Album Notes

“Blackhart Strangelove” is based around the husband and wife duo of Laura Wendling from the USA (vocals) and Mark Dixon, (multi-instrumentalist and songwriter) from Fremantle, Western Australia.
Originally started as a recording project in 2007 when, early that year after writing the best part of an album’s worth of material, he went into the studio and produced an EP entitled “Don’t Set Yourself On Fire”.
Although most of the instruments are played by Mark (aka "the Johnny Strangelove Orchestra"), some notable musicians also lent their considerable talents to these sessions, including Martin Casey (the Bad Seeds), Ben Franz (the Waifs), and Angus Diggs (Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang).
In 2008 the song “She Wasn’t Sorry” was licensed to the “Cue Fashion Winter ‘08 Campaign” and a video featuring Vogue covergirl Megan Collinson from New York was shot for broadcast in Australia.
Although the EP received some critical aclaim (you can read some abreviated reviews below), Mark was never entirely happy with the finished product, and this year, after re-recording the vocals with Laura and remixing and remastering by Pete Grandison the CD is now ready for formal release.

"Blackhart and Strangelove have this eerie bewitching quality about them . . . sometimes vaguely menacing, but with enough frills and fishnet, horns and piano to beckon you to come closer . . . "Don't Set Yourself on Fire" is a delightful hint of what should be a fascinating, and hopefully longterm artistic endeavor." - Carrie Alison, Sentamentalist Magazine

"As if involved in some type of mystified dream, Blackhart and Strangelove’s EP "Don’t Set Yourself on Fire" transported me to a trippy past filled with sounds that could have fit into a hippie rockers best daydream . . . I full-heartedly recommend this band as one to watch and embrace." - T. Mathenia, Unsigned the Magazine

". . . there is almost a real warning alarm about the invading guitar . . . So lounge music with attitude? Artistic expression with message? . . . This could be one of this years few "something sacred" out there; Assuming of course it gets the attention it deserves." - Steven Hurst, Glasswerks UK

". . . piano and sparse guitar punctuates a tale of dark self-discovery. It's the sort of song that the late great Johnny Cash could have happily covered." - Three Monkeys Online