Album Notes

The new album from Matt Schickele, songwriter and composer, also of M Shanghai String Band and Beekeeper. This is a “living room” album, or perhaps “chamber pop.” With only five acoustic instruments, including the theorbo (a sort of giant 17th-century lute), these songs about friends past and present are intimately crafted and intimately performed.

"Original and engaging... both intimate and theatrical, sustaining a melodic flow even when he’s orchestrating a disjointed accompaniment."
—WIRE Magazine

the badger game: the stark contrast between the spare verses and the lush chorus is like a slow acoustic roller coaster
her ghost: guitar and theorbo: why hasn’t this been done before?
calamity’s jane: rapid-fire lyrics, piano punctuations, and a portrait of a friendship gone sour
postcard home: musings on city life vs. country life, based on an actual postcard written to a friend
yellow lines: a spitting instrumental to wake up the nappers
my friend is near: theorbo and voice, on the loss of a dear friend
half of us : this call to action slowly grows to a beautiful, intense finish