Mansions and the stripped down reimagining of "Talk Talk Talk"

 

"I followed it from week to week like a TV show..."

We are in the decade of the self and it has been a long one or, maybe for the optimist inside all of us. we are coming out of the decade but anyway, it is a time when everyone is pointing cameras at themselves and everyone seems to like the sound of their own voice. Maybe it is a good thing but sometimes being me centric is ultimately so sad. In the end it is like entering a crowded party and seeing the various suns shining with people orbiting around the talkers, movers, shakers until you ultimately learn (over many failed relationships or hard ones) that the people at those parties who stand as silent observers really have the most life enriching things to say, just like those people who point the camera away from themselves.

The social media dinge and algorithmically served up pieces of self feel vapid and maybe that is why "Talk Talk Talk" talks, um, speaks to me. Mansions is Seattle based, Louisville, Kentucky bred singer-songwriter, guitarist Chris Browder and bassist Robin Dove who are about to release "Old Friends", a stirring intimate re-imagining of Mansion's entire catalog. "Talk Talk Talk" was first released on 2009's "New Best Friends" album and then existed as an indie rock song with tender emo tones buffering the sound. Now it is (in my opinion) oddly more potent in it's current stripped down slower acoustic mode. Vocally and lyrically there is no bluster and rabid drumming to hide behind. This is not to say that either is better than the other but this one feels like a more rapid injection straight into your heart. Browder has changed the vocal melody some too and, of course, his delivery feels more seasoned by life and while this song has nothing to do with the decade of the self it feels so relevant to it. Ultimately, even before selfies were the thing, being self absorbed was / is oftentimes the symptom of being crippled by one's own insecurities.

It must be a trip and therapeutic to reborn existing material especially stripping it down to it's emotional essence. From Press Notes:

[Indeed, Mansions started life as Browder’s solo acoustic project. While always intended to be a full (and rather loud) band, he would still play the occasional acoustic show or release a mellow single. “Ironically, I don't really respond to loud rock bands that much” explains Browder. “I asked myself, why am I fighting this thing that comes really naturally to me and that people seem to like? Once I started redoing the old songs from that more mellow place, everything flowed really naturally.” Much like the previous Mansions’ releases, everything was self-recorded and mixed at home. Bassist Robin Dove sang background vocals, while Browder handles guitar and primary vocals.]

"Old Best Friends" drops on October 29th (2021) - you can pre-order at Mansions' Bandcamp: https://mansions.bandcamp.com/album/old-best-friends

-Robb Donker Curtius

Mansions · Talk Talk Talk

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://www.thisismansions.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thisismansions

https://www.instagram.com/mansions/

https://twitter.com/mansions

https://open.spotify.com/artist/63n3HC0AhdmSZoE6LZ9azp

https://soundcloud.com/mansionsofficial/talk-talk-talk-1


Mansions is a Seattle band made up of Louisville, Kentucky transplants Chris Browder and Robin Dove. Their fourth full-length LP "Big Bad" came out in 2020 with a sound described by BrooklynVegan as "more ethereal and atmospheric" than the fuzzed-out emo-pop of previous records Doop Loop (2013), Dig Up The Dead (2011), and New Best Friends (2009).


That trend of mellowing out has continued into 2021 with acoustic-driven covers of TikTok mainstays "21st Century Vampire" and "Driver's License." While primarily a studio project, Mansions' sound is fleshed out live by an assorted cast of characters, and they have toured with acts like The Get Up Kids, Minus the Bear, La Dispute and Taking Back Sunday.


Inspired by Browder’s pandemic pastime of cataloging every show the band had ever played, Old Best Friends shines a light on the powerful songwriting that underpins Mansions often massive production. “When we hit the 10-year anniversary of Dig Up The Dead, it got me thinking about everything we've done over our history” explains Browder. “I went back and listened to all of our records. I was surprised to find that even the stuff that feels old enough to have been a different person still resonates with me. It felt like reinterpreting all these old songs would be a meaningful way to honor that history, while also making it into something new that I can believe in all these years later.”


Indeed, Mansions started life as Browder’s solo acoustic project. While always intended to be a full (and rather loud) band, he would still play the occasional acoustic show or release a mellow single. “Ironically, I don't really respond to loud rock bands that much” explains Browder. “I asked myself, why am I fighting this thing that comes really naturally to me and that people seem to like? Once I started redoing the old songs from that more mellow place, everything flowed really naturally.” Much like the previous Mansions’ releases, everything was self-recorded and mixed at home. Bassist Robin Dove sang background vocals, while Browder handles guitar and primary vocals.


An artist choosing to cast their own work in a new light carries risk, but Old Best Friends manages to capture, and in some ways even highlight, the heart of Mansions music. “The real old stuff almost felt like recording covers of old standards or something” remarks Browder. “Mostly, though, it was nice to get a different angle on the music and showcase the songs in a way that maybe people missed the first time around. It’s a very different feeling record, but it comes from the same creative center. I’m really excited to share it with the world.”

Mansions, Seattle based, new album, "Old Friends", reimaging of Mansion songs, singer songwriter, artist, guitarist, bassist, Chris Browder, Robin Dove, acoustic, intimate, revelations, "Talk Talk Talk"



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