ARTIST.....: Long Neck
TITLE......: World's Strongest Dog
LABEL......: Self-Released
GENRE......: Indie
RIP DATE...: 2020-04-10
RETAIL DATE: 2020-04-10
RUNTIME....: 29:09
SIZE.......: 68,55 MB
QUALITY....: 320Kbps 44.1kHz
ENCODER/CODEC: LAME - MP3 (MPEG-2 AUDIO LAYER 3)
URL........: https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=B7xpbxeriht4wvtl6wyhwcorqh4
Track List:
01. Campfire 2:58
02. Cicada 2:41
03. Untitled 2:20
04. Birds 2:49
05. They Shoot Horses 3:06
06. Backseat 3:19
07. Slowly, Slowly 3:19
08. Broken Ring 2:06
09. M.D.P. 3:51
10. Bad Words 2:40
Release Notes:
https://longnecklass.bandcamp.com/
Lily Mastrodimos pines for growth on Long Neckí»s
sophomore release, Worldí»s Strongest Dog. With the
imminent departure from her mid-20s, the songwriter and
guitarist felt acutely aware of the waning freedom and
looming responsibilities. On the bandí»s follow-up to
Will This Do?, she meditates on the last two years of
her lifeí¬from friendships and romance, to getting older
and changing habitsí¬to craft an elegant reflection of
self that poses maturity and awareness, along with an
evident evolution in both lyrics and musicianship.
Describing the bandí»s 2018 debut album as emotionally
draining, Mastrodimos contrasts the 10-song Worldí»s
Strongest Dog as í░anxious to be better to myself, to be
my own person, to feel the love that I want, and waiting
for all of that to happen.í▒ The hardships addressed on
the debut now emerge as revelations: holding herself
emotionally accountable, a further understanding of
herself and those around her, and first steps toward
pursuing the person she craves to be.
Lyrically, Mastrodimos wanted to be a little more
adventurous while still staying true to her mission with
Long Neck: to get personal, speak her truth, and connect
with listeners. With Worldí»s Strongest Dog, her lyrics
have undoubtedly bloomed, partially through a
disconnection that she attributes to better examining
her emotions. As with all internal journeys, a certain
amount of solitude is required, and with a strong
background in science, Mastrodimos uses nature as a
device to dig deep: í░Everything in nature has a law, or
a rule, or a relationship that connects it to
everything. Thereí»s always something that makes it
clear to me. Ití»s not always easy to talk to human
beings, or to figure out a tangle of a bad
relationship.í▒
On opener í░Campfire,í▒ Mastrodimos reflects on a
particularly dark moment from last year, comparing
herself to a leech and a termite in order to showcase
her desire to crawl out of a desperate place. She
passionately croons, í░I want to build my own fire,í▒ as
the drums kindle, the guitars swell, and the sensation
of metaphorical flames fuel whatí»s to come. Breaking
into flight amidst chugging guitars, í░Birdí▒ provides
an undercurrent of soothing keys and the resolution to
stand a little taller. í░Backseatí▒ is written from her
perspective as a child seeking protection and grappling
with mortality, guided by a spirited chorus of fleeting
í░oohsí▒ and playful drums. í░Broken Ringí▒ and í░Bad
Wordsí▒ showcase Mastrodimosí»s softer side of
songwriting, honing in on her fingerpicking and
forthright lyrics, while rockers í░Untitledí▒ and
í░MDPí▒ display her strong command of the guitar and the
bandí»s ability to write anthemic knockouts.
Recorded with her bandí¬John Ambrosio (drums, auxiliary
percussion), Kevin Kim (guitar), and Alex Mercuri (bass,
backing vocals)í¬Worldí»s Strongest Dog showcases the
bandí»s perfectionist mentality. With engineer and
producer Tom Beaujour (who also worked with the band on
their debut) at Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, New
Jersey, they fine tuned guitar and bass tones,
experimented with Beaujourí»s pedal collection, boosted
the amount of overdubs and guitar solos, and worked
together to create a truly stellar follow-up that is
full of new and intriguing growth for Long Neck.
í░Youí»re not expected to change overnight,í▒ says
Mastrodimos of Worldí»s Strongest Dog. í░Everyoneí»s on
their own path. Trying to better yourself for the sake
of yourself, and the people around youí¬that takes a lot
of time. You need to give yourself that space to explore
it.í▒
by Cynthia Schemmer