{"id":13358,"date":"2020-06-27T11:45:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-27T11:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skylight.gr\/?p=13358"},"modified":"2020-06-27T11:45:40","modified_gmt":"2020-06-27T11:45:40","slug":"professor-and-the-madman-reveal-the-new-dystopian-rock-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/2020\/06\/27\/professor-and-the-madman-reveal-the-new-dystopian-rock-album\/","title":{"rendered":"PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN REVEAL THE NEW DYSTOPIAN ROCK ALBUM!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Professor and the Madman, a musical group comprised of veterans from both the U.S. and UK rock scenes, will release a new album,\u00a0S\u00e9ance,\u00a0<\/em>on November 13, 2020.\u00a0S\u00e9ance\u00a0<\/em>will be available on yellow vinyl, CD, and digital download via Fullertone Records. Pre-order at\u00a0www.professorandthemadman.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The members of Professor and the Madman are vocalist\/guitarist Alfie Agnew<\/a> (Adolescents, D.I.), vocalist\/guitarist Sean Elliott<\/a> (D.I., Mind Over Four), bassist Paul Gray<\/a> (The Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods, U.F.O.), and drummer Rat Scabies<\/a> (formerly of The Damned).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co–produced by Elliott and Agnew, S\u00e9ance<\/em>‘s dozen tracks are linked by thematic threads in a manner similar to the classic rock \u201cconcept albums\u201d of the 1960s and 1970s. Elliott explains, \u201cThe overarching story concerns a group of friends who hold a s\u00e9ance in order to say one final farewell to friends who have passed. While in the supernatural fog they visit purgatory and hell. Ultimately, the nature of their reality gets a sobering check with a twist ending. Additional characters make appearances. All is not as it seems\u2026 \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The music that soundtracks the journey covers a kaleidoscopic array of rock styles. Throughout, Gray\u2019s basslines often take the lead\u2014wildly inventive and exploratory. On the album\u2019s title track, Gray\u2019s instrument provides dependable support as the story\u2019s main cast of characters take their first tentative steps into the afterlife. Agnew and Elliott build a wall of guitar, and Scabies propels the six-minute epic forward with muscular rhythms and frantic drum fills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Agnew-sung \u201cTime Machine\u201d recalls Brian Wilson and Weezer with its jaunty power pop bounce, while his \u201cThe Council of Purgatory\u201d is a breezy stroll reminiscent of Harry Nilsson. Elliott\u2019s \u201cReal Me\u201d finds the sweet spot linking Paisley Underground grooviness with Oasis sass. On \u201cTwo Tickets to the Afterlife,\u201d Elliott pulls the rug from under fans\u2019 expectations and delivers a high voltage shock rocker\u2014\u201cWe\u2019ve got thrills! We\u2019ve got pills! We\u2019ve got million dollar bills!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album is bookended by \u201cAll the Lonely Souls,\u201d a lysergic house of mirrors linking the world of the living to the realm of the dead. \u201cNew World\u201d bids a final farewell, and poses a warning, amid gently-strummed acoustic guitars.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new material is definitely eclectic,\u201d says Agnew. \u201cIt\u2019s less punk-influenced than our previous three studio albums. The 1960s and \u201870s musical influences are more pronounced. We\u2019re big fans of The Kinks, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, The Damned. Sean and I also had musical productions like\u00a0Jesus Christ Superstar<\/em>, Phantom of the Paradise, Tommy\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Hair\u00a0<\/em>in mind when writing this album.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rhythm section of Gray and Scabies are certainly no strangers to ambitious song cycles, having previously shared songwriting and instrumental credits on The Damned\u2019s\u00a0The Black Album\u00a0<\/em>(1980), and Scabies being an integral contributor to that same group\u2019s gothic rock epic\u00a0Phantasmagoria\u00a0<\/em>(1985). \u201cAlfie and Sean are talented songwriters,\u201d says Scabies. \u201cWe\u2019ve recorded four albums via file sharing and I\u2019m always impressed by the high quality of the tunes they bring to me.\u201d Gray concurs: \u201cThose guys make absolutely honest music, the most exciting I\u2019ve heard in eons, and chock-full of melodies. When I first heard them, my thoughts were \u2018Damned meets Cheap Trick via The Kinks\u2019\u2014that\u2019s a pretty heady mixture!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sessions for\u00a0S\u00e9ance\u00a0<\/em>began in spring 2019 at Hollydale Studios in Fullerton, California, with Agnew and Elliott completing recording in March 2020. Scabies\u2019 drums were captured in Somerset UK and Gray\u2019s basslines in Cardiff UK. The album\u2019s bold cover caricature was drawn by Cliff Mott, a New York City-based artist who has designed book and album covers as well as poster art for the city\u2019s long-running \u201cLoser\u2019s Lounge\u201d series of tribute concerts.\u00a0www.cliffmott.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e9ance<\/em>: Tracklist
\u00a0
1. All the Lonely Souls (Voice: Elliott)
2. S\u00e9ance (Vocal: Elliott)
3. So Long (Vocal: Agnew)
4. Real Me (Vocal: Elliott)
5. A Child\u2019s Eyes (Vocal: Agnew)\u00a0
6. Time Machine (Vocal: Agnew)
7. Man With Nothing to Lose (Vocal: Elliott)
8. Two Tickets to the Afterlife (Vocal: Elliott)
9. The Council of Purgatory (Vocal: Agnew)
10. All the Lonely Souls (Reprise)
11. Greetings From the Other Side (Vocal: Elliott)
12. New World (Vocal: Elliott)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Produced, mixed & mastered by Sean Elliott and Alfie Agnew at Hollydale Studios, Fullerton, California; March 2019-March 2020
\u00a0
All songs by Professor and the Madman
\u00a0
Alfie Agnew: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, horn, tea kettle
Sean Elliott: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, horns, bamboo
Paul Gray: Bass guitar
Rat Scabies: Drums and percussion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAISE FOR\u00a0PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN’S\u00a0PREVIOUS ALBUM<\/strong>
\u201cDisintegrate Me<\/em>\u00a0is an infectious cocktail of power-pop\/rock, 60s British Invasion and melodic psychedelia. It’s rich, quality stuff.” \u2014 CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE<\/strong>

“The nine tracks on Disintegrate Me<\/em> are a mix of different styles showing a remarkable amount of creative vision. Much of the record hits a melodic punk\/Britpop sweet spot that harkens back to The Damned’s 1980 masterpiece, The Black Album<\/em>, and the best parts of Oasis’ catalog.” \u2014 ALTERNATIVE PRESS<\/strong>

“Disintegrate Me<\/em> is an unexpected gem, and one that doesn’t require knowledge of its creators’ prior work to love.” \u2014 BLURT\u00a0<\/strong>

“The Professor and the Madman has a class to teach.” \u2014 LA WEEKL<\/b>Y<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u00a0
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