Jai Agnish, an old friend from my old Action Attack Helicopter days sent me an email, and he has an amazing new record available to download absolutely free. Go get it now, because you will love it. While you are there pick up Automata, because it is equally as awesome.
If listening to that doesn’t make you want it, I will drop some cred on you. Sufjan Stevens played on a few “Automata” tracks back in the day, and Jai Agnish has toured with Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, and Half Handed Cloud.
Listening to the new record, I can’t help but feel refreshed and nostalgic all at the same time. Please do yourself a favor and download it.
Some details from Jai Agnish:
I’m pleased to announce the release of my third album: Awake When You Dream. It’s available as a free download beginning today. I hope you enjoy it and will consider writing about it if you have a blog, Web site or another outlet. You can also just simply forward this message along to a friend. A description of the album follows. Thanks for your continued support over the years.
Download sites:
http://jaiagnish.bandcamp.mu/album/awake-when-you-dream
http://www.last.fm/music/Jai+Agnish/Awake+When+You+Dream
http://virb.com/jaiagnish/music/albums/74808Download various sizes of the album art at flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gold_tooth_anguish/sets/72057594087642110/—
Jai AgnishÂ
Awake When You Dream
(free digital download; Nov. 5, 2008)New Jersey based indie artist Jai Agnish has released his third album, Awake When You Dream, as a free digital download. Agnish, — described as a “techno-savvy, 21st-century descendant of Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen” (Toronto Star) for combining drum machine programming with folk in his previous efforts — wanted to see what he could pull off without the machines.Â
Agnish sets out on this 11-song journey with his trusty Gibson J-45 and a 1980’s Roland synth. The songs are grounded in acoustic guitar rhythm with Agnish weaving lead guitar and synth melodies playfully throughout. Agnish performs all the instruments and is occasionally joined on vocals by Peg Carlin. Agnish also multi-tracks his own voice in new ways while experimenting with harmony and spatial nuance. Even without drums the songs are surprisingly rhythmic as Agnish takes advantage of upbeats and less obvious rhythmic patterns without losing the listener. The music, which was recorded by Agnish over a year-long period on his home computer, has the intimacy of a home-recording but the clarity of a “for-real” studio.
Lyrically, Agnish explores the imaginative and political. Topics range from love and dreams to shopping mall sprawl, protests and family adventure stories. With “India” Agnish shares his impressions of connecting with his Indian heritage when he visited the country for the first time. “Lightning Bugs” is a fantastical tale Agnish wrote for his 2-year-old nephew.