The new track from Berne based Bristol transplant Joe Volk, “Soliloquy”, is a post modern transcendental mind-feast with visuals provided by award-winning filmmaker Craig Murray. The result is a marriage of the audio and visual senses of a lucid dream showing that even the littlest of things hold beauty beyond recognition.
“Soliloquy” is the lead single from Joe’s new album “Happenings & Killings”, which drops February 22nd on CD, Digital, and Vinyl via Glitterhouse Records.
@joevolkmusic [rotatingtweets screen_name=’joevolkmusic’]
About Joe Volk:
In February 2016 Joe Volk’s new solo LP Happenings & Killings will be released in the UK on Glitterhouse Records. A track from the record will be released in December of this year along with an exclusive video by award winning visual artist Craig Murray (Mogwai/Converge). Volk will be touring the UK and Europe with a new live band in the spring of 2016.
Joe Volk is a solo artist from Bristol, England, now based in Bern, Switzerland. He was one of the first musicians signed to Invada records, headed by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, and has had over 13 releases on the label.
On the new album, Volk worked closely with the Emmy nominated composer Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (the songwriting partnership behind the soundtrack to Alex Garland’s 2015 film Ex Machina), with both being credited as additional producers along with Volk. The album was mixed by Joe Volk and Jim Barr (Portishead/Get The Blessing), as well as the musician and artist Leafcutter John. The album features the three producers, along with Jim Barr, Billy Fuller (Robert Plant, BEAK>), Adrian Utley (Portishead), Mark Ophidian (US/Animals With Machinery), Guy Metcalfe (Thought Forms), Leafcutter John, Luke Harney (Typesun) and a collection of other musicians, all active in the Bristol music scene. The spectrum of the album is broad, ranging from lo-fi acoustic pieces featuring subtle analogue electronics from Ophidian and instrumentation from Salisbury, to more realised tracks, layered with Volk’s harmonies and intricate guitar work, with backing from Fuller and Barrow, who constitute the rhythm section of the band Beak>.
There is a track featuring a full orchestral score by Ben Salisbury, played by the Bristol Ensemble Orchestra, with a haunting accompaniment by Volk on acoustic guitar and voice, and then, again in contrast, there are tracks at 120 BPM with programmed drums, bass, analogue synths, electric guitars, samples and electronics, with Volk pushing his voice to new extremes for his solo work. This is an album with a broad scope of sounds, styles and influences, yet it manages to translate into a cohesive body of work. The common thread running throughout is the instantly recognisable guitar playing and voice of Volk, which is uniquely complemented by the different musicianship that is bought to each track from the wide array of artists from different genres that he worked with.
Joe Volk was the original singer and lyricist in the band Crippled Black Phoenix, and was signed to Domino Publishing with Justin Greaves as sole songwriters of the band. After six studio albums, one live album and several EPs, Volk left the group to focus his energy on his solo material. He was also the original singer and lyricist with hard rock band Gonga, one of the first bands signed to Invada. After leaving Crippled Black Phoenix in 2013, Volk teamed up with the experimental Japanese band Boris to release a split 12″ EP. Volk wrote, recorded and produced his tracks, and the EP was released to widespread critical acclaim. He toured the UK and Europe with Boris, and since this tour, he has been completing work on his new album in Switzerland.
Volk is also a composer, having written scores for independent European and British short films. He has had his material used by the BBC, HBO and had commissions from National Geographic. Volk contributed music to the Academy Award nominated documentary on Bristol street artist Banksy, entitled Exit Through The Gift Shop.
“Joe Volk – an exceptional solo artist displaying song-writing mastery of a traditional persuasion.” – Clashmusic
“[He is] like Elliot Smith. He is just a very good songwriter. He’s got a really lovely voice. Not in a fucking James Blunt way. There’s a lot more to it.” – Geoff Barrow (Portishead)
LINKS:
http://joevolk.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/joevolkmusic
https://www.facebook.com/Joe-Volk-12209573111/timeline/
https://instagram.com/joe.volk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu83u9BB4cV9RjRRPntdcGg
http://joevolk.tumblr.com/
https://soundcloud.com/joevolk
