Stanley
From Minneapolis, Minnesota—introduce yourselves to the saccharine sweet soft pop world of Stanley—who makes music that sounds like it was breathed by the luster & sensations that are inherently carried by the wayward traveling breeze. Previously of The Humble Cheaters, the upcoming Stanley self-titled full-length song cycle will descend to earth like the new day’s dew September 22 via Forged Artifacts. Psychically tapping into timeless dimensions-the Midwest artist basks into those throwback ephemeral essences that cast a glow of incandescent lives on the bookshelves of sensory-toned memories. From the album’s lead off track “Brewin’ Up”, Stanley’s artistic persona resembles an aesthete who could have been vision quest rambling troubadour from the 1960s who soaked up the acid-frayed jeans & mind states but waited until sometime around the mid-70s to make what would have been a long-lost cult opus hymn books dedicated to the burnouts & ramblers who roam the globe.
Proudly presenting the world premiere of Austin Koenigstein’s visuals for Stanley’s “Daylight Sun”—measures & camera glances calibrates the forestall focus in conjunction with the prelude as lake waters pan over to the overlay of our artist & the grove congresses of trees. Stanley starts the track off like an eclectic instrument assembly fed through a carousel catered carnival organ grinder that sets tones for what turns into one of the greatest vintage power pop gems ever committed to tape. That classic & time obfuscated methodology that has permeated so much of the post-millenium pop landscape is placed on full aural display where serene chords find a fond arrangement in congress with vibraphones, choruses & the most puzzling progressions that will make all AM radio rock lovers rejoice in unison. The strangely & almost accidentally psychedelic happenstance quality of Stanley’s song is accompanied by fitting visuals where the we watch the artist singing his own songs & dreaming his own dreams while truly embracing all the surrounding wild woods have to offer. From wood-stick forts, tree-climbing (and subsequent slo-mo jump scenes) to meditative & mystic moments; “Daylight Sun” is an adventure that will encourage all of us to get lost in our own forests where the natural realm offers something of a sanctuary for personal reflection & thought streams where the connection between humankind, soil & surroundings become closer respective entities.
Stanley shared an introductory preface paragraph reflecting on the making of the forthcoming self-titled:
I worked on this album over the course of the first half of 2017, mostly in my makeshift home studio in New York. It is the first body of music I have made for my new project Stanley. After my previous project, The Humble Cheaters, was forced to take a break, I had to find a new way to release some tunes that I had been working on. After recording all the instruments and vocals for the first track ‘Brewin’ Up,’ I got a clear picture in my head of what the whole album would generally sound like, though I hadn’t yet written the songs. I was listening to a lot of George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’ and I really wanted to shoot for that style of production. I don’t think I landed anywhere near that, but I’m very happy with how it turned out. Hope those who get a chance to listen will share that opinion. If not, all good, I know it’s not for everyone.
Stanley also penned an introduction to the pensive music video from Austin Koenigstein & how the forestall video of natural environments impacted the song’s own holistic & supernatural sensibilities:
Austin and I went to the same school in Massachusetts, just outside Boston. There is a place called the reservoir where students would go relax and swim, maybe jump of the high rock if they were feeling particularly courageous. Anyway, we both thought this area would be a great spot to shoot a video. “Daylight Sun” was the obvious song choice for this setting given the narrative of the song’s lyrics. It basically describes a dream-like journey through the forest that quickly turns sour. Austin and I spent a day in July taking shots all around, with me making faces and running around. I can’t speak for Austin in terms of the editing and production he did, but I can say that I think it was genius. He took a very lighthearted and loose approach to capture the tone of the song.
The Stanley self-titled will be available September 22 via Forged Artifacts.
