After much fanfare about the initial singles released by Minneapolis-St.Paul artist The Persian Leaps , the day has finally come for the release of this much-anticipated ‘Machines for Living’ EP. With five tracks on offer here, the band has elected to release this collection through their regular label Land Ski Records.
Based in Minneapolis, The Persian Leaps surrounds principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Drew Forsberg. Writing solo under that name for years, he finally assembled a band in 2012. While Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, The Smiths, Guided By Voices and REM, but certainly Big Star comes to mind and, particularly on ‘Lipreader Dyslexia’, there is something here that is reminiscent of XTC. Other standout tracks include ‘Alright Alright’ and ‘Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget’ (so it’s no doubt they were put forward as the lead tracks), but the truth is that they are all quite great and any one of them could have stood on its own as a single.
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“The phrase ‘Machines for Living’ comes from the French architect Le Corbusier. He was a friend/contemporary of Walter Gropius (who started the Bauhaus movement in Germany) and once wrote “a house is a machine for living in,” which is even more true in this era of “smart homes”. The cover art that Jon Hunt designed is inspired by Bauhaus,” says Drew Forsberg.
There’s an interesting story about the aforementioned track ‘Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget’. Unlike the other tracks included in this EP, which were penned by Forsberg, this song was written and performed by Drew’s uncle, Jon Asher, together with folk/rock superstar Dan Fogelberg. They performed and recorded it under the name The Coachmen. While this project didn’t last very long, they opened for bands like The Who and The Hollies, and their only recorded output was a 45 released on Ledger Records in 1967 with this track as the A-side.
The latest in a fruitful string of releases, The Persian Leaps released their widely acclaimed ‘Drone Etiquette’ album in late 2021. Here again, they dish out a fine new collection of 90s college rock-inspired compositions, their distinct sound built on a magnetic alternative rock foundation.
From their 2013 debut ‘Praise Elephants’ EP, which NME Magazine described as “celestial guitar jangle”, the Leaps released an EP every autumn until 2017. From their acclaimed sophomore‘Drive Drive Delay’ EP in 2014 to their fifth ‘Bicycle Face’ EP, they have delivered one perfect power pop cocktail after another. Their massive 2018‘Pop That Goes Crunch’ anthology was followed by a return as a studio project, releasing the‘Electrical Living’ LP in 2019 and the‘Smiling Lessons’ EP in 2020 together with Jon Hunt.
As of October 7, the ‘Machines For Living’ EP is available across online platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
TRACK LIST
1. Alright Alright
2. Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget
3. Lipreader Dyslexia
4. Beautiful Inside
5. The Nicest Way
CREDITS
Drew Forsberg – Vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, drum programming
Recorded by August Ogren, The Terrarium
Mixed by Neil Weir, Blue Bell Knoll
Mastered by Bruce Templeton, Microphonic Mastering
Cover art by Jon Hunt
Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget written by Jon Frederick Asher (BMI)
Originally performed & recorded by The Coachmen [Ledger Records, 1967]
All Other Songs Land Ski Music (BMI)
(c) 2021 All Rights Reserved
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