My new album, Plainsongs, is available for pre-order on CD from Bandcamp. Released on Friday 2nd June on Subjangle, it features eleven original songs.
Plainsongs was recorded on analogue tape at New Cut Studios in Bristol during March and April 2023. I recorded it with my bandmates Hugh, Paul, Joe and Rich, and all the backing tracks were captured live in one room. I wanted to record in a similar way to the music made by the bands I love - most of whom made their records in the sixties and seventies. In my experience, when you record in digital and you are afforded the luxury of endless takes, the quest for perfectionism can often lead to a dry and clinical result. I wanted to capture the energy of the songs the way we had been rehearsing and performing them.
I am very grateful that Subjangle still have faith in me and are prepared to risk another Blake release in a world where margins from the sales of physical releases are increasingly slim; mainly, it seems, due to post-Brexit overseas postage complications.
The launch gig takes place at 4.45pm on Saturday 3rd June at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, where I am performing as part of this year's International Pop Overthrow Festival at the kind invitation of David Bash.
I'll also be organising a concert nearer to (my) home on Friday 9th June. Watch this space for further details.
There is still time to join 'The Congregation', if you'd like to hear some demos, rehearsal takes and early mixes of the songs on the album. Just follow this link: https://www.thisisblake.com/group/the-congregation/discussion
Cheers for now,
Blake