DANIEL BLUMBERG - MINUS VINYL (GATEFOLD LP)

GATEFOLD VINYL LP

Release Date: 4th May 2018

The debut solo album from the former Yuck signer-songwriter, Daniel Blumberg, who at only 27 years old has already seen it and done it. Minus is a massive move away from some of the music Blumberg is known for and acts as a blank canvas for his creativity and talent - resulting in the most ambitious and expansive album of his career. The record is experimental and focused on free, improvisational writing but it still contains moments that recall the likes of Sparklehorse, Low and even Father John Misty. Whether you were a fan of Blumberg's previous outputs or not - this is worth taking notice of.

For Fans Of: Sparklehorse, Low, Father John Misty, Sun Kil Moon

"Daniel Blumberg’s Minus is an astonishing work; one that weds an improvisational, free-music ethos to the rawest emotional songwriting, rooted deep in the personal turmoil Blumberg experienced whilst making the record. Minus is an album about breakdowns: relationship breakdowns, mental and physical breakdowns, breakdowns in communication, and the breaking down of received methods and practices. And situated at the broken-down heart of the record lies a pathological preoccupation with a breakdown of trust. But out of all this, and through the arteries of the album’s seven tracks, pulses a sense of growing fortitude and an almost mantra-like effort to create a way back into the world. Key refrains sound like the fevered incantations of a soul willing itself to recover, to find its voice again, and to resurrect the broken-down self. Still only 27 years old, Blumberg has written himself a rich musical history; from his teenage band who signed to XL whilst he was still at school, onto and through the projects of Yuck, Oupa and Hebronix, whilst solidifying close creative partnerships with the likes of David Berman (Silver Jews), Low, Lambchop and Royal Trux’s Neil Michael Hagerty (with whom Blumberg has performed as a member of the Howling Hex). With Minus, though, there is a sense that Daniel Blumberg has finally arrived at the place he has been searching for. Minus pulls the listener into the deep and nuanced reaches of the human soul and proceeds to drag them through all its fractured ventricles. Although the album’s approach can be traced back to improvised avant-garde experimentation, the overriding impact for the listener is Blumberg’s remarkable songwriting, and his natural talent for melody and composition. Minus stands as an arresting and progressive work, one which is set to establish Daniel Blumberg as one of Britain’s most unique contemporary voices."