Tag: Jonathan Stolber

Single Review – A Knife Ballet – Scattered Red, Blue & Black

A Knife Ballet is Composer & Producer Jonathan Stolber whose music is a blend of introspective cinematic electronic art-rock, inspired by Radiohead’s emotive brilliance & the atmospheric textures of Mogwai. Alongside the new breed of intelligent & distinctive bands such as peers Black Country New Road & Black Midi, Stolber kicks against music’s current corporate tsunami. This music is a soundtrack for the grand reset or, at the least, Netflix’s latest cancelled Scandinavian noir thriller.

Culled from his forthcoming LP ‘For The Blood Of England’, the inaugural teaser track Scattered Red, Blue & Black is a poignant, cinematic send-off imbued with the early spirit of Mogwai. It’s accompanying track, A Phantom Limb underscores an eerie atmospheric score reminiscent of 80’s horror. 

The track drops across all streaming services 26/01/2024 & will receive one bespoke vinyl pressing to be auction on Ebay to raise donations for Alzheimer’s Society. The track hails Stolber’s first release under new moniker A Knife Ballet having previously received critical acclaim for his Holy Road EP ‘An Unshakable Demon’ during the pandemic.

A Phantom Limb could be the soundtrack to a psychological horror movie and brings to mind echoes of John Carpenter soundtracks of old with its brooding synths and piercing arpeggios. A definitive 80’s feel but with a sharp, contemporary update, it certainly hits the mark. Scattered Red, Blue & Black is a gloriously over the top cinematic epic that just builds and builds to an enigmatic crescendo. The interlocking guitars generate a pensive feel before some eerie strings create a feeling of almost unbearable tension. The superb sinuous cello of Maddie Cutter combines with Ben Weedon’s wistful, weeping strings to imbue an almost sinister undertone to the piece. JJ Saddington’s crashing guitars echo in your eardrums and the dark, sombre piano of Chris Forham completes the intensely heightened acoustic overload.

Jon Stolber has returned with something quite magnificent and apocalyptically profound. This is theatrically demanding music that is not for the faint hearted but it is oh so brilliantly executed and something that is addictive in its attraction and augurs well for the new album to come.

Spotify: A Knife Ballet | Spotify

Alzheimer’s Society Ebay Vinyl Auction Link (live as of 26/01/24):

A Knife Ballet Vinyl – Scattered Red, Blue & Black Ltd Dub Plate Clear 10″ | eBay

Bandcamp:

Scattered Red, Blue & White | A KNIFE BALLET (bandcamp.com)

Review – The Holy Road – An Unshakable Demon

“Ordinary people are products of their environment and fit in. Artists transcend their environment and stand out.” – Oliver Gaspirtz

When something is truly different to the norm (I use the phrase ‘the norm’ to mean what you are not normally used to) it tends to stand out and be noticed, whether for good or bad being for you to decide.

Jonathan Stolber came to my attention last year with his Nils Frahm curated Piano Day release in aid of tinychanges.com (to help raise mental health awareness) and I found his music difficult to pigeonhole (usually a good thing!) and it also got under my skin in a memorable way.

When Jonathan contacted me with regard to his soon to be released EP ‘An Unshakeable Demon’, my interest was immediately piqued. He spent the majority of our year of interminable and intermittent lockdowns locked in his studio putting the final touches to the record. Mixed by legendary engineer Steven Durose (Oceansize) & mastered at Abbey Road by the iconic Frank Arkwright (Mogwai), the EP was completed with the collaboration of some his favourite musicians including Chris Duffin (Drahla, Virginia Wing), James Saddington (Eaststrikewest, Bridesmaid) and Ben Weedon (Maybeshewill).

From the electronica defining lo-fi shoegaze of opener Title Sequence through to the primal darkness of intriguing, mysterious instrumental closer Against / Social / Media, this beguiling collection of six tracks takes you on a brooding and dramatic musical journey to places your mind has never been before.

The industrial synth-heavy sinister beats of the iconic first single from the EP, Coming Up For Air, bring to mind echoes of a shadowy Radiohead where Jonathan’s vocals reflect Thom Yorke’s but with a hint of something more theatrical, like a symbiosis with Mark Almond. It is all deliciously enigmatic and murky and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This feeling bleeds into the teasing ambiguity of The Chauffer with its hushed, almost mumbled vocals and jazz infused drums. The slightly anarchic keyboards add a touch of the arcane and transcendental to another superbly cryptic piece of music.

The wistful, sepia tinged vibes of A Quiet Dedication reverberate delightfully before the calm solitude of Slow This Down (Epilogue) with its pensive and sombre tone, lays a forlorn, contemplative blanket across your soul.

Never be afraid to challenge yourself and listen to something different, I found the eclectic and evocative wonder of ‘An Unshakable Demon’ really hit home with me. There’s a knowing feel of contrast and distinction about this perceptive release and a pride of being different inherent in every note. One of this year’s most enlightening releases and one that still intrigues me after every listen.

Released 24th September, 2021

An Unshakable Demon by The Holy Road – DistroKid

The Holy Road To Release Debut EP ‘An Unshakable Demon’ 24th September.

Composer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Jonathan Stolber has had a diverse, yet successful, career in music to date. Creating a propulsive electronic sound, Stolber would go on to perform with the likes of Her Name Is Calla, Guillemots and 65 Days Of Static, before going on to front cinematic art-rock outfit, To Bury A Ghost.

Now, having collected numerous individual awards including a twice nominated BBC Introducing artist as well as being selected by the BBC to represent Northamptonshire music at their Abbey Road Masterclass Session, Stolber has re-emerged under the guise of The Holy Road. Fresh off the back of his Nils Frahm curated Piano Day release in aid of tinychanges.com (to help raise mental health awareness), Stolber has spent “the most ridiculous year of our lives so far” locked in his studio putting the final touches to his first EP, An Unshakeable Demon.

Mixed by legendary engineer Steven Durose (Oceansize) & mastered at Abbey Road by the iconic Frank Arkwright (Mogwai), An Unshakeable Demon is a bristling, industrial collection of synth-heavy songwriting; theatrical, brooding and ominous. Tackling themes of mental health heightened by the pandemic, and exacerbated by social media, Stolber confronts issues we all face in reemerging into a post-COVID world. From the shoegaze synth-heavy opener ‘Title Sequence’, and forthcoming single Coming Up For Air abrasively unfurling with malignant intent, to the progressive instrumentals of the Explosions In The Sky inspired closer Against / Social / Media, An Unshakeable Demon effortlessly undulates from genre to genre throughout the eclectic six track EP.

Having spent the lockdown remotely collaborating with a cavalcade of his favourite musicians including Chris Duffin (Drahla, Virginia Wing), James Saddington (Eaststrikewest, Bridesmaid) and Ben Weedon (Maybeshewill), The Holy Road is now eager to share the evocative, diverse sound of An Unshakeable Demon with the world.

An Unshakeable Demon is is out on 24th September 2021.

An Unshakable Demon by The Holy Road – DistroKid

Tracks:

  1. Title Sequence (Fade In)
  2. Coming Up For Air
  3. The Chauffeur
  4. A Quiet Dedication
  5. Slow This Down
  6. Against/Social/Media

Check out the first single from the album – ‘Coming Up For Air’:

The Holy Road to Release 2 Track Download on ‘Piano Day’ – 28th March

These two tracks mark the fervent debut solo offering from erstwhile frontman/songwriter/misery troubadour Jonathan Stolber of the much loved To Bury A Ghost (“one of our favourite records of
 the year” – EchoesandDust.com)  

The Northampton based, former Abbey Road Masterclass graduate & twice-nominated BBC Weekender Artist returns this Piano Day with two deep cuts culled from forthcoming debut LP, “For The Blood Of England.”

The Minotaur (Mesto in A-Minor) is a majestic, blistering neo-classical piano-led instrumental that builds upon Stolber’s plaintive Michael Nyman-esque performance and will feature on this year’s Piano Day playlist. Backed by a searing string quintet, the song slowly evolves into a grandiose cinematic crescendo as a colossal thundering funeral march evokes an apocalyptic cacophony. The track is reminiscent in parts of Hope Of The States & Hans Zimmer and features live performances from some of the UK’s most talented string players, including David Dhonau (Her Name Is Calla) and Beni Weedon (Maybeshewill).

Slow It Down paints a different sonic picture. A dense symphony of discordant, glacial synths swell into an explosive wash of plucked harp and angelic, tumbling choir, whilst Stolber delivers his trademark vocal: a fragile, intimate croon that recalls early Elbow & ‘Kid A’ era Radiohead.

Mixed by Leeds producer James Kenosha (Grammatics / Dry The River) and mastered by John Davis
(Manic Street Preachers / Bloc Party / Joy Division).

Stolber has to date, had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many celebrated acts, including 65 Days of Static, James Yuill & Her Name Is Calla. The BBC, Drowned in Sound, Echoes & Dust, Gold Flake Paint, The 405, Sound Of Violence,John Kennedy and Gil Mills have all expressed support of his previous releases.

These two tracks serve as a gorgeous appetite-whetter ahead of the full debut scheduled for release later in 2020.

All proceeds from the Bandcamp download ‘The Minotaur’ will be donated in aid of mental health awareness : www.tinychanges.com