jman & the pigs, the project of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, DIY producer Jonny Link based out of Byron Bay, Australia. At the core of his evocative sound is his Kawai 1967 vintage organ which he frames front and center adding in drums, vocals and a hollow body electric guitar floating within it all. The track "Happily" with that sad organ lustre, commanding drums feels so incredibly open and darkly drawn. When Link's voice comes in, the clarity of those 3 legs of this musical table is so stripped down that all feel equally pressing and potent. The sound to me feels experimental and with that droning organ feels very much in a late 70's proto punk pocket. When the guitar lines come in you feel lifted out of the melancholia for a moment. Love, love, love the guitar work but the happy respite is brief because ultimately the guitar sounds as somber as the rest.
Link says:
"This is a song about making sure you smell the roses. It describes how no matter how hectic life could get living in Byron Bay, balancing 2 or 3 fairly low paying jobs, there was always plenty of happiness to be found in the simple beauty of the surroundings and the overall feel of the place."
There is no conventional chorus at all except for the coda "happily" tying down a verse lyric and that happens only twice.
and the ones you answer to are going crazy / you slave away for them to call you lazy / and you're tearing out your hair in agony / but things always seem to end / happily
But the tone is anything but. The feeling is downtrodden and sad and in some ways made me think of the absolutely crushing "No Surprises" by Radiohead. On "Happily" there is the sense (to me) that being happy is merely the absence of pain. It is powerful in it's melancholia. It is a mirror that those of us who are seeking joy might want to swim in and think about life during these hard, hard times.
"Happily" is from jman & the pigs 2021 album "Hindsight" out now.
-Robb Donker Curtius
But the tone is anything but. The feeling is downtrodden and sad and in some ways made me think of the absolutely crushing "No Surprises" by Radiohead. On "Happily" there is the sense (to me) that being happy is merely the absence of pain. It is powerful in it's melancholia. It is a mirror that those of us who are seeking joy might want to swim in and think about life during these hard, hard times.
"Happily" is from jman & the pigs 2021 album "Hindsight" out now.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
spotify
jmanandthepigs
facebook (434)
instagram
Organ and drums based music, mix of acoustic and electronic, with emotive and layered vocals. Based in Byron Bay. DECIDE was recorded during a few years in Byron Bay and also overseas in some fairly different scenarios.
New album HINDSIGHT set to be released January 8th, 2020 will sound similar to DECIDE but hopefully smoother. Each song on the new album is it’s own story, however there will be an overall feeling of nostalgia and learning from the past throughout the album.
The music has been inspired by many things; little adventures that Jonny (vocals, organs, drums, mixing) ended up on, interesting conversations he had about purpose and meaning while living in the fairly alternative northern rivers region of New South Wales (both with close friends and family or people met along the way), both fleeting and long term relationships and their ups and downs, and the importance of always coming back to nature and let it guide you through things when they don't seem to make sense.
Best heard through car speakers while driving at night- Enjoy the journey of these heart felt sounds! ( :
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
spotify
jmanandthepigs
facebook (434)
Organ and drums based music, mix of acoustic and electronic, with emotive and layered vocals. Based in Byron Bay. DECIDE was recorded during a few years in Byron Bay and also overseas in some fairly different scenarios.
New album HINDSIGHT set to be released January 8th, 2020 will sound similar to DECIDE but hopefully smoother. Each song on the new album is it’s own story, however there will be an overall feeling of nostalgia and learning from the past throughout the album.
The music has been inspired by many things; little adventures that Jonny (vocals, organs, drums, mixing) ended up on, interesting conversations he had about purpose and meaning while living in the fairly alternative northern rivers region of New South Wales (both with close friends and family or people met along the way), both fleeting and long term relationships and their ups and downs, and the importance of always coming back to nature and let it guide you through things when they don't seem to make sense.
Best heard through car speakers while driving at night- Enjoy the journey of these heart felt sounds! ( :
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