PRE-ORDER - EXPECTED LATE SEPTEMBER
World of Echo exclusive, in conjunction with Slumberland - white vinyl, with bonus cassette.
Recorded entirely in 2021, "Perfect Worlds," the newest album by San Francisco's mysterious lo-fi pop legend Tony Jay, delivers an intimate record of thirteen dreamy, assured arrangements that further cements Tony Jay's status as a dejected crooner of the quotidian par excellence. Drawing inspiration from failed relationships, lack of sleep, a bicycle injury, and depression, Tony Jay (headed by Flowertown/Sad Eyed Beatniks member and SF scene mainstay Michael Ramos) pairs catchy melodies and hushed vocals with ethereal instrumental tracks.
Studded with instant classics, Tony Jay's new album encapsulates the isolation and loneliness of the past few years. "In a perfect world I'd find a place down in the basement," begins the title track, and the refrain repeats, "You just can't escape it." Interspersed with otherworldly instrumental tracks that call to mind a machine struggling to work underwater and whale mating calls combined with droning synth, horns, chimes, this album also provides space for listeners to make new worlds of their own. Our times may be inescapable, but we're fortunate to be able to wall ourselves in with fantasies of our own creation alongside "Perfect Worlds."
Tony's words on the bonus cassette:
"Time flies by so quickly these days, while distant memories somehow remain in a state resembling something that feels like yesterday. Similarly, many of these recordings feel like they could have been recorded yesterday, though, in fact, they span the past 20 years of Tony Jay, proto-Tony Jay and proto-proto-Tony Jay. The music contained within includes audio from a punk generator show in 2003, live recordings from defunct venues, home experiments on a 4track, and a selection of songs by projects that flew under the radar. The vastly different sounds encapsulated by this collection are unified by Ramos's sense of urgency, underscoring each of these tracks, as if he were afraid his ability to write songs will one day dry up or that a bus traveling north at 60mph will collide with his train traveling due east at 75mph in some complicated word problem. Whatever the reason, Ramos's output is prolific. Maybe not quite as prolific as Slumberland's most prolific songwriter, but maybe a close 2nd or 3rd. It would take considerably much more tape to cram every single song Ramos has been a part of onto this cassette, so for now, we must make do with "Better Before Vol. 1"."
Extremely limited quantity: 50 glitter cassettes; home duplicated and assembled by hand. Exclusively available from World of Echo and Slumberland.
