Experimental outfit Skeletons have performed in a variety of setups over the years, including Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys, and Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities. Their latest incarnation is Skeletons Big Band, and its with this format that the group will release their next album. Entitled The Bus, it will be out on September 18 through Shinkoyo.
A press release notes that the album features more than 20 players, making for a "raw, cinematic, melancholy experience." In a statement, frontman Matt Mehlan described the band as a "chamber orchestra: string section, woodwinds, brass, percussion." The songs were written with "just enough on the page to constitute a song and the rest was up to the players."
The entire collection was inspired by a poem Mehlan wrote on a Greyhound bus trip from Columbus, OH to Chicago, IL. He said that the album is a "ghost narrative" that "tells a story, without telling too much. It's up to you to fill in the gaps." Stream the closing track, "Pencilneck," down at the bottom of the page.
The Bus will be released in two different vinyl editions. One is limited to 200 standard white vinyl copies, while the other is limited to just 100 and includes a collection of digital bonus material called Chicago to Elyria, along with prints of scores, poems, photos and more. You can pre-order the album here and get an instant download of the release.
The Bus:
1. Numbers (1)
2. We're the Boss
3. Tell Him Yr Name, Ann
4. Box of Crayons
5. I'm Dying to Meet You
6. On Time
7. Pencilneck
A press release notes that the album features more than 20 players, making for a "raw, cinematic, melancholy experience." In a statement, frontman Matt Mehlan described the band as a "chamber orchestra: string section, woodwinds, brass, percussion." The songs were written with "just enough on the page to constitute a song and the rest was up to the players."
The entire collection was inspired by a poem Mehlan wrote on a Greyhound bus trip from Columbus, OH to Chicago, IL. He said that the album is a "ghost narrative" that "tells a story, without telling too much. It's up to you to fill in the gaps." Stream the closing track, "Pencilneck," down at the bottom of the page.
The Bus will be released in two different vinyl editions. One is limited to 200 standard white vinyl copies, while the other is limited to just 100 and includes a collection of digital bonus material called Chicago to Elyria, along with prints of scores, poems, photos and more. You can pre-order the album here and get an instant download of the release.
The Bus:
1. Numbers (1)
2. We're the Boss
3. Tell Him Yr Name, Ann
4. Box of Crayons
5. I'm Dying to Meet You
6. On Time
7. Pencilneck