Lambke, Steven

Steven Lambke has seen the music world from many angles - as a singer-songwriter performing as Baby Eagle, as a touring rock-and-roller as a member of the Constantines (Sub Pop Records), as the Creative Director of Sappyfest in Sackville, NB and as a co-founder of the artist-run label You've Changed Records. Lambke creates a DIY and artist-first free space on the margins of an industry driven by sales and a particular kind of recognition, careful about how he embodies his practice of art-making, and the work his music is doing in the world. On Volcano Volcano he is joined by long-time collaborators Daniel Romano and David Nardi (also of Daniel Romano's Outift), and emerging superstar songwriter Carson McHone (Merge Records) for a joy-filled album rich in poetry and guitars, community and friendship, and dreaming together a new world "re-ordered from below".

Days of Heaven is the stunning, intimate album by acclaimed songwriter Steven Lambke. The lyrics, pared to the poetic essentials and dealing with love, loss, and memory, are wise in their unknowing and sung in a quiet, true voice over rich layers of Lambke's own guitars. Tamara Lindeman of The Weather Station sings harmony and duet vocals throughout and created beautiful string arrangements with violinist Mika Posen (Timber Timbre, Agnes Obel). Darcy Hancock (Ladyhawk) and Ian Kehoe (of Marine Dreams) also appear. It's a rich, warm, and natural record, evoking the spirit of early Leonard Cohen, the raw curiousity of Tim Hardin, or the recent spare work of Bill Callahan.

Dark Blue is a celebration of ritual, a series of creation myths, a document of disruption, an attack on colonialism, a lament for environmental ruin, and evidence of endurance and transcendence. It is a product of this time. Dark Blue marks the 10 th anniversary of You've Changed Records, the label co-founded in 2009 by Steven Lambke and Daniel Romano. It's a long overdue collaboration between these independent and prolific artists, as Romano brings the full array of his multi-instrumental skill and production talents to Lambke's songs. Built out of a visceral swirl of narrative images, Dark Blue combines evocative poetry with a loose, confident energy, and guitar work reminiscent of Lambke's long career with indie legends The Constantines (Sub Pop Records). Dark Blue is as intimate as a prophecy, as resonant as a revelation.