(scott) So, if you are in as miserable mood right now as I am ( variety of reasons), ya may wanna slip on this 2016 debut disc from J Churcher, "Borderland State"( a John N submission, I hope John N continues to fight the good fight with us, he's just the greatest), just in case you want to up the gloom quotient a little bit.....this is slow, somber stuff, REALLY GOOD, the attached review compares it to both Mazzy Star and The Chain? Actually the Chain is probably the best comparison, good stuff here though. It's a newer release so Christ only knows what will happen with it, my thought is I recommend it, it's good, and if it stays up I hope they get the exposure they deserve. If they don't want it, God bless em as well.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of 2016's finest debuts comes out next month in the shape of J Churcher's Borderland State. Recorded over a two-year period with London- based producer Dreamtrak and featuring vocal contributions from Anna B. Savage, Borderland State is an evocative collection that recalls the delirious haze of Maps, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Mazzy Star, and the Cocteau Twins.
Having released dreamlike, hazy singles ‘Yesterday’ and ‘In the Summer’ like love letters scrawled on scrunched up paper and passed through to someone at the front of the class, crooner J Churcher’s debut is his final, smitten declaration. Locking the hands of specked synth and twinkling keys, ‘I Remember’ spins a story about the girl who wears his jacket shirt. The mysterious Londoner’s rich vocals are husked, though show no inhibition in unveiling the heart’s desires and pains through striking narrative.
Regal orchestration and backing vocals from Anna B. Savage on three tracks help cast a cinematic scope. Most songs wouldn’t seem out of place as the last dance at J Churcher’s prom. If he ever got there, that is. Inquisitive and on tenterhooks, he seems to be a man obsessed by love. Delicate percussion makes the heart ache on the minimal ‘How It Ends’, and it’s tempting to root for a romance that otherwise seems so doomed. There’s a sense, though, that his story doesn’t end at ‘Borderland State’.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BORDERLAND STATE-01 I Remember/02 Riding on Your Love/03 The Boardwalk/04 Last Summer/05 Borderland State/06 Finding Roxanne/07 Dream Team/08 How It Ends/09 Yesterday/10 In the Summer/11 Middle of the Sun
--------------------------------------------------------------------------