One of two new singles celebrating the five year anniversary of Pigeonheart. These two b-sides from the same recording sessions are 'high pageantry prances' and 'comedy slash historical body horror.' Incredible evidence of Stith's talent, even when considered a b-side.
On Pigeonheart's 5th anniversary:
Released 5 years ago, this month, Pigeonheart remains an expression of unrefined antagonistic glee, a bundle of curious determination, and a bold thing. I (DM here) wanted to thank you all for embracing these songs, for dancing to them, for covering them, singing along with them, for carrying them with you when you travel, for the purest heart of the album is it's need to confront, be confronted. To see and be seen. One unfulfilled goal I had with this album was to release a series of proper singles, like we did in the 90's, CD singles in slimcases with collectible b-sides, remixes and alternate versions (do you remember finding that rare gem at Circuit City of all places, or was it in the bargain bin at Media Play? that single with the japanese bonus track and the singer in that song becomes a kind of pen pal because it seems like NO ONE else knows about that one song?? and it's your FAVORITE thing, written JUST for you. Well I do. I remember it. I think about it a lot.) So in celebration of Pigeonheart's 5th year, we're releasing 2 digital double singles, a pair of 2 track releases to round out the lot.
The first, High Tower / Imperial Leather, includes 2 songs written and recorded during the Pigeonheart sessions: 1) a piece of high pageantry prances between melancholy of an English type and melancholy of a Carribean kind, and 2) an existential A Capella comedy slash historical body horror. Both produced by Ben Hillier.
The second, My Impatience / Cormorant, pairs early versions of two of Pigeonheart's best loved songs: 1) My Impatience reimagined as an orchestral folk number, complete with backup singers and a string ensemble, and 2) Cormorant, in an early iteration with entirely different lyrics and production, a kind of more radio-friendly approach on Pigeonheart's thesis statement.
The heart of the record remains on its sleeve (it's a record about ME) but I hope these 4 songs provide new inroads to the collection. As always, thank you for listening! And thank you for reaching out when you do, for sharing your notes and explorations with me. They mean a lot! Sometimes they can make keeping on just that much easier.
X's and O's,
David