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After eighteen years of fronting the pioneering industrial rock band Sister
Machine Gun, Chris Randall has returned to his roots with the release of The
Devil His Due, his first solo album. The Devil His Due recalls the traditional
American styles of blues, early jazz, and vaudeville, mixed together with the
dark, foreboding feel that Randall is known for. While there is obvious homage
to the alternative blues of Nick Cave and Tom Waits, and even the klangmusik of
Einstuerzende Neubauten, Randall creates an altogether different result, one
that reflects his own life and musical skills.
Born in 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in rural Oregon, Chris Randall's
first twenty years in this world were a haze of sagebrush and poverty. He moved
to New York City in 1988, and formed Sister Machine Gun in 1989. Soon relocating
to Chicago, he spent nearly two decades pushing against the boundaries of the
industrial genre, receiving wide praise (and healthy criticism as well, it
should be noted) for introducing jazz and blues elements in to that somewhat
limited form of expression. With seven Sister Machine Gun albums, four EPs, and
countless singles under his belt, along with production and artist credits on
over 60 other releases, Randall felt it was finally time to explore new musical
territory in areas closer to his personal tastes, and The Devil His Due was
born.
The Devil His Due was written and recorded over a two-year period entirely in
Randall's own Shaolin Fist Of Death studio, following his move back to rural
Oregon in 2005. Performed partly on homemade or found instruments, the album is
a complete sonic about-face from Randall's earlier work, yet it maintains the
writing style he is already known for. Events in Randall's life provide the
fodder, and he created a colorful cast of characters to act out the drama in the
songs. The album has a fluid story, yet each song tells its own version of the
classic Faustian bargain. From the opening count-off of "Judas Iscariot" to the
final romping jump-blues of "It's All The Same In the Nighttime," The Devil His
Due is both an exploration of traditional music styles and an entirely new form
of expression. Released on Positron and available May 20th, 2007.
01. Judas Iscariot
02. Two Trains Comin'
03. The Devil His Due
04. Sin Eater
05. When the Circus Comes to Town
06. Automatic Jack
07. St. James Infirmary Blues
08. Be There Tonight
09. I'll Take the Bottle
10. Baron Samedi
11. Up Jumped the Devil
12. It's All the Same in the Nighttime
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Chris Randall - The Devil His Due |
CD $16.97
CAD
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