Six years after the release of his previous album “Landau”, Toronto`s

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TOM134CD
CD – UPC 656605673424
APRIL 13, 2010
CD / LP
STANDARD JEWELCASE
30 (CD) / 10 (LP)
POP
EU
LP – UPC 656605673417
NYC, CHICAGO, LA, SAN FRANCISCO,
PORTLAND, TORONTO (CA), MONTREAL (CA)
VINYL NON-RETURNABLE
Six years after the release of his previous album
“Landau”, Toronto's Chris A. Cummings, a.k.a.
Mantler, is set to release his highly anticipated
fourth album Monody in March 2010. The album
will be made available via Tomlab in continental
Europe, Japan and the USA, and through exciting
new partners Tin Angel in the UK and Ireland,
and Blocks Recording Club in Canada.
An artist who continuously pushes the production
envelope, Mantler’s albums to date have each
brought their own unique sound. Mantler’s first
album, “Doin' It All” (2000), was recorded almost
entirely with a densely multi-tracked wurlitzer, a
Rhythm Ace drum machine, and drums sampled
on a primitive 1980s sampler. His second album
“Sadisfaction” (2002) was more expansive, sedate
and"rock"-like while the third album, “Landau”
(2004), featuring tighter songs and brighter
production, was intended as a tribute to the R&B
sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s (the
album was frequently compared to Steely Dan).
Mantler’s new album, Monody, combines the best
elements of the previous albums to create a
grander, more epic version of his sound - the
density of “Doin' It All”, the sedate quality of
“Sadisfaction”, and the songwriting focus of
“Landau”.
• Jeremy Greenspan (Junior Boys) and Leon
Taheny (Final Fantasy, Bruce Peninsula)
each produced 2 tracks
• Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) did brass
arrangements on two tracks.
• Monody is combining elements from soul,
rock, r&b, jazz
Combining soul, rock, r&b, jazz and various other
influences, the sound of Monody, which means “a
sad melody” or “a single melody”, is hard to pin
down. Mantler further elaborates: "I like it when a
'normal' artist tries to make a 'weird' album, like
Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, or when a 'weird' artist
tries to make a 'normal' album, like Archie
Shepp's Attica Blues. Somewhere between Tusk
and Attica Blues, that's the area I'm aiming for,
conceptually. Even if the end result sounds
nothing like either of those two albums!"
To help achieve this junction of influences,
Mantler teamed up with a plethora of talented
collaborators. Six tracks on the album were
produced by longtime Mantler producer Zack G,
while Jeremy Greenspan (Junior Boys) and Leon
Taheny (Final Fantasy, Bruce Peninsula) each
produced 2 tracks and Owen Pallett (Final
Fantasy) did brass arrangements on two tracks.
The roster of acclaimed guest musicians
includes: Constellation artist and Toronto music
guru Sandro Perri, ex-Montrealer and Local
Rabbit Ben Gunning, the Ohbijou string section
(Jennifer Mecija and Anissa Hart), two of the mad
geniuses behind The Silt (Ryan Driver and
Marcus Quin), Ernest Agbuya and Matias
Rozenberg of The Matias Band (of which Mantler
is also a member), Sam Allison and Teilhard
Frost of Sheesham and Lotus, as well as longtime
backing vocalist Dennis Frey.
• Nationwide servicing to press and radio
• Promotional CDs and press kits are
available upon request
Mantler’s exquisite vocals, remarkable
craftsmanship, and adeptness at creating unique
musical moments reaches its pinnacle on Monody.
1.
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4.
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Fortune Smiled Again
Childman
Also Close To The Rainbow
Monody
Fresh And Fair
Author
Breaking Past The Day
Crying At The Movies
Maiden Name
In Stride
Mount Shasta
Running Time
TOMLAB
Maybachstr. 96
50670 Cologne
promo@tomlab.com
43:22 min