Steve Abel & The Chrysalids
Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:28 pm

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Local folk/rock hero Steve Abel and his collective The Chrysalids are excited to announce the release of their impassioned sophomore album 'Flax Happy' projected to hit the airwaves on May 19.

Following on from their much heralded 2006 debut effort 'Little Death', Steve Abel & The Chrysalids have regrouped to produce this stunning 13 track album which was recorded over 2 days in a “dream session” with (Dunedin engineer) Dale Cotton at the Roundhead Studios in Auckland.

Steve Abel said of the recording process, “I had a dream list of 13 songs I wanted to try and record but realistically hoped we’d get 7 or 8 songs down. In fact we got all 13 which was great.”

Steve also spoke of the organic and live nature of the new album saying, “live-ness really characterises the album. It’s the sound of a band playing in a room with all the buzzing amps and the creaking drum stool and whoops and laughter (we edited out the swearing!) and “dissonant” singing...I asked Dale to keep rolling all the time to catch the unexpected. There are a couple of wonderful improvised endings on songs which are among my favourite bits of the album.”

Described as a 'kiwi supergroup', Steve Abel's new band The Chrysalids brings together some of New Zealand's most renowned and talented musicians featuring Geoff Maddock (Bressa Creeting Cake, Goldenhorse) on electric guitar, Mike Hall (Brunettes, Dimmer, Pluto) on double bass, Milan Borich (Pluto, Bic Runga band) on drums, and Gareth Thomas (Goodshirt) with the accordion.

Steve speaks of the pleasure and privilege of working with these musicians commenting, ”We very naturally play together as a band and I’m always awed by what they do musically. They are each one of them brilliant and essential and they really are a musical supergroup in my estimations – not cause they’re famous but because they’re good.”

Abound in the richly poetic lyrics of Abel, 'Flax Happy' continues with the rolling rhythms and elegiac ballads for which Steve Abel has become known, and features Texan luminary Jolie Holland, who lends her distinctive jazz-and-blues inflected croon to Abel's own unique husky vocals on the mournful duets 'Cinders of the Sun' and 'Heart of Misery (The Bough)'.

On playing with Jolie, who has been a fan of Steve's since joining him on stage in Auckland in 2006, Steve says, “I played Jolie ‘Cinders of the Sun’ and she wanted to sing on it and she also loved ‘Heart of Misery’. We drove down to Wellington the next day and did about a 3 hour session at the Surgery with Lee Prebble. That’s where we recorded the two songs that are on the CD.”

“Jolie’s a multi-instrumentalist and a great musician and an open hearted soul who had no pretence about working with a little known kiwi songwriter. It was great to work with her.”

Also featured on the album is acclaimed local musician Anika Moa who duets with Steve on the bittersweet bilingual love song 'Pin of Love (Ka Pinea Koe)'. The song uses a lyric borrowed from the song Hoki Hoki which was written in 1919 by Paraire Tomoana (who also wrote Pokarekare Ana). Inspired by the description of love as like a “pin that never rusts” Steve composed 'Pin of Love (Ka Pinea Koe)' , which Ngatai Huata (granddaughter of Paraire Tomoana) described as “hauntingly poignant.”

With such sweet ballads presented alongside others which hark back to the impressive alt/folk/rock pedigree of 'Little Death', it would seem Abel has added another inspired offering to his increasingly remarkable catalogue.

In celebration of their new album and New Zealand Music Month, Steve Abel & the Chrysalids will return to the stage with an album launch at the Dogs Bollix of the 22nd May.

Steve Abel & The Chrysalids
Flax Happy Album Release Celebration
Dogs Bollix, Newton, Auckland
Thursday May 22nd
Doors 8pm Steve Abel & The Chrysalids onstage 9.30pm After- party hosted by Voom!
Presales $15 from www.cheeseontoast.co.nz

RE: Steve Abel & The Chrysalids
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:17 pm

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