Sandy Point by A Journey of Giraffes

it appears, then disappears, then reappears.

microscopic hummingbirds/they've come to greet you.
***

"Still hooked on recreating a Pet Sounds era Beach Boys meets The High Llamas’ Cold And Bouncy soundtrack, John Lane takes his modest lo fi reappraisal into far more experimental climes on his latest album. Under the zoological A Journey Of Giraffes moniker, Lane has dared to dream bigger; recording his most ambitious work yet. His aquatically mysterious halcyon psych pop and surf noir project is stretched out, transmogrified and cut up into a number of, for the most part, concentrate segments. Brought together they amorphously paint a bigger picture.

As the introductory oration outlines, Sandy Point, through a series of sound collages, field recordings and minor d.i.y. Casio keyboard symphonies bring to musical life the sketches and meandering notes of a lighthouse keeper protagonist: solitary, carrying out his “dutiful” work, as the world around him loses itself in two world wars. Travailing the blueprint Beach Boys but this time adding dreamy hints of The Millennium, Harry Nilsson, the Flaming Lips and the Olivia Tremor Control to the feel, Lane goes further in creating some strange vibrations. Joined in his obscured ebbs and flowing narratives by a chorus of willing helpers on sound effects, dozing vocals and atmospherics duties, the abstract at times and woozy storytelling is piqued throughout with reference point sounds and familiarity.

Sweeping collages of both whimsical and plaintive moods allude to the songs titles, with ‘The Lunar Effects Of The Tide’ reaching the shoreline to the warning sounds of a ship’s foghorn, whilst ‘The Sea Monsters In Autumn’ is a suitable plunge into the murky depths and rain swept coves of a serpent’s lair – more Pete’s Dragon or Nessie than a raging ferocious beast of the deep by the sound of it.

Sandy Point is Lane’s most grandiose album project yet, even if it’s still delivered in hush, placid and lo fi tones."
-- Monolith Cocktail (October, 2015)

Tracklist

1.	the briefest of introductions which explains everything	0:32

2.	The Lunar Effect of The Tides	2:46

3.	Lumens	5:16

4.	The Older & Wiser Ghost	15:11

5.	The Lost Jockey	13:53

6.	The Wonder Why	13:08

7.	The Sea Monsters in Autumn	10:41

8.	The Matchstick Purgatory	10:49

9.	The Healing Machine	4:45

Credits

released October 1, 2015

a journey of giraffes is john lane.

album cover by Jon Hunt.

THANKS TO:
Elizabeth Lane (sounds & lyrical inspiration); Tilt Araiza (spoken word intro); Sofia (pre-nap cooing); Sean McCahill; Henri (humming & creating a good tune); Garry & Carrie Hoggan (this...this); John Furst; Erik Satie; Emery Blagdon; Henry Darger; Harry Stephen Keeler; Edward Leedskalnin; Winsor McCay; Salvador Dali; Nina Simone; Charles Ives; Van Dyke Parks; Tove Jansson; Christian Lipski; Mathew Lane; Jon Hunt

License