| David West with Teardrops |
Cherry On Willow (20/10/2017) |
David West — Cherry On Willow (20/10/2017) 
•→√•→ ≡ David West is a musical artist from Western Australia based in New York City. He’s been active in the shifting sands of underground pop for over a decade. Not dissimilar to the main character in Star Wars, his musical career began in a backwater desert village, in this case, Perth, before he migrated to more glittering metropolises like San Francisco and Melbourne, and finally landing in his current home of New York.
•→√•→ ≡ He presently plays in the contemporary outfits Rat Columns, Rank/Xerox and Liberation. In the past he has participated in such groups as Lace Curtain, Burning Sensation and Total Control. DW began releasing eponymous platters in 2015 with the Night People/Happy Endin’ full~length cassette Drop Out Of Collage.
≡ This was followed in 2016 by the Peace Or Love LP which featured the radio semi~hit ‘Dream On Dreamer’. DW’s move into the “own~name” category of artists came as his other bands began to develop defined identities. He felt that recording under his own name would be an excellent umbrella for both roving experimentation and a more frivolous, post~modern style of pop music that would not fit in the frameworks of his other projects. Also, after crafting band names for over a decade, it was just time.
≡ Cherry On Willow is DW’s audio pop vision for 2017. It differs from the last two DW releases by introducing a more collaborative framework, creating the backing group Teardrops — an open ensemble of friends and collaborators, including Bob Jones of Eaters, Louis Hooper of Rat Columns, Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Raven Mahon of Grass Widow, dynamite drummer Griffin Harrison and other supremely talented individuals from the past and future.
≡ The recordings were quite live and spontaneous, hoping to catch some of the magic involved in speed and improvisation, harvesting creative sparks from his musical colleagues and himself.
≡ The album was recorded in various places in the latter half of 2016 — by DW in his practice space in New York City; in a rental rehearsal room in Glasgow; and a garage studio in Guildford, Western Australia, where Rat Columns’ recent LP Candle Power was also recorded. Cherry On Willow was recorded quickly and with a ‘first thought best thought’ philosophy, to capture an old~school pop feeling, with rough edges intact, human movements tracked and uncut. Swiping liberally from various strains of underground pop, glam, rock’n’roll, synth~pop and disco.
≡ RIYL: Felt, The Wake, Orange Juice, The Pastels, Feelies, Belle and Sebastian, Rat Columns.
Location: Perth, Western Australia based in New York City
Album release: 20/10/2017
Styles: Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Synth Pop, Noise~Rock, Indie Electronic
Recording Location: Glasgow, Guildford, New York City, Rye, Victoria
Record Label: TOUGH LOVE RECORDS
Duration: 36:17
Tracks:
1. Morning Rain 2:40
2. Cherry On Willow 3:35
3. Joy 2:16
4. Love Comes On 3:21
5. Time To Forget 6:06
6. Reds For The Blues 4:33
7. Soft 4:50
8. Swan’s Beat 5:02
9. Call Me Sometime 3:54
Credits:
≡ Tom Camp Vocals (Background)
≡ Joseph Carra Mastering
≡ Griffin Harrison Drums, Percussion
≡ Louis Hooper Drums, Percussion, Soloist, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
≡ Bob Jones Soloist
≡ Traianos Pakioufakis Cover Image
≡ Teardrops Primary Artist
≡ James Vinciguerra Drums
≡ Daniel Wagner Graphic Design
≡ David West Bass, Engineer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
≡ Mikey Young Engineer, Mixing, Soloist
In details:
THE PLAYERS:
♣ BOB JONES: GUITAR SOLOS ON “CHERRY ON WILLOW”, “SOFT” & “REDS FOR THE BLUES”
♣ GRIFFIN HARRISON: DRUMS ON “CHERRY ON WILLOW”, “JOY”, “SOFT” & “SWAN’S BEAT”, PERCUSSION
♣ MAX SCHNEIDER~SCHUMACHER: BASS ON “JOY”
♣ LOUIS HOOPER: DRUMS ON “MORNING RAIN”, “LOVE COMES ON” & “CALL ME SOMETIME” , SYNTHESIZER ON “SWAN’S BEAT” & “LOVE COMES ON”, PIANO SOLO ON “CALL ME SOMETIME”, BACKING VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”, PERCUSSION ON “SWAN’S BEAT”
♣ TOM CAMP: BACKING VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”
♣ RAVEN MAHON: VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”
♣ MIKEY YOUNG: SYNTHESIZER SOLOS ON “CALL ME SOMETIME”, GUITAR SOLOS ON “TIME TO FORGET”
♣ JAMES VINCIGUERRA: DRUMS ON “TIME TO FORGET”
♣ DAVID WEST: VOCALS, GUITAR, BASS, SYNTHESIZER, PIANO
—
♣ RECORDED BY DW IN NEW YORK CITY, GLASGOW & GUILDFORD
♣ DRUMS AND GUITARS ON “TIME TO FORGET” RECORDED BY MIKEY YOUNG IN RYE, VICTORIA
♣ MIXED BY MIKEY YOUNG IN RYE, VICTORIA
♣ MASTERED BY JOSEPH CARRA AT CRYSTAL MASTERING, MELBOURNE
♣ GRAPHIC DESIGN BY DANIEL WAGNER
♣ COVER IMAGE BY TRAIANOS PAKIOUFAKIS
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ****
♣••♣ David West could have kicked back and taken the rest of 2017 off. He’d already conquered it with his band Rat Columns and their excellent album Candle Power, but he’s not the kind of guy to settle for one album when two could be made. So he went ahead and released his second solo album, Cherry on Willow, and proceeded to win the year even further. Recorded in a few different locations with a loose collection of friends who included Louis Hooper of Rat Columns, Raven Mahon of Grass Widow, drummer Griffin Harrison, Bob Jones of Eaters, and the only guy busier than he is, Mikey Young, the album is an improvement on West’s solid debut, Peace or Love. Focused where that album was scattered, Cherry on Willow is top~heavy with sparkling pop songs that have sparse arrangements and easygoing hooks that may seem shallow on first listen, but sink in deeply over a few spins. West’s understated vocals and idiosyncratic lyrics pair perfectly with the simple guitar~bass~drums~and~occasional~keys approach that most of the record’s songs employ. Simple, but remarkably effective, as tracks like the T. Rex~ian title track and the midnight funky “Love Comes On” show. When a song’s basic tracks are so stripped down, every little thing added to the mix becomes important, and West proves a master at the tweaks and extra bits that make the songs pop like crazy. He also brings some synthy melancholy into the album with the long dub dirge of “Time to Forget” and dub disco of “Swan’s Beat” and, as expected, shows a mastery of this form too. To balance these moments of shade, he throws the blinds open on a couple of the tenderest pop tunes he’s laid down in his short and insanely busy career. “Call Me Sometime” sports some corny barroom piano and a loping beat, and only needs some falsetto to sound like a lost Leo Sayer album track; “Reds for the Blues” features West’s most openhearted vocal on the record and some peppy guitar chunks. Then, just to prove he doesn’t miss a trick, there’s a genius bit of disco~pop near the end of the record, “Soft,” where West makes it clear that he could have hits if he wanted to (and if the world of pop music were totally different). It makes for the kind of record that feels like a summation of all the good things West has done, wrapped up in one shiny package for anyone who has heard his past works to enjoy. It’s also a perfect place to discover just how well West can blend genres, sounds, and styles to make great modern pop music, all without seemingly breaking a sweat. ♣••♣ https://www.allmusic.com/
Bandcamp: https://davidwestmusic.bandcamp.com/album/cherry-on-willow
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/golddiscs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidwestmusicalartist/
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| David West with Teardrops |
Cherry On Willow (20/10/2017) |
•→√•→ ≡ He presently plays in the contemporary outfits Rat Columns, Rank/Xerox and Liberation. In the past he has participated in such groups as Lace Curtain, Burning Sensation and Total Control. DW began releasing eponymous platters in 2015 with the Night People/Happy Endin’ full~length cassette Drop Out Of Collage.
≡ This was followed in 2016 by the Peace Or Love LP which featured the radio semi~hit ‘Dream On Dreamer’. DW’s move into the “own~name” category of artists came as his other bands began to develop defined identities. He felt that recording under his own name would be an excellent umbrella for both roving experimentation and a more frivolous, post~modern style of pop music that would not fit in the frameworks of his other projects. Also, after crafting band names for over a decade, it was just time.
≡ Cherry On Willow is DW’s audio pop vision for 2017. It differs from the last two DW releases by introducing a more collaborative framework, creating the backing group Teardrops — an open ensemble of friends and collaborators, including Bob Jones of Eaters, Louis Hooper of Rat Columns, Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Raven Mahon of Grass Widow, dynamite drummer Griffin Harrison and other supremely talented individuals from the past and future.
≡ The recordings were quite live and spontaneous, hoping to catch some of the magic involved in speed and improvisation, harvesting creative sparks from his musical colleagues and himself.
≡ The album was recorded in various places in the latter half of 2016 — by DW in his practice space in New York City; in a rental rehearsal room in Glasgow; and a garage studio in Guildford, Western Australia, where Rat Columns’ recent LP Candle Power was also recorded. Cherry On Willow was recorded quickly and with a ‘first thought best thought’ philosophy, to capture an old~school pop feeling, with rough edges intact, human movements tracked and uncut. Swiping liberally from various strains of underground pop, glam, rock’n’roll, synth~pop and disco.
≡ RIYL: Felt, The Wake, Orange Juice, The Pastels, Feelies, Belle and Sebastian, Rat Columns.
Location: Perth, Western Australia based in New York City
Album release: 20/10/2017
Styles: Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Synth Pop, Noise~Rock, Indie Electronic
Recording Location: Glasgow, Guildford, New York City, Rye, Victoria
Record Label: TOUGH LOVE RECORDS
Duration: 36:17
Tracks:
1. Morning Rain 2:40
2. Cherry On Willow 3:35
3. Joy 2:16
4. Love Comes On 3:21
5. Time To Forget 6:06
6. Reds For The Blues 4:33
7. Soft 4:50
8. Swan’s Beat 5:02
9. Call Me Sometime 3:54
Credits:
≡ Tom Camp Vocals (Background)
≡ Joseph Carra Mastering
≡ Griffin Harrison Drums, Percussion
≡ Louis Hooper Drums, Percussion, Soloist, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background)
≡ Bob Jones Soloist
≡ Traianos Pakioufakis Cover Image
≡ Teardrops Primary Artist
≡ James Vinciguerra Drums
≡ Daniel Wagner Graphic Design
≡ David West Bass, Engineer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals
≡ Mikey Young Engineer, Mixing, Soloist
In details:
THE PLAYERS:
♣ BOB JONES: GUITAR SOLOS ON “CHERRY ON WILLOW”, “SOFT” & “REDS FOR THE BLUES”
♣ GRIFFIN HARRISON: DRUMS ON “CHERRY ON WILLOW”, “JOY”, “SOFT” & “SWAN’S BEAT”, PERCUSSION
♣ MAX SCHNEIDER~SCHUMACHER: BASS ON “JOY”
♣ LOUIS HOOPER: DRUMS ON “MORNING RAIN”, “LOVE COMES ON” & “CALL ME SOMETIME” , SYNTHESIZER ON “SWAN’S BEAT” & “LOVE COMES ON”, PIANO SOLO ON “CALL ME SOMETIME”, BACKING VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”, PERCUSSION ON “SWAN’S BEAT”
♣ TOM CAMP: BACKING VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”
♣ RAVEN MAHON: VOCALS ON “MORNING RAIN”
♣ MIKEY YOUNG: SYNTHESIZER SOLOS ON “CALL ME SOMETIME”, GUITAR SOLOS ON “TIME TO FORGET”
♣ JAMES VINCIGUERRA: DRUMS ON “TIME TO FORGET”
♣ DAVID WEST: VOCALS, GUITAR, BASS, SYNTHESIZER, PIANO
—
♣ RECORDED BY DW IN NEW YORK CITY, GLASGOW & GUILDFORD
♣ DRUMS AND GUITARS ON “TIME TO FORGET” RECORDED BY MIKEY YOUNG IN RYE, VICTORIA
♣ MIXED BY MIKEY YOUNG IN RYE, VICTORIA
♣ MASTERED BY JOSEPH CARRA AT CRYSTAL MASTERING, MELBOURNE
♣ GRAPHIC DESIGN BY DANIEL WAGNER
♣ COVER IMAGE BY TRAIANOS PAKIOUFAKIS
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ****
♣••♣ David West could have kicked back and taken the rest of 2017 off. He’d already conquered it with his band Rat Columns and their excellent album Candle Power, but he’s not the kind of guy to settle for one album when two could be made. So he went ahead and released his second solo album, Cherry on Willow, and proceeded to win the year even further. Recorded in a few different locations with a loose collection of friends who included Louis Hooper of Rat Columns, Raven Mahon of Grass Widow, drummer Griffin Harrison, Bob Jones of Eaters, and the only guy busier than he is, Mikey Young, the album is an improvement on West’s solid debut, Peace or Love. Focused where that album was scattered, Cherry on Willow is top~heavy with sparkling pop songs that have sparse arrangements and easygoing hooks that may seem shallow on first listen, but sink in deeply over a few spins. West’s understated vocals and idiosyncratic lyrics pair perfectly with the simple guitar~bass~drums~and~occasional~keys approach that most of the record’s songs employ. Simple, but remarkably effective, as tracks like the T. Rex~ian title track and the midnight funky “Love Comes On” show. When a song’s basic tracks are so stripped down, every little thing added to the mix becomes important, and West proves a master at the tweaks and extra bits that make the songs pop like crazy. He also brings some synthy melancholy into the album with the long dub dirge of “Time to Forget” and dub disco of “Swan’s Beat” and, as expected, shows a mastery of this form too. To balance these moments of shade, he throws the blinds open on a couple of the tenderest pop tunes he’s laid down in his short and insanely busy career. “Call Me Sometime” sports some corny barroom piano and a loping beat, and only needs some falsetto to sound like a lost Leo Sayer album track; “Reds for the Blues” features West’s most openhearted vocal on the record and some peppy guitar chunks. Then, just to prove he doesn’t miss a trick, there’s a genius bit of disco~pop near the end of the record, “Soft,” where West makes it clear that he could have hits if he wanted to (and if the world of pop music were totally different). It makes for the kind of record that feels like a summation of all the good things West has done, wrapped up in one shiny package for anyone who has heard his past works to enjoy. It’s also a perfect place to discover just how well West can blend genres, sounds, and styles to make great modern pop music, all without seemingly breaking a sweat. ♣••♣ https://www.allmusic.com/
Bandcamp: https://davidwestmusic.bandcamp.com/album/cherry-on-willow
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/golddiscs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidwestmusicalartist/
ι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι•ιι