The Chameleons 'Live at The Camden Palace' album - a unique double LP with Barcelona rarities

January 9, 2025

Just over four decades since launching their illustrious legacy and several years since original members Mark Burgess and Reg Smithies reformed the band, UK post-punk icons The Chameleons have enjoyed a brilliant 2024, involving the release of the 'Where Are You?' EP and 'Tomorrow Remember Yesterday' EP via Metropolis Records, as well as their massively successful 'Strange Times' tour.

In continued celebration of their larger than life presence, UK label Moochin' About Records has brought together two superb performances by The Chameleons in the album 'Live at The Camden Palace'. With cover artwork designed by Reg Smithies, who designs all official Chameleons studio releases, this Limited Edition release features orange and blue splattered vinyl, along with a Bonus CD, two previously unreleased photos and a poster. At present, 200 copies of this album are available.

Regarded as one of the most underrated Manchester bands of the 1980s, The Chameleons epitomized the UK post-punk movement and captured the zeitgeist of those bleak times of northern industrial decline, channelling dissolution into music that wondrously sounded upifting and atmospheric.

Now deemed iconic, The Chameleons' November 1984 concert at London's The Camden Palace gets the deluxe vinyl treatment, having previously only available as an audio-visual release - as a VHS videotape in 1985 and then digitally on DVD in 2012. Recorded as a special show for satellite TV broadcast, this iconic gig sees the band at the top of their game. Signifying the end of touring for 'The Script Of The Bridge' album, this performance happened just a few months before the band went into the studio to record 'What Does Anything Mean? Basically'.

With exceptional audio quality, this album also includes four bonus tracks from The Chameleons' 1985 Arsenal concert in Barcelona, which were originally broadcast on an independent Catalonian local TV channel. Appearing on Side 4 of this vinyl release, these rarities were recorded at the Arsenal gig for a show called 'Temps Estranys' (translation: Strange Times), who devoted an entire show to the band. Recorded at Discoteca 666 in Barcelona in June 1985, this show finally aired in January 1986.

A key player on the Manchester scene, The Chameleons formed in nearby Middleton in 1981, fated to become one of the most important UK bands of that era. Debuting with the 1982 single 'In Shreds', the band subsequently released several seminal albums, including - 'Script of the Bridge' (1983), 'What Does Anything Mean? Basically!’ (1984), 'Strange Times' (1986), and 'Why Call It Anything?' (2001).

The Chameleons have influenced several generations of indie and alternative rock bands, including The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, Smashing Pumpkins, The Flaming Lips, The Klllers, The Horrors, The National and Interpol. Oasis' Noel Gallagher has even cited the band as an influence, noting "I’d forgotten how much 'Strange Times' meant to me. It came out in ‘86. I was 19!! I’ve been listening to it every day since and I have to say it’s blown my mind.. again! It must have influenced my early years as a songwriter because I can hear ME in it everywhere!!"

The Chameleons 'Live at The Camden Palace' is out now exclusively on vinyl, and is available from Moochin' About Records directly via Bandcamp, as well as select UK-based physical music retailers.

CREDITS
Mark Burgess - Bass/Vocals
Reg Smithies - Guitar
Dave Fielding - Guitar
John Lever - Drums
Tony Skinkis - additional guitars on 'Splitting in Two'
Catalogue no. MOOCHIN33
Double LP on orange & blue splatter vinyl + bonus CD
Vinyl Dimensions ‏ :0.64x 31.32 x 31.01 cm; 548.85 g
Original artwork for this LP by Reg Smithies

Ireland's intriguing PERRY BLAKE unveils new music gems on legacy-defining album 'Death of a Society Girl'

July 16, 2024

"One of music's great untapped resources and still on top of his game" ~ Music OMH

"The Last of The Great Songwriters" ~ Radio Nova

”Blake sounds like a cross between Bowie and Michael Nyman – only better” ~ Uncut

"Blake's glimpses of people living a state of mind is one of those great escapes, it's very hard to get away from. His gift here is to take a subdued, grown-up collection of songs but make them sound like they deserve daytime radio" ~ RTE.ie

'"A resilient rebirth’’ ~ The Observer

"We can luxuriate in Perry Blake’s generous, comforting voice – spotting traces of Nick Drake, trip hop and Gary Numan” ~ Hot Press

"A rich evolving sound-scape that cocoons Blake's almost surrealist lyrics. The limits of the Downtempo rulebook are broadly stretched with a weaving instrumentation that dips and wanders" ~ The Goo Review

Irish singer-songwriter Perry Blake, who largely came to fame in France and flourished with a career that brought opportunity throughout Europe, has released his new album 'Death of a Society Girl' via Moochin' About Records . There are nine compositions on offer, including the focus track 'Let's Fall In Love'.

His first music in five years, following the critically acclaimed ‘Songs of Praise’ (5 Stars MOJO), this album also marks 26 years for Blake as a recording artist. Very much of the here and now, this album also offers traces of Perry’s previous heady work - not dissimilar to his French Top-40 eponymous debut album - finding Perry at the height of his powers.

Earlier, Blake released the epic title track 'Death of a Society Girl' featuring British actor Paul McGann, known worldwide for his roles in BBC's 'Doctor Who', 'Withnail & I', 'Empire of the Sun', 'Alien 3' and 'Queen of the Damned'. He also teased the light-filled cinematic single 'Concertina' shortly before the album's release.

Co-written and co-produced with long-term collaborator Graham Murphy (Clannad, Sharon Shannon, Marie Brennan), this album features Blake's hallmark surrealist lyrics and original artwork by Syrian-born artist Helen Abbas.

Known for his delicate, downtempo and beautifully melancholic output and uniquely soothing timbre, he is well known as a collaborator of Françoise Hardy, who sang on 'War in France' (from his album 'Still Life'). He also contributed lyrics for her platinum-selling album 'Tant de belles choses’, having co-written, mixed and produced two songs ('Moments' and 'So Many Things') on this record, together with Marco Sabiuhe. Blake would later release his own versionof the latter track.

Hailing from Sligo county, Perry Blake has been dubbed one of music’s great untapped resources. Polydor UK released his debut album ‘Perry Blake’ in 1998 (with three 'Singles of the Week' on Jo Wiley BBC Radio 1), after which he moved to France. He achieved cult status there and across Europe, releasing a string of critically-acclaimed studio albums, a live album recorded at Cirque Royal Brussels with a full orchestra, as well as the soundtracks for ‘Presque Rien’ and 'Trois Petites Filles'.

'Death of a Society Girl' album https://moochinaboutltd.bandcamp.com/album/death-of-a-society-girl-2
'Death of a Society Girl' album https://open.spotify.com/album/4vLiUb4UF09SmcAVMf8R1Y

Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/perry-blake/41417526

Over the years, his musical endeavours has led him to collaborate with numerous musical luminaries, including Toby Pitman (Paul McCartney, George Michael, David Arnold, Clint Mansell, Shirley Bassey), Steve Jansen (Japan, Rain Tree Crow), Glenn Garrett (Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry), Neil Conti (David Bowie, Prefab Sprout), Rik Carter (The Mission, All About Eve), Marco Sabiu (Ennio Morricone, Tanita Tikaram, Luciano Pavarotti), Dickon Hinchliffe (Tindersticks), and world-renowned French electronic artist Émilie Simon.

Perry Blake’s melancholic, melodic soundscapes have featured in many European TV series and cinematic works. Between 2006 and 2011, these include 'Tiger Lily'and 'Clara Sheller' (France’s version of 'Sex in the City'), plus hit Italian movie 'L’uomo cheama' starring Monica Belluci. He has also appeared regularly on French TV and toured Europe with Carla Bruni, as well as with the French National Jazz Orchestra.

Perry Blake has published the children's book 'Gatos em Lissadell', as part of a collection by 12 authors, including former U.S president Jimmy Carter, Will Smith and Julie Andrews. He also has a separate collaborative music project with Glenn Garrett and Graham Murphy, called Electro Sensitive Behaviour.

'Death of a Society Girl' is now available exclusively for download via Bandcamp - this edition includes three bonus remixes by UK electronic artists KosmetiQ and Inertia. On July 5, the album will be released on CD and digitally everywhere else, including Apple Music and Spotify.

ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Recorded at Orchardleigh, North West Ireland & the Production Suite Dublin
Engineered and mixed by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy at the Production Suite Dublin
Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc America
Produced by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Perry Blake - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Graham Murphy - Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Additional Drum Programming, String Arrangements.
Artwork by Helen Abbas
Album cover design by Jason Lee Lazell
Released by Moochin’ About @2024
Distributed via PIAS @2024
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Artist photos by Sid Rainey

Fred Abong (Throwing Muses, Belly) presents 'Listening' single from eighth full-length album 'Blindness' (CD out July 5)

June 24, 2024

“Purity and honesty in his approach that gets more and more intense with each track... like you’re riding a wave of energy” ~ Higher Plain Music

“Beautifully raw, uncluttered and quite cinematic... Melodically infectious and lyrically mysterious" ~ Newport Naked

“Abong’s vocal delivery is a testament to his storytelling prowess. His voice carries the weight of experience, each phrase brimming with authenticity and emotion... connecting on a profound level with the emotions that make us human” ~ Skylight Webzine

“So unique that there is no possible way this music could be mistaken as being performed by anyone else" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“An almost painful intimacy to his words despite the oblique phrasing and imagery he conjures” ~ Isolation Records

Modern-day American crooner-philosopher Fred Abong shares 'Listening', the latest audio-visual offering from his new 'Blindness' album. Released via Moochin' About Records. this third single from the album rounds out the album's sonic landscape. Following the drama-rock of 'Heaven' and the quasi-dance vibe of the title track 'Blindness', this new single adds a vaguely 80’s romanticism, somewhat in a Blue Nile vein.

Now based in New Orleans, Abong is no stranger to the US music scene, having got his musical start in the 1980’s on the Rhode Island hardcore punk scene. In the early 1990s, he played bass for Throwing Muses and then Belly. Putting music on hold for academic pursuits, he then earned a PhD in Humanities and taught at various universities for eight years before returning to music. Now back as a solo artist, Abong also plays bass in the Kristin Hersh Electric Trio. He has also been a practicing Vedic astrologer for the past 20 plus years.

“'Listening' was actually the first song written for this album. It’s a chord progression and keyboard/piano sound that I feel has been lurking in my consciousness for a long time. It really did kinda write itself … the only impediment was my ineptitude on the piano, which took some time to correct. At the time of writing this, I had just purchased my first keyboard of any kind - a full size MIDI controller in this case. As soon as I hooked it up to Logic and started messing around with the plugins, I could feel all these latent songs beginning to wake up, to "show their faces". The songs came quickly, though not necessarily easily, as my piano skills, as I mentioned, were fairly rudimentary," explains Fred Abong.

"Making the video was much easier. I shot it in about an hour in my garage. Somehow it seemed the proper setting for the song. Turns out a garage is a good place to listen, to hear things in an unfamiliar way. It’s also a great place to take your favorite shovel for a spin."

A Filipino-American singer-songwriter, Abong's music has a raw and unpolished production aesthetic with an overall direct, though deceptively imaginative and oblique, presentation. Taking a detour from the musical road most traveled, Abong wrote the material for this album on the piano rather than bass or guitar, effectively opening up a new compositional and emotional space for him.

Between the bookends of the new 'Blindness' album and 'Homeless', the first set of songs as a solo artist, originally self-released in 2018, Abong has released several critically acclaimed records, including his self-recorded 2023 'Fear Pageant' and earlier albums 'Yellowthroat', 'Pulsing' and 'Our Mother of Perpetual Help'.

"I’ve actually gotten some feedback that the entire 'Blindness' LP sounds like a ‘departure’ from what I’ve done up to this point in my solo work. But from my perspective, it’s just another dimension of songwriting, which for me is not about finding a ‘style’ and sticking with it. I’m more interested in staying wide open to whatever shows up when there’s an instrument, familiar or unfamiliar, in my hands," says Abong.

"I’ve been listening to and "studying" a wide variety of musical forms my entire life, and so I guess I have also been unconsciously ‘composing’, too. And waiting for the moment or moments when those compositions would present themselves."

On July 5, the 'Blindness' album will be released everywhere digitally (including Apple Music and Spotify) and on CD. For now, it can be downloaded exclusively via Bandcamp, where the pre-order is now available for the CD, coupled together with Abong's 'Homeless' album as a bonus.

CREDITS
Music and lyrics by Fred Abong
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Fred Abong
All instruments performed by Fred Abong
Videos by Fred Abong
Album released by Moochin' About Records
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Ireland's enigmatic PERRY BLAKE presents rapturous album 'Death of a Society Girl', marking robust 26-year career

June 24, 2024

"One of music's great untapped resources and still on top of his game" ~ Music OMH

"The Last of The Great Songwriters" ~ Radio Nova

”Blake sounds like a cross between Bowie and Michael Nyman – only better” ~ Uncut

"Blake's glimpses of people living a state of mind is one of those great escapes, it's very hard to get away from. His gift here is to take a subdued, grown-up collection of songs but make them sound like they deserve daytime radio" ~ RTE.ie

'"A resilient rebirth’’ ~ The Observer

"We can luxuriate in Perry Blake’s generous, comforting voice – spotting traces of Nick Drake, trip hop and Gary Numan” ~ Hot Press

"A rich evolving sound-scape that cocoons Blake's almost surrealist lyrics. The limits of the Downtempo rulebook are broadly stretched with a weaving instrumentation that dips and wanders" ~ The Goo Review

Irish singer-songwriter Perry Blake, who largely came to fame in France and flourished with a career that brought opportunity throughout Europe, presents his new album 'Death of a Society Girl', released via Moochin' About Records with nine compositions on offer, including the focus track 'Let's Fall In Love'.

A stunning body of work and his first music in five years, following the critically acclaimed ‘Songs of Praise’ (5 Stars MOJO), this album marks 26 years for Blake as a recording artist. Very much of the here and now, this album also offers traces of Perry’s previous heady work - not dissimilar to his French Top-40 eponymous debut album.

Known for his delicate, downtempo and beautifully melancholic output and uniquely soothing timbre, he is well known as a collaborator of Françoise Hardy, who sang on 'War in France' (from his album 'Still Life'). He also contributed lyrics for her platinum-selling album 'Tant de belles choses’, having co-written, mixed and produced two songs ('Moments' and 'So Many Things') on this record, together with Marco Sabiuhe. Blake would later release his own version of the latter track.

Earlier, Blake released the epic title track 'Death of a Society Girl' featuring British actor Paul McGann, known worldwide for his roles in BBC's 'Doctor Who', 'Withnail & I', 'Empire of the Sun', 'Alien 3' and 'Queen of the Damned'. He also teased the light-filled cinematic single 'Concertina' shortly before the album's release.

Co-written and co-produced with long-term collaborator Graham Murphy (Clannad, Sharon Shannon, Marie Brennan), this album features Blake's hallmark surrealist lyrics and original artwork by Syrian-born artist Helen Abbas.

Hailing from Sligo county, Perry Blake has been dubbed one of music’s great untapped resources. Polydor UK released his debut album ‘Perry Blake’ in 1998 (with three 'Singles of the Week' on Jo Wiley BBC Radio 1), after which he moved to France. He achieved cult status there and across Europe, releasing a string of critically-acclaimed studio albums, a live album recorded at Cirque Royal Brussels with a full orchestra, as well as the soundtracks for ‘Presque Rien’ and 'Trois Petites Filles'.

Over the years, his musical endeavours has led him to collaborate with numerous musical luminaries, including Toby Pitman (Paul McCartney, George Michael, David Arnold, Clint Mansell, Shirley Bassey), Steve Jansen (Japan, Rain Tree Crow), Glenn Garrett (Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry), Neil Conti (David Bowie, Prefab Sprout), Rik Carter (The Mission, All About Eve), Marco Sabiu (Ennio Morricone, Tanita Tikaram, Luciano Pavarotti), Dickon Hinchliffe (Tindersticks), and world-renowned French electronic artist Émilie Simon.

Perry Blake’s melancholic, melodic soundscapes have featured in many European TV series and cinematic works. Between 2006 and 2011, these include 'Tiger Lily'and 'Clara Sheller' (France’s version of 'Sex in the City'), plus hit Italian movie 'L’uomo cheama' starring Monica Belluci. He has also appeared regularly on French TV and toured Europe with Carla Bruni, as well as with the French National Jazz Orchestra.

Perry Blake has published the children's book 'Gatos em Lissadell', as part of a collection by 12 authors, including former U.S president Jimmy Carter, Will Smith and Julie Andrews. He also has a separate collaborative music project with Glenn Garrett and Graham Murphy, called Electro Sensitive Behaviour.

'Death of a Society Girl' is now available exclusively for download via Bandcamp - this edition includes three bonus remixes by UK electronic artists KosmetiQ and Inertia. On July 5, the album will be released on CD and digitally via other fine music platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Recorded at Orchardleigh, North West Ireland & the Production Suite Dublin
Engineered and mixed by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy at the Production Suite Dublin
Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc America
Produced by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Perry Blake - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Graham Murphy - Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Additional Drum Programming, String Arrangements.
Artwork by Helen Abbas
Album cover design by Jason Lee Lazell
Released by Moochin’ About @2024
Distributed via PIAS @2024
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Artist photos by Sid Rainey

Perry Blake to release new album 'Death of a Society Girl'. Preview the title track featuring Paul McGann

June 5, 2024

"One of music's great untapped resources and still on top of his game" ~ Music OMH

"The Last of The Great Songwriters" ~ Radio Nova

”Blake sounds like a cross between Bowie and Michael Nyman – only better” ~ Uncut

"Blake's glimpses of people living a state of mind is one of those great escapes, it's very hard to get away from. His gift here is to take a subdued, grown-up collection of songs but make them sound like they deserve daytime radio" ~ RTE.ie

'"A resilient rebirth’’ ~ The Observer

"We can luxuriate in Perry Blake’s generous, comforting voice – spotting traces of Nick Drake, trip hop and Gary Numan” ~ Hot Press

"A rich evolving sound-scape that cocoons Blake's almost surrealist lyrics. The limits of the Downtempo rulebook are broadly stretched with a weaving instrumentation that dips and wanders" ~ The Goo Review

Irish-born singer-songwriter Perry Blake has announced his new album 'Death of a Society Girl'. Marking 20 years as a recording artist, it will be released on June 21 via Moochin' About Records. Known for his delicate, downtempo and beautifully melancholic output and uniquely soothing timbre, this is Blake's first album in three years, following the critically acclaimed ‘Songs of Praise’ (5 Star MOJO).

Ahead of the release of this beautiful dark cinematic classic, he presents the epic title track 'Death of a Society Girl', featuring world-renowned British actor Paul McGann (Dr. Who, Withnail and I). Named Music Week's single of the week, it was released along with two remixes of the track by UK artists KosmetiQ and Inertia.

Co-written and co-produced with long-term collaborator Graham Murphy (Clannad, Sharon Shannon, Marie Brennan), the new album features nine compositions with Blake's hallmark surrealist lyrics and original artwork by Syrian-born artist Helen Abbas. Very much of the here and now, this album also offers traces of Perry’s previous heady work - not dissimilar to his French Top-40 eponymous debut album - finding Perry at the height of his powers.

Born in Ireland's Sligo county, Perry Blake has been dubbed one of music’s great untapped resources. Having released his debut album ‘Perry Blake’ on Polydor UK in 1998, including three singles chosen as 'Singles of the Week' on Jo Wiley BBC Radio 1, Blake moved to France. There, he achieved cult status across Europe since then, releasing a string of critically-acclaimed studio albums, a live album recorded at Cirque Royal Brussels with a full orchestra, as well as the soundtracks for ‘Presque Rien’ (2004) for French art-house director Sebastien Lifshitz’s hugely acclaimed film of the same name) and 'Trois Petites Filles' (2004).

Apart from writing two songs for Françoise Hardy’s platinum selling album 'Tant de belles choses’, he has appeared regularly on French TV and toured Europe with Carla Bruni, as well as with the French National Jazz Orchestra.

Perry Blake’s melancholic, melodic soundscapes have featured in many European TV series and cinematic works. Between 2006 and 2011, these include 'Tiger Lily'and 'Clara Sheller' (France’s version of 'Sex in the City'), plus hit Italian movie 'L’uomo cheama' starring Monica Belluci.

Over the years, his musical endeavours has led him to collaborate with numerous musical luminaries, including Steve Jansen (Japan, Rain Tree Crow), Toby Pitman (Paul McCartney, George Michael, David Arnold, Clint Mansell, Shirley Bassey), Glenn Garrett (Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry), Neil Conti (David Bowie, Prefab Sprout), Rik Carter (The Mission, All About Eve), Marco Sabiu (Ennio Morricone, Tanita Tikaram, Luciano Pavarotti), Dickon Hinchliffe (Tindersticks), and world-renowned French electronic artist Émilie Simon.

Perry Blake has published the children's book 'Gatos em Lissadell' in Portugal, as part of a collection by 12 authors, including former U.S president Jimmy Carter, Actors Will Smith and Julie Andrews. Blake also has a separate collaborative music project with Glenn Garrett and Graham Murphy, called Electro Sensitive Behaviour.

The title track 'Death of a Society Girl' ft. is out now. As of June 21, 'Death of a Society Girl' will be released on CD and available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, where it is now available for pre-order.

CREDITS
All songs written by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Recorded at Orchardleigh, North West Ireland & the Production Suite Dublin
Engineered and mixed by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy at the Production Suite Dublin
Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc America
Produced by Perry Blake & Graham Murphy
Perry Blake - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards
Graham Murphy - Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Additional Drum Programming, String Arrangements.
Artwork by Helen Abbas
Album cover design by Jason Lee Lazell
Released by Moochin’ About @2024
Distributed via PIAS @2024
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Photos by Sid Rainey

Fred Abong (Throwing Muses, Belly) releases eighth full-length album 'Blindness' via Moochin' About Records

May 7, 2024

'Blindness' album
https://moochinaboutltd.bandcamp.com/album/blindness
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qHuRR8HuuAkPb1VTPSExd
LinkTree https://linktr.ee/fredabong

Alternative crooner-philosopher Fred Abong presents his new 'Blindness' album, released via Moochin' About Records. Previewed by the lead track 'Heaven', these ten tracks comprise his eighth long-player to date. At the same time, he's shared a new video for the album's title track.

Now based in New Orleans, Abong is no stranger to the US music scene, having got his musical start in the 1980’s on the Rhode Island hardcore punk scene. In the early 1990s, he played bass for Throwing Muses and then Belly.

Putting music on hold for academic pursuits, he then earned a PhD in Humanities and taught at various universities for eight years before returning to music. Now back as a solo artist, Abong also plays bass in the Kristin Hersh Electric Trio. He has also been a practicing Vedic astrologer for the past 20 plus years.

"This album is a first for me. Composed entirely on keyboard/piano, I wanted to challenge my songwriting, to not rely on guitar to guide or limit what showed up. The first and biggest problem with this is that I don’t play piano. So I really had to have faith that the gods of music would show mercy on me … would be there for me if I was earnestly there for them. As always, I’ll let the listener decide whether or not my instrumental humility was divinely rewarded, but I personally feel that the Blindness album, if nothing else, reflects a willingness to follow artistic intuition wherever it may lead. This is something of a credo for me. In love as in music, I follow my heart," says Fred Abong.

A Filipino-American singer-songwriter, Abong's music has a raw and unpolished production aesthetic with an overall direct, though deceptively imaginative and oblique, presentation. Taking a detour from the musical road most traveled, Abong wrote the material for this album on the piano rather than bass or guitar, effectively opening up a new compositional and emotional space for him.

“Love is blind. Is this a truism or just true? I suppose it depends on where you are on the romantic journey. If the romance is fresh, then infatuation and sexual desire are usually foregrounded. You are ‘blinded by love’ and can see nothing else. Anyone who’s ever fallen in love is familiar with this. It’s dizzying," says Abong.

"As things progress, or in order for things to progress, another type of blindness must develop. Being blinded by love, in this case, means accepting or even loving difference - being blind to competing or incompatible attitudes. It means placing the other’s happiness on an equal footing to one’s own. It’s not dizzying; it’s grounding. True love, then, combines both forms of blindness. It’s ‘blind in both eyes’, you could say. I think Blindness, both the song and the album, reflects (among other things) a pursuit of this total love blindness - it’s hopeful and aspirational in that sense.”

Between the bookends of the new 'Blindness' album and 'Homeless', the first set of songs as a solo artist, originally self-released in 2018, Abong has released several critically acclaimed records, including his self-recorded 2023 'Fear Pageant' and earlier albums 'Yellowthroat', 'Pulsing' and 'Our Mother of Perpetual Help'.

On May 9, the 'Blindness' album will be released on CD, along with his 'Homeless' album, both of which can be pre-ordered via the label's Bandcamp. It will also be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Music and lyrics by Fred Abong
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Fred Abong
All instruments performed by Fred Abong
Videos by Fred Abong
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Album reeleased by Moochin' About Records

American alternative crooner Fred Abong (Throwing Muses, Belly) presents 'Heaven', previewing new 'Blindness' LP

April 8, 2024

“Purity and honesty in his approach that gets more and more intense with each track... like you’re riding a wave of energy” ~ Higher Plain Music

“Beautifully raw, uncluttered and quite cinematic... Melodically infectious and lyrically mysterious" ~ Newport Naked

“Abong’s vocal delivery is a testament to his storytelling prowess. His voice carries the weight of experience, each phrase brimming with authenticity and emotion... connecting on a profound level with the emotions that make us human” ~ Skylight Webzine

“So unique that there is no possible way this music could be mistaken as being performed by anyone else" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“An almost painful intimacy to his words despite the oblique phrasing and imagery he conjures” ~ Isolation Records

New Orleans-based alternative folk-rock artist Fred Abong presents 'Heaven', the first taste of his new 'Blindness' album, to be released on May 9 via Moochin' About Records. While most famously associated with the bass guitar, Abong wrote this material for this album on the piano, effectively opening up a new compositional and emotional space for him.

His eighth long-player to date, Abong is no stranger to the US alternative music realm, having got his musical start in the 1980’s on the Rhode Island hardcore punk scene. In the early 1990s, he played bass for Throwing Muses and then Belly. Putting music on hold for academic pursuits, he then earned a PhD in Humanities and taught at various universities for eight years before returning to music. Now back as a solo artist, Abong also plays bass in the Kristin Hersh Electric Trio.

“Heaven is probably the most straightforward song on 'Blindness'. It's kind of an anthemic rock ballad, delivered in my own understated version of theatricality and drama. There's maybe even a touch of Broadway in there, much to my embarrassment … but there you have it. Lyrically, it's pretty downbeat, but what else is new? I am, always have been, and always will be a seeker after something truer and more ideal than what I find in the social and cultural sphere," says Fred Abong.

"Heaven is just one of many musical snapshots of an ongoing struggle to find or create an earthly paradise for myself and my loved ones and the disappointment and growing exhaustion of coming up empty again (and again). To be clear, Heaven is not an ode to the afterlife … it's more prophetic and atemporal, about finding eternity here and now rather than in an imagined future.”

This first single introduces one of the album's primary themes - salvation. In some sense, it's the album's only theme. Where and how is heaven found? Through some kind of spiritual awakening or realization of the ephemerality and impermanence of material life? In mystical union with the beloved? By living in the moment? By freeing oneself from the strictures of 'straight life' and going off the grid? By being blind to present reality and living in the glory days of the past? Or maybe there's only ever momentary salvation, such as experienced when being kissed? What about suicide? All of these questions and more are explored here… but hopefully temporarily resolved when set to music, which “hath charms to soothe the savage beast' in all of us.

A Filipino-American singer-songwriter, Abong's music has a raw and unpolished production aesthetic with an overall direct, though deceptively imaginative and oblique, presentation. Abong has also been a practicing Vedic astrologer for the past 20 plus years.

Between the bookends of the new 'Blindness' album and 'Homeless', the first set of songs as a solo artist, originally self-released in 2018, Abong has released several critically acclaimed records, including his self-recorded 2023 'Fear Pageant' and earlier albums 'Yellowthroat', 'Pulsing' and 'Our Mother of Perpetual Help'.

As of April 9, 'Heaven' is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. On May 9, the full 'Blindness' album will be released on CD, along with his 'Homeless' album, both of which can be pre-ordered via the label's Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Music and lyrics by Fred Abong
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Fred Abong
All instruments performed by Fred Abong
Videos by Fred Abong
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Album released by Moochin' About Records

'Blindness' album pre-order
https://moochinaboutltd.bandcamp.com/album/blindness
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1qHuRR8HuuAkPb1VTPSExd
LinkTree https://linktr.ee/fredabong