"Became the falsehood idol"
Jane Ryan is the second single from New Orleans based post punk band Lawn's new record "Johnny" due to drop September 4, 2020 on Community Records and Muscle Beach Records. The track barrels out of the gate at a break neck pace riding on bass and drums and pretty mild vox on top of the savage bass line. The second verse stirred something in me:
"Manilla lies and I deceive her
Bring from the ash a wide receiver
And how that diamond turns to coal
I'll be defined with what I owe"
And then on the chorus, those mild vox transformed into more like wails with ever so strident angular guitar stabs jabbing away.
Don't!
Take!
That!
That’s!
My shoe!
Rack!"
AND it hit me, this song is about the first lady of the Philippines (and shoes), Imelda Marcos who, along with her husband 'raped and pillaged' the Filipino people by illegally siphoning off billions of dollars into the U.S. and overseas Swedish bank accounts. Her fake name for those Swedish accounts was "Jane Ryan" and for her husband, Ferdinand Marcos (President of the Philipines), "John Lewis". Most of the pillaging took place between 1965 and 1985, with both of them were indicted in the 90's.
The Marcos reign is a crazy story. Not only is the Marco's story one of unparalleled governmental corruption but also about the cult of personality. As Political icons, as King and Queen, as fashion icons and perceived saviors of the poor, the Marco's had a lot of the Filipino population hoodwinked even if after the corruption was made public. The incident's Wiki page is novel-esque and after all was said and done, I don't believe she actually served any time for her crimes and even held other political offices while on appeal. She is 91 today. If you are interested, here is a link to some CNN fast facts here. But I digress.
Lawn is, at it's core Mac Folger (vox, guitar) and Rui De Magalhes (bass, guitar, vox), originally from Tennessee and Venezuela respectively. Currently Hunter Keene (drums, percussion) fills out their sound but originally the drums were played by, Mac's room mate at the time, Nick Corson.
On the new album, "Johnny", Mac and Rui made a conscious effort to write all of the songs together. “Mac gravitates toward pop music,” says Rui. “I’m closer to harsh territory. We’re good foils. Musically, we just know how to complement each other. I seldom think of a time when he comes up with something I don’t like. We’re always finding the missing pieces of the puzzle for each other.”
Mac agrees, “There is a coolness to being able to lean into whatever comes out, not worrying about genres or anything like that. I trust Rui to know what to play, and I trust my own instincts too. Just keeping what we came up with the first time.”
The boys say of "Jane Ryan":
"This song is about the repulsive and inherently draconian rise of the far-right and uber-wealthy over the last 5 years or so."
In the end, I love the song's manic narrative and stab at social commentary as informed by a ridiculous event in history that unfortunately shows that the corrupt and powerful often times win in the end, especially if they are good looking and know how to dress.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
spotify
Lawn
Johnny (2020)
Some records feel like classics the moment you hear them, like the songs have been living in the ether forever, just waiting for someone to catch them and bring them down to earth. Lawn’s music feels eternal in that same way. It could be brand new, or it could be some forgotten dust-covered LP you discover in the back of a record store.
Originally from Tennessee and Venezuela respectively, bandmates Mac Folger and Rui DeMagalhaes first met in New Orleans’ house show scene and formed Lawn a few years later with the addition of Mac’s roommate at the time, drummer Nick Corson. The band quickly recorded their first full-length, the raw and scrappy Blood on the Tracks, in 2018 with Ross Farbe of Video Age. Released via Minneapolis-based Forged Artifacts (City Pages’ Best Record Label of 2019), the debut saw Lawn open for the likes of The Drums, Surf Curse, Omni, Hovvdy, Hoops, and more. Gold Flake Paint called it “a bold and brilliant set of songs that teem with energy,” and Post-Trash added, “Lawn kind of sounds like if The Cars were a jangly indie rock band and forgot to use their keyboards.”
After Corson departed from the band — to be replaced by another New Orleans transplant Hunter Keene — Lawn decided to take their time with the forthcoming follow-up, Johnny, which is set to release September 4, 2020 via Fat Possum imprint Muscle Beach Records. Recording with friend and local mainstay Matthew Seferian (Pope, Matt Surfin' & Friends) at his studio The Palace gave them the freedom and leeway to make music at their own pace, getting everything exactly right.
Rui says, “We’re such good friends with Matt, he gave us the liberty to come and go as we please and modify things as we wanted. No time constraints. It took us three months to track and mix the record. We came in after work, just whenever we could. We kept it organic and loose, with good vibes all around.”
“Matt was a big early supporter of Lawn,” adds Mac. “Very encouraging from the get-go. I knew he had the best interest of the band at heart.”
With the goal of documenting the way the band sounded in real-time, all of the basic tracks were recorded live by the trio, with occasional overdubs by friends Merle Law and Duncan Troast. Former drummer Corson sings backup on several songs as well.
The resulting 9-song set is a massive step forward for the band. Johnny is intense but effortless, jumping to and from ragged post-punk and gleeful ‘90s indie-rock hooks. The record seamlessly transitions from opening ripper “Playing Dumb” to the XTC-like psychedelia of “Nighttime Creatures” to the heavy art-punk-infused “Jane Ryan,” each sound slipping on easy as a dressing gown.
Mac and Rui made a conscious effort to write all of the songs together. “Mac gravitates toward pop music,” says Rui. “I’m closer to harsh territory. We’re good foils. Musically, we just know how to complement each other. I seldom think of a time when he comes up with something I don’t like. We’re always finding the missing pieces of the puzzle for each other.”
Mac agrees, “There is a coolness to being able to lean into whatever comes out, not worrying about genres or anything like that. I trust Rui to know what to play, and I trust my own instincts too. Just keeping what we came up with the first time.”
The jangle-pop title track, written primarily by Mac, is about growing up in a liberal Tennessee bubble and realizing you still have to take responsibility for the privilege into which you were born. “I grew up thinking I was right and a good person, because I came from a liberal background,” says Mac. “I took that for granted growing up, and I realized that was bullshit. ‘Johnny’ is my grandfather’s name, and the song is directed at him.”
In album standout “Summertime,” Rui details a racist encounter he experienced while working as a server in a New Orleans restaurant. “There’s a line in that song that says, ‘How dare you hide your accent from me?’ because that’s what the guy actually said to me,” explains Rui. “I grew up privileged, and I never thought racism would be my problem. My privilege meant nothing in that restaurant because I was brown and serving them, depending entirely on their tips. I was just another brown guy who needed their money.” The song is filled with righteous fury and guitar-driven melodies, easily one of the highpoints of the record.
With Johnny, Lawn have created a vital record for our times: one with a conscience and a heart, filled with sing-along catharsis and hooks to match. Equal parts raw anger and utter joy, it is a fierce collection of bombastic indie rock, the perfect soundtrack to our canceled summer.
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