CANADIAN 
Atlanta is famous for a lot of things and, from decade to decade, one of those happens to be its musical output and bustling music scene. It’s no Austin or New York by any means, but it is rather cool to see an East coast city doing so well in terms of its lively cultural atmosphere, which nurtures artists like I Am a Rocketship , an American-Swedish duo who actually moved here from Ohio for this very reason, leaving their former band Hitchcock Blondes behind.
The duo bring gifts in time for the autumn harvest, having announced the release of their impending album ‘Lies and Legends’ in November, and leaving us a golden sonic nugget with the lead track ‘Fever Dream’. This single is deep and potent, taking the band into heavier, nearly post-rock territory than they have ever been. But this is catchy as hell and even feels like mid-career Radiohead meets Tiny Fireflies or Still Corners. Well done to the two of them for this and the compelling video, which is like a melancholic magnet right into today’s America.
I Am a Rocketship is Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner, who mix smooth impressionistic lyrics and rock guitar with a dash of Dirty South beats and psychedelic bombast. Both raised on folk and classical music, the two later discovered bands such as Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Massive Attack and Sigur Ros. Suckers for a pop hook, I Am a Rocketship is a self-contained duo, who write, record and create art and videos without the involvement of other contributors.
The new ‘Lies and Legends’ album is their most ambitious collection to date. These ten songs are about the appeal, in trying times, of lies and legends over reason and love. They give people hope, a feeling of belonging, and frequently, a license to do terrible things in the name of their belief.
“When facts are scary, people turn to belief. I guess these are songs about faith, how it can be comforting, but blinding,” says guitarist and programmer Eric Weissinger.
All the music on the ‘Lies and Legends’ album was recorded on a notebook computer during early 2021 – a very productive year for the band given the amount of time spent under lockdown, with late 2020 also bringing their ‘oRAnGE’ EP, a release laced with frustration, sadness and rage over the rise of authoritarianism and accelerating environmental collapse.
Earlier, I Am a Rocketship released their‘Ghost Stories’ LP (April 2020), ‘Mind Grafitti’ (2019) and debut offering ‘Mission Control’ (2016).
Eric Weissinger used to back up various artists, opening for bands such as The Wedding Present, The Black Crowes, James, Cracker and Portastatic. But everything changed thanks to a chance meeting with L E Kippner – cellist, scientist, radio DJ and singer for Swedish synth-pop duo Neobox.
‘Fever Dream’ is being made available as an instant grat download on Bandcamp, where the full ‘Lies and Legends’ album can be pre-ordered at https://iamarocketship.bandcamp.com/album/lies-and-legends. The album will be released on November 11 across digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
CREDITS
Written and performed by Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner
Recorded at The Barry Patch by Eric Weissinger
Video created by Eric Weissinger and L E Kippner
©2021 My Long Wknd, LLC, except ‘Taxman’ written by George Harrison ©1966 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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