arrangements that envelope the listener like the warm glow of fading daylight. “All the While”, one of the highlights of the album, is at once both elegiac and hopeful, with its bright guitar and brisk tempo underpinned by mournful strings and Barzin s soft, melancholy vocals. The dark, percussive “In The Dark You Can Love This Place” lends an exotic nocturnal feel with its winding woodwinds. Another standout track, “Fake It til You Make It, is a lush, sweeping cinematic pop number.
To Live Alone In That Long Summer explores such themes as loneliness, intimacy, and connection between strangers. Modern life provides the backdrop to the narrative that run along these songs. Everywhere you look, the city, with its distractions, is present. Fast cars and cheap thrills make an appearance. Dylan sings on the radio while lovers dream of their great escape. Modern life hurries along taking everyone with it, and Barzin goes along for the ride, documenting everything along the way. At the core of the album lies the yearning to become whole again, and to regain the ability to experience genuine intimacy with another human being in the fast paced environment of the city.
The new album features some of Canada s finest musicians. Nick Zubeck lends a hand as a producer. Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers), Daniela Gesendheit (Snowblink) and Tamara Lindeman (Weather Station) provide backing vocals on several tracks. Sandro Perri comes in as a music consultant and offers advice on the arrangement of the songs. Karen Graves (Hayden) returns with understated string arrangements and the help received from an additional cast of stellar musicians results in Barzin s strongest record to date. “I feel Ive been trying to create this album since I began making records,” says Barzin.”
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