Shadow by Mister Lies
A shadow can be defined in several ways, the most common being the dark area produced by an object caught between a surface and a source of light. To others, the word “shadow” is used in reference to proximity, ominous conflict or gloom. When I think of shadows, I don’t think of depression or shade, but instead the sensation of their presence.
I wrote and recorded this album during a two-year period where I was discovering motivation out of naivety; when the Mister Lies project was established I was writing music without context or a deeper understanding of the craft and I felt like I had nothing to write about. But as time wore on and I connected with more people, I quickly began learning. Moreso than the themes of loss, addiction or alienation, this record is about change. It is about looking the fourteen-year-old version of myself in the eyes with his headphones on, completely oblivious of his future in the passenger seat, and putting your present self’s cards down on the table.
It doesn’t take an infringement on our sense of security to realize that we’re always being followed. Even when we’re the least aware of it, we are never truly alone. Shadows are our companions, there is optimism in the dark.
Tracklist
| 1. | Nymph | 8:14 |
| 2. | Deepend | 4:34 |
| 3. | New Woof | 3:56 |
| 4. | A Room Without | 4:10 |
| 5. | High (ft. Harrison Lipton) | 4:48 |
| 6. | Pill | 5:16 |
| 7. | Stuck / Ouija Fade (ft. Arrange) | 5:17 |
| 8. | Push Becoming Shove | 5:40 |
Credits
'Shadow' was written and produced by Nick Zanca
between June 2012 – April 2014
in Chicago IL, Ludlow VT, Vancouver WA
and several bedrooms and hotel rooms in between.
Track 5 was written with Harrison Lipton
Track 7 was written with Malcom Lacey
Nick Zanca – voice, laptop, bass, piano/Rhodes/Wurlitzer, Prophet/Casio SK-1/Yamaha DX-7, VHS, Machinedrum, guitar
Malcom Lacey – voice on track 2 and 7, Baldwin organ, guitar pedals, percussion
Ansel Cohen – cello on tracks 1-3
Lexi Bodick – upright bass on track 1 and 7
Harrison Lipton – atmospheres, voice on track 5
Bridgette Lemoine – voice on track 5
Zechariah Lacey – piano on track 7
Alex Thompson – atmospheres on track 8
Mastering – Warren Hildebrand
Artwork, design and photography – Brian Vu
Thank you to the Orchid Tapes family for letting me talk too much,
to Malcom Lacey and Patrick Snead for providing workspace,
to Nolan Andrea, Rafa Alvarez, Marcel Everett, Warren Hildebrand, Owen Mallon and Sam Ray for creative input,
to Chris Crowley, Julia Duray and Katie Zanca for emotional and logistical support,
and to all the listeners.
This album is dedicated to Richard Roy (1931 – 2013), whose whirling lingered around the room long after he left it.
