ARTiST : The Skygreen Leopards
ALBUM : Disciples Of California
LABEL : Jagjaguwar
GENRE : Indie
RELEASE : 2006-10-20
STREET : 2006-10-24
ENCODER : LAME 3.90.3
QUALiTY : 187kbps avg / 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo
SiZE : 47.06 MB
PLAYTiME : 00:34:57
+ TRACK LiSTiNG +
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[#] [Track Name] [Time]
1. Disciples Of California 3:30
2. Places West Of Shawnapee 2:55
3. Sally Orchid 3:25
4. Egyptian Circus 3:56
5. Marching Band 3:10
6. William & The Sacred Hammer 4:08
7. Golden Pilgrim 2:13
8. Jesus Was Californian 3:40
9. I Remember Sally Orchid 2:47
10. Silvery Branches 2:26
11. Hollow Tree 2:47
34:57
+ RELEASE iNFORMATiON +
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The Skygreen Leopards started in 2001 as a duo, just Glenn Donaldson and Donovan
Quinn. Working out of the Hobo Victoria district of San Francisco, they've since
recorded five full-length albums and one EP in their five year history. Over
these recordings the band has been given to metamorphosis but has always managed
to sound distinctly "Skygreen". Their newest album, Disciples of California,
continues in the alchemical tradition of change and inward-revolt. On it, the
Skygreen Leopards mix pop melodies, minimal country truisms, jingle-jangling
Californianism and angular folk with something the band refers to as "our horse
called Dire Arrow," which roughly translates into family friendly (sans the
"American Censorship" connotations).
Indeed Disciples of California is a "friends & family" record. The theme of
fraternity is not only represented lyrically but was also part of the recording
process. It's the first album recorded outside the band's own studio (note: they
NEVER recorded outdoors as some have reported) and it's also the debut of the
SGL's rhythm section, the Skyband (featuring Jasmyn Wong on drums and Shayde
Sartin on bass). Working in a studio with additional musicians allowed the band
to record the basic tracks live, giving the music a ragged, stumbling, and
honest life in contrast to the cut-up and cleansing methods much employed in
previous days. Recorded in just a few sessions at Jason Quever's (Papercuts) San
Francisco studio, the Leopards took full advantage of his arsenal of soft
machines to create a batch of spacious three minute pop tunes.
For the first time on record you'll hear the Skygreen Leopards "Skyband Sound".
A pleasure formerly reserved for denizens of San Francisco's haunted honky tonks
where the Leopards developed much of Disciples songs. The swing and sway of this
album is something totally unique to the SGL's discipline and owes a great deal
to the work of Vaslav Treacy (Lindner School of Ballet), who instructed the band
in modern dance for three months in order to perfect the pulse of the songs on
the record. Grace & Beauty tumbling down Mt. Zion became the band's solemn
motto.
Lyrically and conceptually, Glenn and Donovan continue down their twisted path.
The ghosts of girl-beauties, whispering trees, swimming-hole cousins, crippled
horses and human-faced animal-saints all join the dizzying parade.
Maybe the man from Hobo Splendor said it best when he called Disciples of
California the Leopards' "biggest riverboat yet". And to be sure, there's room
for us all on the Riverboat called Disciple!
The Skygreen Leopards - California's Family Band!!!