James Petralli fronts garage-bred Texas band White Denim, but this year he's branching out by releasing an album under the name Bop English. The debut record from this project is called Constant Bop, and it will be out on April 14 through Fontana North/Downtown Records.
While Bop English is Petralli's solo moniker, Constant Bop isn't a solo record in the strictest sense of the term, since a press release describes it as "widely collaborative." The 10 songs were made over the course of four years, totalling more than 100 days in the studio.
All of Petralli's White Denim bandmates play on the record, as does former Shearwater bassist Kevin Schneider. Production was contributed by Jim Vollentine, Ryan Joseph, Nick Joswick and Matt Oliver. All told, there are "dozens of musicians" on the album, and none of the contributors ever played in the same room at the same time.
Inspirations are reportedly as diverse as Bob Dylan, Jeff Lyne, LL Cool J and Santana, and the result is said to be "a record that jumps from vocoder use on a '60s jazz-influenced jam to sampled 808 kicks on country numbers."
For a taste of the diverse style, hear the track "Dani's Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control)" below. It sports bluesy barroom piano before going widescreen and incorporating colourful pop-rock textures.
Constant Bop:
1. Dani's Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control)
2. Struck Matches
3. Trying
4. Have I Got It Wrong
5. Fake Dog
6. Willy Spends An Evening
7. Sentimental Wilderness
8. Falling At Your Feet
9. The Hardest Way
10. Long Distance Runner
While Bop English is Petralli's solo moniker, Constant Bop isn't a solo record in the strictest sense of the term, since a press release describes it as "widely collaborative." The 10 songs were made over the course of four years, totalling more than 100 days in the studio.
All of Petralli's White Denim bandmates play on the record, as does former Shearwater bassist Kevin Schneider. Production was contributed by Jim Vollentine, Ryan Joseph, Nick Joswick and Matt Oliver. All told, there are "dozens of musicians" on the album, and none of the contributors ever played in the same room at the same time.
Inspirations are reportedly as diverse as Bob Dylan, Jeff Lyne, LL Cool J and Santana, and the result is said to be "a record that jumps from vocoder use on a '60s jazz-influenced jam to sampled 808 kicks on country numbers."
For a taste of the diverse style, hear the track "Dani's Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control)" below. It sports bluesy barroom piano before going widescreen and incorporating colourful pop-rock textures.
Constant Bop:
1. Dani's Blues (It Was Beyond Our Control)
2. Struck Matches
3. Trying
4. Have I Got It Wrong
5. Fake Dog
6. Willy Spends An Evening
7. Sentimental Wilderness
8. Falling At Your Feet
9. The Hardest Way
10. Long Distance Runner
