NYC-based producer Charlie Nieland, perhaps best known for his work with Blondine, Rufus Wainwright and Debbie Harry, has quite the extensive record when it comes to the indie music scenet, having also fronted two popular indie pop / shoegaze bands (Lusterlit and Her Vanished Grace) over the past few decades. We are happy to be able to present you his new video for ‘Divisions’, previewing his forthcoming ‘Divisions’ LP. For these visuals, he worked with up-and-coming Brooklyn-based video director/ multimedia artist Hypnodoll to deliver a beautifully layered glimpse at the what’s behind the illusion of separateness in this critical moment.
“This video was inspired by our connective energy here on earth and now the deceptions of our divisions keep us from seeing that we are all one,” says Hypnodoll.
Renowned for tastefully blending post punk, dream pop and progressive rock with sweeping melodies and restless and visceral rhythms, Charlie Nieland has been writing, playing and producing music for decades, with a focus on the atmospheric and the imaginative. This track in particular brings to mind R.E.M. with both music and vocals right in line with the kind of music they put out in their first ten years of existence. The message here is strong and Nieland carries it with strength, his voice like a beacon of truth and a warning about our own self-made human crisis.
Nieland played power dream pop with the band Her Vanished Grace for over 20 years before establishing himself as a solo artist with a mix of nuanced songwriting and sonic exploration. He is currently half of the literature-inspired songwriting and performing duo Lusterlit with Susan Hwang.
Over the years, Charlie has written and produced material with such notable artists as Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Dead Leaf Echo, Blondie and Scissor Sisters. He scored the feature film ‘The Safety of Objects’ (starring Glenn Close), the pilot episode of ‘The L Word’ on Showtime and the VH-1documentary ‘NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell’. Charlie was awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production work on Blondie’s ‘Greatest Hits Sight & Sound’ and achieved a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry’s single ‘Two Times Blue’, which he co-wrote and produced.
“After reading The Hidden Life Of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, Divisions presented itself to me. It felt deeply tribal, with the urgency of the sound of things dissolving at the moment of collapse. “Twisting on the brink of what’s to happen”. Producing the track was thrilling, creating the build from the spacious Intro to a crushing wave of sound. Brian Geltner’s primal drums drive the song home,” says Charlie Nieland.
“I participate in and co-produce an international performance series called Bushwick Book Club, where we write songs inspired by books every month. While my songs reflect aspects of each book, they connect with all kinds of things that pollinate each writing experience, creating layers of meaning. The themes of transcendence and the illusion of separateness emerged over the past year or so and, combined with a desire to revisit all the musical threads that have woven together in my life, snowballed into a thirst to see these songs come to life as widescreen musical productions.”
The ‘Divisions’ single is available now via Bandcamp at https://charlienieland.bandcamp.com/album/divisions. The full album by the same name will be released in early 2021 and can be pre-ordered directly from the artist.
CREDITS
Recorded: July-Nov 2020 at home and at Saturation Point Studios (Brooklyn NY)
Charlie Nieland: Guitars, Basses, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Brian Geltner: Drums, Percussion (1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 13)
Billy Loose: Drums (3, 4, 5, 11, 12)
Susan Hwang, Drums (9), Vocals (7, 9, 11, 12)
Heather Cole: Violin (4, 9, 10)
Patricia Santos: Cello (4, 10)
Produced, Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Charlie Nieland
Brian’s drums recorded by Brian Geltner
‘Divisions’ video and album / single cover art by Hypnodoll
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