Ahead of their European tour in November (see dates below, which includes one UK date), The Saxophones have released a new digital EP today, ‘All There Is’.
The EP features what has been described as some low-key, blissful alternative versions of tracks from the recording sessions for their album To Be A Cloud, which we reviewed here. In his review, Thomas Blake opened with a very original take on their music:
The Saxophones create a mood that is entirely their own. The duo make music that is deceptively risky, balancing on a knife edge: on one side is a kind of chilled-out, margaritas-at-the-mall apocalyptica and on the other is a combination of widescreen, salt-tinged psychedelia and dusky bar-room jazz, where big skies and big ideas vie with personal heartache and subdued, nostalgic longing. Undercurrents of fuzzy country, sophisticated chamber-pop, shoegaze and bedroom pop swirl together.
As for the EP, songwriter Alexi Erenkov explains:
“We recorded these songs in an incredible studio called The Unknown. It’s a repurposed Catholic church on Fidalgo Island in the Pacific Northwest.
“After spending a week taking advantage of all the studio’s treasures, I wanted to spend the last few hours of our time singing several songs acoustically and savoring the sound of the room itself. The result was the first two tracks of All There Is.” The final song on the EP is an alternate version of our song “Margarita Mix.” My music can be serious, but the recording process is often filled with playfulness. When we were recording this one I impulsively decided to sing/speak the lyrics as a direct homage to the easy-listening/exotica guru Eden Ahbez and his composition “Full Moon.” Listening to it still makes me laugh, but the song’s lyrical content continues to carry weight as it dwells on the destructive force men can play in relationships.”
Stream All There Is: https://fulltimehobby.ffm.to/allthereis
The band will be making their first trip back to Europe in 4 years this November.
The Saxophones Tour Dates
12/11 Berlin @ Prachtwerk
14/11 Hamburg @ Aalhaus
15/11 Brussels @ Botanique
16/11 Paris @ Pop Up Du Label
17/11 London @ The Lexington
19/11 Porto @ Auditorium Francisco de Assis
21/11 Ourense @ Torgal
22/11 Coruna @ Club Uni
23/11 Donosti @ Altxerri
25/11 Vienna @ Blue Bird
Tickets are on sale now; more information here.