Stranger Still — The Songs Which Are

Out: April 14th, 2023 on All-Set! Editions (CD/ DL)
Genres:  folk, progressive/ experimental rock

www.petejohnstonmusic.com
All-Set! Editions : BANDCAMP

Stranger Still‘s second album, The Songs Which Are, expands from the the lanky homespun charisma of its predecessor, 2019’s Songs of Bread, Wine and Salt, ushering in flowing melodies and richer, more varied arrangements

Led by Toronto-based composer Pete Johnston, collaborator to the likes of Nick Fraser, Marilyn Lerner, and Lina Allemano, Stranger Still sees him spinning beautifully eccentric folk songs from the poetry of beloved East Coast writer Alden Nowlan (1933-83). In this band, Johnston hands his primary instrument—the double bass—over to brilliant colourist Rob Clutton, and picks up the acoustic guitar. While he occasionally sings, but Mim Adams and Randi Helmers are the primary voices that bring Johnston’s meandering, finely woven melodies to life. 

Though decked out in layered acoustic and electric guitars, shimmering vocal counterpoint, and even pipe organ, the group still maintains the delicate tension between minimalism and intricacy at the heart of its sound. The compositions may draw upon the sophistication of everything from Renaissance polyphony to prog rock, but its tidy, pared-down delivery makes the music feel as though it has been reduced to its bare essentials.

COVERAGE:
List — Tinnitist
List — Can This Even Be Called Music?
List — Can This Even Be Called Music, Best of April 2023
List — Benzine Mag
List — Benzine Mag, Les sorties d’albums pop, rock, jazz, soul, ambient du 14 avril 2023
List — Postcards from the Underground, April Album Releases
News — Exposé
Track Review — Michael Gutierrez, HUMP DAY News
Track Review — Irregular Dreams
Review — Jeff Kaliss, Songlines
Review — Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy (#118)
Review — Jon Davis, Exposé
Review — Stuart Broomer, The WholeNote
Review — Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Review — Sonic Sundays
Review — Alix De Stermaria, À Découvrir Absolument
Roundup — Frank P. Eckert, Motherboard April 2023, Groove.de
Playlist — Found Sounds #76
Podcast — Harmonious World, Episode 161
Radio / List — WPKN’s Favourite Tracks of the Week (February 26, 2023)
Radio / Chart — CJSW Top 30 (#5) (May 2, 2023)
Radio — Roots Music & Beyond, KPFK (May 27, 2023)
Radio — Bad Animals, WFMU (May 27, 2023)
Radio — Potpourri For Diversified Souls, CJSW (May 25, 2023)
Radio — Off The Hook, KXSF (May 19, 2023)
Radio — Voyage Imaginaire, CKIA (May 18, 2023)
Radio — Potpourri For Diversified Souls, CJSW (May 18, 2023)
Radio — At The Crossroads, CJSW (May 8, 2023)
Radio — Unter dem Radar, ByteFM (May 3, 2023)
Radio — The AM, CJSW (May 1, 2023)
Radio — Folkcetera, CJSW (April 27, 2023)
Radio — Free Verse, CJSW (April 26, 2023)
Radio — Fourier Transform, CJSW (April 24, 2023)
Radio — Roots Music and Beyond, KPFK (April 22, 2023)
Radio — Off The Hook, KXSF (April 21, 2023)
Radio — Coast To Coast To Coast, CFUV (April 14, 2023)
Radio — No Name, WPKN (April 13, 2023)
Radio — Jazz Today, CJSW (April 6, 2023)
Radio — The Sentinel’s Marvelous Kaleidoscope, CFRU (March 13, 2023)
Radio — RadioAlternativaRock (March 10, 2023)
Radio — Muzyka Ucha Trzeciego, Rockserwis.FM (March 9, 2023)
Radio — Frequency Emporium, KSFR (March 4, 2023)
Radio — No Name, WPKN (February 23, 2023)