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Hailing originally from Minneapolis Jeff Litman was born, it appears, with music flowing through his veins. By the end of his first decade he had already shown precocious abilities on the guitar and keyboards nailing the hair metal repertoires of Bon Jovi and Motley Crue and soon after that the songbooks of Metallica and Nirvana were also learnt and mastered. Already reaching out to find new music the young Litman soon became aware of the local music scene and no wonder when you consider that at that point in time Minneapolis boasted the likes of The Jayhawks, The Replacements and the legendary Trip Shakespeare as home town talent. At high school he fell in love with the likes of Jellyfish, The Beatles, Jason Falkner, The Beach Boys and Elvis Costello and thus began a passion for melodic guitar pop that continues to this day. If you check out his list of musical influences up on his my space page there’s a lot of adoration ground shared with that of this here blog, Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Bleu, Dan Wilson and XTC amongst them. Jeff thought so as well because while surfing t’internet for news on Jason Falkner’s new album he stumbled upon Art Into Dust and got in touch with me with an offer to send his album Postscript for my consideration. We exchanged a few emails on the subject of our mutual love of all things Falknerish and Trip Shakespearian and last week as promised his debut album arrived on my doormat. "Debut album?" I hear you ask, "what took him so long?" Well such was his mastery of the frets that back at the start of this century, instead of forming a band he enrolled in Indiana University’s renowned jazz programme and from there he became immersed in classical music. Between 2004 and 2006 he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and emerged from that with a master’s degree in classical guitar performance. Going onto start a doctoral study at the City University in New York last year and was well on the way to becoming a full time classical musician. Luckily for all us power pop fiends out there he had an epiphany of the "why I picked up a guitar in the first place" variety and dropped out of school and got his pop socks on. Well what can I say except Postscript has not been far from my CD player all week. Looking back to our shared list of musical greats above on my part I can, without a single moment’s hesitation, drop the name Jeff Litman into my version with a confident ease that is most becoming.
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On Postscript Jeff delivers all the things you could fervently wish for in a top flight pop album. Beautifully addictive melodies that charm at the start of each track and are lodged in the heart’s memory by the end, so by the second play they are already familiar friends. Vocally he has our good fortune to possess one of those perfect honey tinged pop voices, like Warren Zanes, Sean Watkins, Bobby Sutcliff and Chris Stamey. Musically he has been compare to Michael Penn and Jason Falkner though I’d also melodic hook wise want to throw Owsley into the potent musical stew on offer. While he’s not as god damned epic as Falkner (but then who is as god damn epic as JF?) the playing and arrangements are deep and sophisticated with a subtle originality that grows with each new listen. Jeff plays the lion’s share of the instruments on this album and like Falkner and Roger Klug he sounds like a band, the music alive with passion and tension, the production is wonderfully detailed and warm. Considering all the virtuosity at his fingertips the playing is admirable restrained while broad of pallet. There’s no playing for the sake of playing, he never once loses sight of what the album should be and every note feels sympathetically chosen with that in mind. The pop foundation is never recreationist, even if the field is familiar, what grows in it is new and unique to this album.
On Postscript Jeff delivers all the things you could fervently wish for in a top flight pop album. Beautifully addictive melodies that charm at the start of each track and are lodged in the heart’s memory by the end, so by the second play they are already familiar friends. Vocally he has our good fortune to possess one of those perfect honey tinged pop voices, like Warren Zanes, Sean Watkins, Bobby Sutcliff and Chris Stamey. Musically he has been compare to Michael Penn and Jason Falkner though I’d also melodic hook wise want to throw Owsley into the potent musical stew on offer. While he’s not as god damned epic as Falkner (but then who is as god damn epic as JF?) the playing and arrangements are deep and sophisticated with a subtle originality that grows with each new listen. Jeff plays the lion’s share of the instruments on this album and like Falkner and Roger Klug he sounds like a band, the music alive with passion and tension, the production is wonderfully detailed and warm. Considering all the virtuosity at his fingertips the playing is admirable restrained while broad of pallet. There’s no playing for the sake of playing, he never once loses sight of what the album should be and every note feels sympathetically chosen with that in mind. The pop foundation is never recreationist, even if the field is familiar, what grows in it is new and unique to this album.
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The other main player, as well as co-producer and co-arranger, is Andy Thompson who was involved with Dan Wilson’s wonderful debut album Free Life and even more excitingly played keyboards with no other than Trip Shakespeare at their legendary reunion show of a few years back. Cannot argue with that pedigree. Lyrically is where the Penn comparison comes into play because the album is a passionate, literate, growing up journey through the trails and tribulations of loving someone who does not deserve that love in the first place. The album starts off sweetly enough, the first eight lines of Anna are an ode to the sweet joys of love but the very next line brings that oh oh sinking feeling to the proceedings and it all descends into emotional chaos from there. The sad echoes and resonance of the unrequited then requited but not quite, is heartrendingly familiar to any of us who have been crucified on the cruel vanity of a woman. Peter Hammill told a similar story of love, loss and betrayal on his emotionally punishing but glorious album "Over" many years ago, but while his journey was directed in clear cut stages, Postscript feels more like the real thing. At first it’s all over the place emotionally, the week to week struggle of trying to make sense of what’s happening and the, at first, vain attempts of trying to align the truth of the mind with the lies the heart clings to. Each song deals with a different aspect of this struggle to be free from the curse of loving the wrong woman. "Complicate" is about that hopeless hope that despite your best intentions will not die. "Wife" is a delicate string laden beauty wrapped in romance. On it’s own its a heart on your sleeve love song, within the context of the album though it becomes a doomed desperate dream that love really can conquer all. "Everything You’re Not" feels like a impassioned plea for the easy way out while "Knock Me Down" is a ghost story about being haunted by someone who is no longer in your life but still in your heart everyday. The roll of the songs makes it feel like every seeming break through just throws up another emotional avenue to be walked down until you eventually start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The structure of this album reflects the tides and eddies of this process perfectly and its author has the empathic warmth and emotional truth vocally to make you feel your listening to a sharing friend.. And as the circle turns so slowly comes the redemption and the healing as she is finally exorcised and all her wrongs are exposed and your love for her blissfully falls away. Postscript finishes with that vital realisation, that healing truth that finally sets you free. "No it wasn’t me..it was you" is the last line that Jeff sings and it drags you back to the very moments you said these very words to yourself. It’s a perfect end to a perfect album drenched in real emotion, a sad but uplifting testament to how the heart endures and the eventual triumph of the positives in yourself over the negatives another has so selfishly cast on you.
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Whew… okay I might have got a bit deep there for a moment but that is maybe reflective of the empathic power at the heart of this album. I would be quick to add this album is no mere miseryfest, quite the opposite in fact. There’s no hate here, no bitterness that is not discarded by the end, just the thought that love is such a wonderful thing that when it is abused it becomes such a terrible thing. Peter Hammill’s album was so raw, so punishing at points, so draining that you really had to be in the mood to face it again. Jeff Litman’s album is, on another level, a beautiful pop treat for the ears, so full of invention and charming melodies that it is a pleasure to listen to at anytime. Hammill puts you through the emotional wringer whether you like it or not, Jeff is more, I’ve been there, I understand.
For all the useful musical comparisons I’ve made above it becomes quickly apparent that Jeff Litman is a welcome individual voice in his own right and an amazingly new talent to be cherished. Postscript is such a great album in so many ways that I cannot recommend it enough.
Whew… okay I might have got a bit deep there for a moment but that is maybe reflective of the empathic power at the heart of this album. I would be quick to add this album is no mere miseryfest, quite the opposite in fact. There’s no hate here, no bitterness that is not discarded by the end, just the thought that love is such a wonderful thing that when it is abused it becomes such a terrible thing. Peter Hammill’s album was so raw, so punishing at points, so draining that you really had to be in the mood to face it again. Jeff Litman’s album is, on another level, a beautiful pop treat for the ears, so full of invention and charming melodies that it is a pleasure to listen to at anytime. Hammill puts you through the emotional wringer whether you like it or not, Jeff is more, I’ve been there, I understand.
For all the useful musical comparisons I’ve made above it becomes quickly apparent that Jeff Litman is a welcome individual voice in his own right and an amazingly new talent to be cherished. Postscript is such a great album in so many ways that I cannot recommend it enough.
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Jeff kindly agreed to do an interview for Art Into Dust (the first time such a thing has been done)
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Can you talk about your own song writing process?
It really is different from song to song. It usually starts with a chord progression, a melody, or some lyrical phrase or song title that gets stuck in my head. From there I will write the music and lyrics more or less at the same time. I'll sing gibberish until a word or phrase start to emerge. Whatever comes out will give me an idea of what I want the song to be about lyrically, and I'll go from there. I like to finish a song (or at least a rough draft) in one sitting, fairly quickly. From there I'll edit a lyric here or a melody/chord there, but generally the song stays in tact. I do this because I'm easily distracted, and if I leave a song unfinished, I often won't get back to it. However, there are exceptions, and sometimes I do finish something that I recorded on my little tape recorder a year ago and forgot about. Sometimes it takes the passage of time to decide what to do with it. On rare occasions, I'll kind of wake up with a song more or less finished. "It Wasn't Me" was one of those. It’s weird, and a lot of artists talk about this. It’s like someone else wrote it, and gave it to me in my dreams. That doesn't happen too often though! In general, I can come up with melodies and chord progressions almost on cue. Because I've listened and studied so much music over the years, I kind of know what I like. It’s lyrics that demand a little more introspection and inspiration. Sometimes, I’m having a good day, and I just don’t feel up to going down that road emotionally, or I’m lazy and don’t want to do the work. Anyway, I don’t know if that answers your question. Basically, it’s just different from song to song!
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Can you talk about your own song writing process?
It really is different from song to song. It usually starts with a chord progression, a melody, or some lyrical phrase or song title that gets stuck in my head. From there I will write the music and lyrics more or less at the same time. I'll sing gibberish until a word or phrase start to emerge. Whatever comes out will give me an idea of what I want the song to be about lyrically, and I'll go from there. I like to finish a song (or at least a rough draft) in one sitting, fairly quickly. From there I'll edit a lyric here or a melody/chord there, but generally the song stays in tact. I do this because I'm easily distracted, and if I leave a song unfinished, I often won't get back to it. However, there are exceptions, and sometimes I do finish something that I recorded on my little tape recorder a year ago and forgot about. Sometimes it takes the passage of time to decide what to do with it. On rare occasions, I'll kind of wake up with a song more or less finished. "It Wasn't Me" was one of those. It’s weird, and a lot of artists talk about this. It’s like someone else wrote it, and gave it to me in my dreams. That doesn't happen too often though! In general, I can come up with melodies and chord progressions almost on cue. Because I've listened and studied so much music over the years, I kind of know what I like. It’s lyrics that demand a little more introspection and inspiration. Sometimes, I’m having a good day, and I just don’t feel up to going down that road emotionally, or I’m lazy and don’t want to do the work. Anyway, I don’t know if that answers your question. Basically, it’s just different from song to song!
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How autobiographical are the songs on this album..I feel some of it is retelling of actual events while some is based on the thoughts engendered by your situation and then recalled. But then the actual lyric writing must have turned up new stuff to bring to the table. I don’t get the feeling that the album is a concept album as such more of a song cycle and as such where there other songs that were written that could have been part of this?
Yeah, that is pretty perceptive about that "song cycle" element. Over the years, I have really gotten into Schubert and Schumann song cycles like "Die schöne Müllerin" and "Dichterlibe," where there are a collection of songs on a theme, with a rough storyline, but it follows more of an emotional arc (much of it going on inside the protagonist’s head), and not a specific external plot line. I like exploring the emotional upheaval that goes along with experiences in more of an abstract, subjective way that isn’t necessarily tied to reason or even truth from an objective standpoint. That is why I wouldn’t consider this a "concept album," per se. Like you said, it is a collection of songs on a theme. Plus, much of the ordering of the tracks was dictated by purely musical elements (key, tempo, feel, etc), rather than lyrical ones.
How autobiographical are the songs on this album..I feel some of it is retelling of actual events while some is based on the thoughts engendered by your situation and then recalled. But then the actual lyric writing must have turned up new stuff to bring to the table. I don’t get the feeling that the album is a concept album as such more of a song cycle and as such where there other songs that were written that could have been part of this?
Yeah, that is pretty perceptive about that "song cycle" element. Over the years, I have really gotten into Schubert and Schumann song cycles like "Die schöne Müllerin" and "Dichterlibe," where there are a collection of songs on a theme, with a rough storyline, but it follows more of an emotional arc (much of it going on inside the protagonist’s head), and not a specific external plot line. I like exploring the emotional upheaval that goes along with experiences in more of an abstract, subjective way that isn’t necessarily tied to reason or even truth from an objective standpoint. That is why I wouldn’t consider this a "concept album," per se. Like you said, it is a collection of songs on a theme. Plus, much of the ordering of the tracks was dictated by purely musical elements (key, tempo, feel, etc), rather than lyrical ones.
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As for your initial question about how autobiographical these are, there was a relationship that I was in, that ended badly shortly after I moved to New York. The songs started out as my way of communicating what I was feeling with my ex, who I had lost contact with, but evolved into being much more about my personal feelings as I went through the process of mourning my old life, and finding a new one. Like many people who go through this, I found myself in a situation where all the assumptions and plans that I had made about my future where thrown out the window in one moment, and I started to question everything about my life. This led me to abandon my path as a classical guitarist, even though I love classical music, and focus my life on writing songs and playing pop/rock music. I always considered rock music to be my "first love," as it were, but never really considered making a career of it. I guess what my breakup taught me was that building a life on something that you are not totally passionate about (music, a job, a relationship, whatever), is too weak a foundation to survive, and you need to take risks to be happy…even if the idea of jumping off that cliff is terrifying, you’ve got to go for it. Otherwise, everything will fall apart anyway, and you’ll be left with nothing.
And yes, there were many other songs that didn’t make the album. I play some of them live, and hopefully I’ll find a home for them on future albums. The problem is, they don’t really relate to where I am in my life now, but they may start to trickle out in demo form on my website if I ever get my act together on that!
As for your initial question about how autobiographical these are, there was a relationship that I was in, that ended badly shortly after I moved to New York. The songs started out as my way of communicating what I was feeling with my ex, who I had lost contact with, but evolved into being much more about my personal feelings as I went through the process of mourning my old life, and finding a new one. Like many people who go through this, I found myself in a situation where all the assumptions and plans that I had made about my future where thrown out the window in one moment, and I started to question everything about my life. This led me to abandon my path as a classical guitarist, even though I love classical music, and focus my life on writing songs and playing pop/rock music. I always considered rock music to be my "first love," as it were, but never really considered making a career of it. I guess what my breakup taught me was that building a life on something that you are not totally passionate about (music, a job, a relationship, whatever), is too weak a foundation to survive, and you need to take risks to be happy…even if the idea of jumping off that cliff is terrifying, you’ve got to go for it. Otherwise, everything will fall apart anyway, and you’ll be left with nothing.
And yes, there were many other songs that didn’t make the album. I play some of them live, and hopefully I’ll find a home for them on future albums. The problem is, they don’t really relate to where I am in my life now, but they may start to trickle out in demo form on my website if I ever get my act together on that!
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What was the recording process like and how happy looking back are you with it now?
The recording process was really piecemeal, and took place in several sessions in NYC and Minneapolis. I would record demos in my little apartment studio at home in NYC, and I would send tracks to Andy Thompson, my co-producer and engineer. He’d give me feedback on the tunes, tracks, etc. He also helped me pick the songs for the record. These demos were all with programmed drums (I can’t play drums to save my life!). I did two week-long sessions in Minneapolis to record drums, guitars, lead vocals, and many other tracks that required a more involved studio with better gear than I had at home, not to mention Andy’s expertise as an engineer. After that, I took the basic tracks back to New York, and added all of the "icing on top," like background vocals, the odd guitar track here and there, some extra keys. I also recorded some friends out here, like Kelly Jones on Maine, Ellen Carpenter (Vocals), Diego Merino (flugelhorn), Meghan Miller (flute), Emily Dufour (cello), etc. I sent those tracks back to Andy, and he spiffed them up and mixed the record. He’d send me mixed tracks, I’d give my feedback, and we’d go back and forth for a while until we finished the thing and sent it off to the mastering engineer in Phoenix. At that point the record was out of our hands, and it was nice to let someone else with fresh ears do the final EQ and mastering.
What was the recording process like and how happy looking back are you with it now?
The recording process was really piecemeal, and took place in several sessions in NYC and Minneapolis. I would record demos in my little apartment studio at home in NYC, and I would send tracks to Andy Thompson, my co-producer and engineer. He’d give me feedback on the tunes, tracks, etc. He also helped me pick the songs for the record. These demos were all with programmed drums (I can’t play drums to save my life!). I did two week-long sessions in Minneapolis to record drums, guitars, lead vocals, and many other tracks that required a more involved studio with better gear than I had at home, not to mention Andy’s expertise as an engineer. After that, I took the basic tracks back to New York, and added all of the "icing on top," like background vocals, the odd guitar track here and there, some extra keys. I also recorded some friends out here, like Kelly Jones on Maine, Ellen Carpenter (Vocals), Diego Merino (flugelhorn), Meghan Miller (flute), Emily Dufour (cello), etc. I sent those tracks back to Andy, and he spiffed them up and mixed the record. He’d send me mixed tracks, I’d give my feedback, and we’d go back and forth for a while until we finished the thing and sent it off to the mastering engineer in Phoenix. At that point the record was out of our hands, and it was nice to let someone else with fresh ears do the final EQ and mastering.
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Looking back, I’m really happy with how the record turned out. I really took my time writing and planning it (over a year). I didn’t spend that much time in the actual studio, but the record was a result of a lot of thought and work over time. I don’t think you can rush a record like this, otherwise your self-editing process becomes compromised, and some sub-par songs and recordings make the final cut. As a songwriter, you’re often so enamored with the genius of your latest creation that you don’t know that something sucks until you’ve lived with it for a while. If you rush to record it, you’re stuck with it...forever!
I should add that Andy and I have known each other for most of our lives and played in bands together when we were kids, so it was lots of fun to get into the studio with him. He is really one of the most talented people I know. He can play so many instruments really well, is a great songwriter, and has really in-depth studio knowledge. I really learned a lot from working with him on this record, and definitely couldn’t have finished it as well without him. He kind of served as my "studio-professor" throughout the process.
Looking back, I’m really happy with how the record turned out. I really took my time writing and planning it (over a year). I didn’t spend that much time in the actual studio, but the record was a result of a lot of thought and work over time. I don’t think you can rush a record like this, otherwise your self-editing process becomes compromised, and some sub-par songs and recordings make the final cut. As a songwriter, you’re often so enamored with the genius of your latest creation that you don’t know that something sucks until you’ve lived with it for a while. If you rush to record it, you’re stuck with it...forever!
I should add that Andy and I have known each other for most of our lives and played in bands together when we were kids, so it was lots of fun to get into the studio with him. He is really one of the most talented people I know. He can play so many instruments really well, is a great songwriter, and has really in-depth studio knowledge. I really learned a lot from working with him on this record, and definitely couldn’t have finished it as well without him. He kind of served as my "studio-professor" throughout the process.
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And what has been the response to the album so far?
The response has been great. Many bloggers in the "power-pop" community have dug the record. I really haven’t gotten a negative review yet (fingers crossed!). The CDs aren’t exactly "flying off the shelves" (hint hint, art into dust readers.. :) ), but I’m happy with the buzz that is starting to build. For a debut record, I’m grateful for any exposure I can get, and have been really gratified by all the nice things people have had to say about it. It is a weird thing to have these songs that started out in my head out in the world. It feels great when they connect with someone half-way around the world that I have never even met.
And what has been the response to the album so far?
The response has been great. Many bloggers in the "power-pop" community have dug the record. I really haven’t gotten a negative review yet (fingers crossed!). The CDs aren’t exactly "flying off the shelves" (hint hint, art into dust readers.. :) ), but I’m happy with the buzz that is starting to build. For a debut record, I’m grateful for any exposure I can get, and have been really gratified by all the nice things people have had to say about it. It is a weird thing to have these songs that started out in my head out in the world. It feels great when they connect with someone half-way around the world that I have never even met.
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You’ve been playing live, how is that going?
The shows have been really fun. I did CD release parties in NYC and Minneapolis with a full band. The Minneapolis show at 7th St. Entry (1st Ave) was really fun because there were so many old friends and family there. I’ve been playing a lot of solo/acoustic gigs here in NYC, which are great for playing new songs and presenting stripped down versions of the album tracks. I’ve been getting to know a lot of NYC musicians and music fans, and playing some bass and guitar as a sideman with a couple of people I’ve met out here, which is super fun. There are so many great players and songwriters here, it is a really inspiring community of artists to be a part of.
You’ve been playing live, how is that going?
The shows have been really fun. I did CD release parties in NYC and Minneapolis with a full band. The Minneapolis show at 7th St. Entry (1st Ave) was really fun because there were so many old friends and family there. I’ve been playing a lot of solo/acoustic gigs here in NYC, which are great for playing new songs and presenting stripped down versions of the album tracks. I’ve been getting to know a lot of NYC musicians and music fans, and playing some bass and guitar as a sideman with a couple of people I’ve met out here, which is super fun. There are so many great players and songwriters here, it is a really inspiring community of artists to be a part of.
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And finally whats are your future plans?
I plan to keep promoting the record for a while, and keep playing live more and more around NYC and the surrounding region. I’m planning to tour the mid-west and east coast this summer, probably in July. I’m still writing all the time, so I hope to find an outlet for some of these new songs. I’d like to record a solo/acoustic album, possibly to be released as digital only, or to be downloaded from my website for free. I’ve got a few tracks in the can, and have been adding to that when I get the time. Postscript is so lushly orchestrated that it would be nice to do something totally opposite. Something very intimate and stripped down, if not totally acoustic. And somewhere down the line, I’ll try to get another full-on band album out. So much to do! But its fun.
Thanks to you, Mick, and to all your readers! I really appreciate it!
And a big thanks to you too Jeff, great interview!
Check out Jeff's site with blog here:
http://www.jefflitmanmusic.com/
http://www.jefflitmanmusic.com/
Buy the beauty here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/litman
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/litman
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