"Pain carved in stone / Above the still pond by the old city wall / Broken spear in his shoulder / And the lilies of France lie under his paw..."
The homespun folk spinning grandeur of "The Lion of Lucerne", by Fremantle, Australia's Dave Robertson & The Kiss List, gently pushes and pulls you with a literate sense of history and how history repeats and repeats again no matter what Spit Enz says (wink). While listening to this majestic telling of "The Lion of Lucerne" I couldn't help but think of 70's artists like Al Stewart, Peter Woods or 90's artists like The Magnetic Fields, Neutral Milk Hotel, all artists that can be describe with varying degrees of folk, of indie rock and of "sophisti-pop". The blend of a beautiful yet artfully sparse musical bed against vocal harmonies appeals to me. It is a sound that begs to be listened to in intimate spaces even though it would succeed in an arena as well. I also appreciate the lilt in Robertson's voice as if he is laying each word into your outstretched hands like a personal gift, something I felt with the aforementioned Al Stewart as well.
The players are Dave Robertson on lead vocals and ukulele, Rob Findlay on electric guitar, Tore Pedersen on bass, Rachel Armstrong on violin and backing vocals and Merle Fyshwick on drums and backing vocals.
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[The poignant new single, The Lion of Lucerne, inspired by the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument) in Lucerne, Switzerland. The monument depicts a dying lion - a striking image of nobility and sorrow. It commemorates the Swiss Guards killed defending the French King during the French Revolution. It led Dave to write a song exploring societal allegiances, and the lines upon which they fall.
The evocative opening verse borrows descriptors from author Mark Twain's account of his own encounter with the statue in 1878, as described in A Tramp Abroad. As impressed as Dave was by the sculpture, the lyrics reveal he is not aligning himself with the conservative politics of those who financed it. He wrote this song over a decade ago, but some of the lyrics are eerily relevant to the current political landscape.]
[What began as a simple, lilting ukulele waltz was fleshed out by The Kiss List into a haunting arrangement. The Lion of Lucerne is the latest track from an EP project built from live rhythm section takes recorded at Hopping Mouse Studios, and subsequent production in Dave’s own studio.]
The evocative opening verse borrows descriptors from author Mark Twain's account of his own encounter with the statue in 1878, as described in A Tramp Abroad. As impressed as Dave was by the sculpture, the lyrics reveal he is not aligning himself with the conservative politics of those who financed it. He wrote this song over a decade ago, but some of the lyrics are eerily relevant to the current political landscape.]
[What began as a simple, lilting ukulele waltz was fleshed out by The Kiss List into a haunting arrangement. The Lion of Lucerne is the latest track from an EP project built from live rhythm section takes recorded at Hopping Mouse Studios, and subsequent production in Dave’s own studio.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/dave-robertson-kiss-list
https://www.youtube.com/@daverobertsonandthekisslist
https://daverobertson.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/DaveRobertsonandTheKissList
https://www.facebook.com/DaveRobertsonandTheKissList/
https://www.daverobertson.com.au/
Dave Robertson sings about kissing, climate change, cult 70s novels and more kissing. His thoughtful lyrics are often disarmingly literal, and simultaneously serious and playful. To quote the late Tom Robbins: “Wit and playfulness represent a desperately serious transcendence of evil. Humor is both a form of wisdom and a means of survival.”
The sonics of Dave’s band The Kiss List are diverse. You could place “indie” in front of folk, pop or rock and you’d be in the ballpark depending on the song at hand. The lineup is Rachel Armstrong on violin/mandolin, Rob Findlay on electric guitar, Tore Pedersen on bass and often Merle Fyshwick on drums. They all sing harmonies.
Their poignant new single The Lion of Lucerne takes inspiration from an historic monument to explore societal allegiances and the lines upon which they fall. It is part of an EP project that began with live rhythm section takes at Hopping Mouse Studios, and subsequent production in Dave’s own studio. Previous popular songs include Montreal from the Oil, Love & Oxygen album, and Canary in the Coal Mine, which was played nationally on Double J and glowingly reviewed.
The band have an extensive gig history, especially in their home town of Walyalup (Fremantle) / Boorloo (Perth), but Dave also has solo gig highlights that include the Nannup and Fremantle festivals, supporting The Basics in Tasmania and performing the song Rogue State to thousands at a Walk Against Warming rally.
Obligatory list of similar or influential artists: Big Thief, Ani DiFranco, R.E.M., The Go-Betweens, Paul Kelly, Kathleen Edwards, Jason Isbell, Billy Bragg, The Mountain Goats, Violent Femmes, The National, The Cure, Wilco, Ben Lee, Darren Hanlon, Tom Petty...
Dave has twice been a judge for the WAM Song of the Year competition in the Blues and Roots, and Folk categories, and is becoming increasingly known for his audio production work.
Dave Robertson & The Kiss List , folk, Chamber pop, indie rock, sophisticated pop, storytelling, singer-songwriter, "The Lion of Lucerne", alt pop, historic pop, stories laced with literate references, Australia,
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