Well the album has been out for a while, a few months now but I guess that’s still pretty new really. It was released in the closing days or last weeks of 2015, last year. I picked it up in Brisbane record store called Rocking Horse a little while ago when I was over east, is that the right place to buy Ed Kuepper? Seems he’s from Queensland! Then the show at Fly-by was the album launch here in Western Australia. So I’m going to write a little about both album and gig here together.
So that’s the album cover above for Lost Cities which is painted by Judi Dransfield Kuepper who’s married to Ed, off-course. It’s lovely cover art and really is the visually match to the music on the disc. I’ve just read a little interview with Kuepper today which kicked me to finish writing this post. He’s talking about his writer’s block and getting depressing about it all but finding away out of which this album is the final product. It’s been almost ten years since his last album of new music, Jean Lee and the Yellow Dog was released in September 2007 so that more like nine years. Once again I’ll just have to say that’s yet another album I just have to write a classic album post about, I really need to write some more of them because it’s turning into bit of long list now.
He’s been busy in that time and not been totally quiet, he’s done the soundtrack to the successful Aussie movie The Last Cab To Darwin only last year and before that’s the last couple of tours have been request shows which was a brilliant idea. Plus he’s been releasing some old bootleg live recordings which is on a label he’s started himself called Prince Melon.
So at the show Kuepper played the whole album in full plus some others before and after, like Horse Under Water right at the start and then it’s sequel What You Don’t Know, saying something like the first song is from the man’s view of a women leaving him and then second track is from the woman’s point of view and both songs set as the Berlin Wall coming down and the woman climb over it to escape. At the end of the night did The Saints‘ Messin’ With The Kid and Laughing Clowns‘ Eternally Yours to finish but did Rue The Day, The Way I Make You Feel, Everything Belongs To You, it was a big storm in Freo that night so he kind-off had to do Electrical Storm too. Have I missed any songs? Oh I forgot Honey Steel’s Gold, I’ve never seen him do that one so how could I forget that? So that’s kind-off the setlist.
All these and this was totally solo, his guitars drowning in effects and pedals. He did say it’s a lot to remember and some people have it all program now all they do is press one button and it’s done because he always playing with all this stuff. If you never seen him live he has a road cases and milk crates with all his gear piled up on them.
I’ve got right down the front this time, it’s was better than last time too I did have a now ex-gf with me, last time we sat right up the back and she just bitched about everyone was old or drunk or both and then also keep saying she’s tired or bored or both, it’s like why did you come along? Oh, another time with a different now ex-gf we sat up the back. It’s like that HTRK song Eat Yr Heart with the lyrics “Girls move to the back, Boys move to the front” because the best time was at a table front and center with just a mate, also that was the first request show I got to see, great gig. Well this one was pretty great too, it’s first one I’ve seen at the “new” Fly-By too, now at the old Victoria Hall which pretty cool venue.
The albums also just Ed Kuepper totally solo, for his other solo albums he’s has had bands backing up over the years, mainly only drummers and bassist. So this is a little different, it’s one of his most beautiful maybe because of dropping those extra players and stripping right back to just him and his guitar but maybe that could just be me, could it? I love it when artists do that, it just makes everything so much more well, beautiful. It just creates a much more personal experience even if your in a room full of people. Lost Cities album seems to me be very atmospheric or should say it’s just has atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure like your flowing above the clouds or something.
I’ve got to rate it five cities that have been lost out of five, it’s the most prefect and wonderful new album I’ve listen to since starting this blog and if Ed Kuepper comes to your lost city please go, check him out, it will be a great night of his music.
I’ve now just to finish off I got to included the opening song from the album here. Kuepper did say Pavane means basically slow dance so hit play and dance real slow to it, if you like too.
Lost Cities tracklisting:
1. Pavane – 5:07
2. Friends With the Leader – 4:26
3. Free Passage to Mars – 3:16
4. (It’s) Never Too Late – 3:27
5. What Can I Leave You? – 3:33
6. The Ruins – 4:54
7. Fever Dream – 4:27
8. Some Said – 4:10
9. Queen of the Vale (That’s V.A.L.E.) – 5:50
a1000mistakes 