"are you ready for the steer / have you made up your mind / when fools can disappear / somehow I'm alright..."
The parallax view of the dreamy mixed melancholia of "Social Light" by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Kramies feels incredibly airy, floating with a reticent hope. It might feel light years from some of the more darker imagery I saw / felt when I reviewed his emotionally imploding track "Hotel In L.A." back in June of 2022 from his stunning eponymous album. I described the song having an "opaque bleakness" within it's trippy nature, it's beauty and it's stark candor. AND as I found out from interviewing Kramies, his self title album mined some very dark moments in his life. "Social Light" feels startlingly lighter in tone (a good thing) but no less beautiful in tones and textures and during these dark times globally I will swallow any drops of hope in art (along with the melancholia) as I can.
For me, "Social Light" has shards of nostalgic 70's light shining through the cracks, maybe hints of Pink Floyd, ELO but also ghosts of 90's Radiohead and more current shades of artists like Big Thief and Band of Horses and even the indie rock pop prowess of a band like Coldplay, a lot going on, a lot to swallow and digest. If there is one thing that Kramies is not, is simple. He is able to create a pure folk rock blended distillation seemingly from emotional aches and pains like most songwriters but Kramies might just sprinkle it all with fairy dust to turn them into fables.
LINER NOTES FOR YOU ALL (bracketed):
[His first new music since the release of his acclaimed 2022 album ‘Kramies’, which featured contributions from members of The Black Keys, Band Of Horses, and Grandaddy, the latest from the US alt/folk artist finds him teaming-up with Grammy winning producer Mario J. McNulty, who is known for his work with David Bowie, Prince, and Willow Smith to name a few.]
[Coined by Billboard Magazine as “the American Dreampop troubadour”, new single “Social Light” has all of the hallmarks that position his singular sound in a realm of its own. A cauldron of swirling melodies, yearning harmonies, and intoxicating melancholia; Kramies puts his soul into a song that is both as dark and enigmatic as the dead of night, yet as spacious and beautiful as a new day.]
[With a career spanning almost fifteen years and a long string of releases that have earned him extraordinary accolades, Kramies has a knack for eerie and ethereal songwriting that has gained him the attention of NME, Clash, NPR and the BBC and much more. His most recent self-titled LP made it onto seven “albums of the year” lists, with two of its singles featured in Top 10 radio charts. Under The Radar praised the album as possessing the “ethereal quality of a waking dreamscape”.]
[Much of Kramies’ success has come from his ability to be himself and stick to his clear artistic vision. He’s grown even more comfortable with his unique way of working, pushing his craft as an outsider who has firmly forged his own path and earned a cult appeal on both sides of the Atlantic in the process.]
[A powerful and wildly enchanting return for the Ohio songwriter, “Social Light” is the first single from a new EP due out autumn 2024 on VanGerrett Records.]
[Coined by Billboard Magazine as “the American Dreampop troubadour”, new single “Social Light” has all of the hallmarks that position his singular sound in a realm of its own. A cauldron of swirling melodies, yearning harmonies, and intoxicating melancholia; Kramies puts his soul into a song that is both as dark and enigmatic as the dead of night, yet as spacious and beautiful as a new day.]
[With a career spanning almost fifteen years and a long string of releases that have earned him extraordinary accolades, Kramies has a knack for eerie and ethereal songwriting that has gained him the attention of NME, Clash, NPR and the BBC and much more. His most recent self-titled LP made it onto seven “albums of the year” lists, with two of its singles featured in Top 10 radio charts. Under The Radar praised the album as possessing the “ethereal quality of a waking dreamscape”.]
[Much of Kramies’ success has come from his ability to be himself and stick to his clear artistic vision. He’s grown even more comfortable with his unique way of working, pushing his craft as an outsider who has firmly forged his own path and earned a cult appeal on both sides of the Atlantic in the process.]
[A powerful and wildly enchanting return for the Ohio songwriter, “Social Light” is the first single from a new EP due out autumn 2024 on VanGerrett Records.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/kramies
https://kramies.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/kramies
https://www.facebook.com/kramies/
https://twitter.com/kramies
https://kramies.com/
Link to my (original) "Hotel in L.A." review:
https://www.americanpancake.com/2022/07/kramies-and-beautiful-opaque-bleakness.htmlLink to my Kramies You Tube Zoom Interview:https://www.youtube.com/watchv=maoyGiCdwAw&t=644s
Along with his critically acclaimed EP The Wooden Heart, as well as Of All The Places Been & Everything The End produced by Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices) Jerry Becker (Train), Kramies has worked and performed with known artists such as Grandaddy, Clexico, and Spiritualized and many others. In 2021 Kramies teamed up with Patrick Carney of The Black Keys to produce his first Top 10 radio single "Days Of". By the beginning of 2022 Kramies had two top ten songs on college radio and is slated for his first highly anticipated LP in September of 2022.
With a career spanning almost fifteen years and a long string of releases that have earned him the title of “the dream-pop troubadour”, Kramies’ knack for eerie and ethereal songwriting has gained the attention of Billboard, Clash, NPR and the BBCamongst others, with his most recent single “Hotel in LA” being praised for its “ethereal quality of a waking dreamscape” by Under The Radar. Much of his success has come from his ability to be himself and stick to his clear artistic vision, and this new LP sees Kramies grow even more comfortable with his own unique way of working.
Pushing his craft as an outsider who has firmly forged his own path, the self-titled release is not just the next step for Kramies on his path as an artist, but an assured new beginning for him as a whole.
art folk, art rock, avant pop, collaborator, folk indie, indie rock, Kramies, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, upcoming album, visionary, wordsmith, "Social Light" single,
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