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Imagined Sky

by Matt Gold

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    High quality, 180 gram, 12" LP - comes with download code containing the digital album in multiple formats

    Includes unlimited streaming of Imagined Sky via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 300 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $28 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    High quality, 6 panel digifile with a velvety soft-touch laminate finish

    Includes unlimited streaming of Imagined Sky via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $14 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Comes with album artwork booklet PDF + album cover photo as a jpg
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

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Crimes 06:01
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Truehearted 02:49
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Dollarama 03:52
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about

PERSONNEL

Matt Gold - electric and acoustic guitars, voice (5), analog synthesizer (2, 8), wurlitzer electric piano (2, 7), mellotron (5)
Bryan Doherty - electric bass
Jeremy Cunningham - drums
Macie Stewart - voice (2)
Sara Serpa - voice (8)
Dan Pierson - analog synthesizer (1, 3)
Myra Hinrichs - violin (5)
Matt Ulery - double bass (5)

ALBUM CREDITS

Recorded by Anthony Gravino at The Drake (Chicago, Illinois)
and by Dan Pierson at Gwaltney Cabin (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Additional recording by Matt Gold at Catfish Recording (Chicago, Illinois) and by Yair Evnine at Lethe Lounge (New York, New York)
Mixed by Dan Pierson at Whiskey Point Studios and
Shirk Studios (Chicago, Illinois)
Mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters (Los Angeles, California)
Produced by Matt Gold
Executive Producer - Michael Janisch
Original Artwork by Marine Tempels
Graphic Design by Monika S Jakubowska

credits

released May 29, 2020

ABOUT THE ALBUM

'Imagined Sky'​ is the first solo record from Chicago-based guitarist and songwriter ​Matt Gold.​ Gold’s open, creative approach to music making has flourished in his adopted home - “I value the cross-pollination and intermingling of the scenes; it’s a beautifully collaborative city” - and his talents have been called upon by a diversity of boundary-crossing artists such as ​Makaya McCraven, Greg Ward, Sara Serpa,​ and J​amila Woods.​

Melody is at the center of Gold’s music, whether he’s edging towards post-rock power-trio antics with electric bassist ​Bryan Doherty​ and drummer ​Jeremy Cunningham, ​or exploring an abstracted Americana with acoustic guitar and whispering electronic textures. Imagined Sky also uses these elements to frame the direct, folk-tinged vocals of collaborators ​Sara Serpa​ and ​Macie Stewart,​ as well as Gold himself. “I’ve tried to stitch together the more improvisatory electric trio material with something more song-focused and concise, balancing these energies.”

‘Augusta Fairgrounds’​ opens the album with the trio, whose driving yet empathetic approach creates the backbone of the record. “We played free-improvised gigs around Chicago for a few years before I brought any of my own material in, so my trio music sits on several years of trust, collaboration and exploration with Bryan and Jeremy.” Like much of the record, the track evokes a wide open, sometimes-turbulent landscape. “I think a lot about space in my writing, whether it’s external, as in a physical space, or internal - the spaces of our imagination, our uncertainties, our own particular ways of seeing the world...this record leans into both interpretations.” ​‘Queen Anne’ ​features vocalist Macie Stewart and lyrically builds on these themes, blending her clear, unadorned articulation with the trio’s insistent interlocking groove. Propelled by a trance-inducing drum pattern, ‘Crimes’ ​emerges with a sparse, desert landscape of guitar chords and synthesizer textures that build in energy and intensity, hinting at the sounds of a Morricone film score. ​’Between The Four Seas’​ is a measured, stately composition for solo acoustic guitar whose careful poise is subverted by aggressive tape manipulation to create an undercurrent of disquiet. ​‘Truehearted’ ​features lush strings surrounding an affectingly unadorned vocal from Gold on a piece based on an excerpt of a Dvorak composition. Playing viola throughout his childhood, Gold recalls performing the orchestral piece and being haunted by one of its melodies for years to come. “I don’t think anyone really looks to the ​Slavonic Dances​ as a heavy, emotional cornerstone of his writing, but one melody that’s doubled by the flute and oboe just never seemed to leave my consciousness. It made so much sense reframed as an acoustic guitar piece, adding lyrics...which makes sense, since those pieces were originally written to evoke a folk music sensibility in the first place.” The trio returns on ​‘Dollarama,’​ a blistering extrapolation on a unison theme, followed by ​‘Always Starting Over,’​ which returns the melodic voice to the acoustic guitar alongside the rhythm section’s nuanced pulse. The song’s subtle production and detailed textures open the melodies into more ambient, meditative zones and showcase the trio’s wide dynamic palette. ​‘Petrichor,’​ written with and featuring Sara Serpa on vocals, finds Gold and Serpa in duet as dreamlike synthesizer lines wash over the mix. “I first worked with Sara on a ​Sun Speak​ record a few years ago and was looking for an opportunity to play with her again - she brings such a vulnerable, personal sound to the music.” ‘Bottom Of The Barrel’​ leans into an earthy, familiar feeling, bursting with raucous, blues-tinged energy to create the perfect end-of-the-set nightcap.

'Imagined Sky​' finds Gold exploring the connections between the external and internal - the vast landscapes that erode and change, and one’s inner world that evolves and adapts. Richly melodic, atmospheric yet accessible, unconstrained by genre but sure of its own identity, ​Imagined Sky feels less like a debut and more like a culmination - an arrival point for an artist who has already quietly woven his voice into the fabric of Chicago’s many musical communities.

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

"Matt Gold effortlessly embodies his own dialect—defined by varied, spacious soundscapes, innovative improvisational flourishes and rich harmony."
DownBeat Magazine

“Imagined Sky represents a highly mature and distinctive statement from Gold, who brings the various aspects of his musical personality together to create a totally convincing whole. Moving seamlessly between genres the album is an admirably cohesive amalgam of influences drawing on various aspects of American and European music."
★★★★ The Jazz Mann

"There’s an alluring kinetic energy to this recording, whether it be Gold’s electric guitar power-playing, his acoustic guitar and its whispered textures, the folk-tinged vocals blending perfectly with the abstracted Americana, or the bluesier elements that are a welcome delight."
★★★★ UK Vibe

"This Chicago-based guitar trio have an engaging sound and wield their own succinct brand of distorted Americana."
Jazzwise Magazine

"This record is impressive, with the extensions of Gold’s sound all landing very capably and entertainingly while not diminishing the quality of the work he is so expert at."
Independent Clauses

"The guitarist favors overall atmospheres rather than individual exploits: from aerial progressive rock ("Augusta Fairgrounds") to a powerful blues ("Bottom of the Barrel")... A delight."
Jazz à Babord

"The whole album exudes enjoyment."
Jazzma

"His [Gold's] ease with so many different styles of music and the irony and delight with which he mixes and matches across these is apparent."
Jazz Views

"Matt Gold creates moods ranging from 50s rock to pastoral folk... Wide colors from six strings."
Jazz Weekly

"Matt Gold effortlessly embodies his own dialect—defined by varied, spacious soundscapes, innovative improvisational flourishes, rich harmony with ample inner-voice movement and a keen focus on accessible melody."
JazzBluesNews

"Resonates with echoes of the beautiful history of blues, jazz, gospel and Chicago experimentation."
Jazz Radio

"One of the most interesting up and coming jazz guitarists around."
Written in Music

"Gold’s voice sings with transfixing clarity on Imagined Sky. It’s as much as any artist could hope for with a debut."
DownBeat Magazine

"Midwestern soundscapes meet art rock sensibilities and a light acoustic touch on an album that doesn't shy away from relying on the simple powers of instrumental music."
All About Jazz

"Melody is central to Gold’s music… through abstracted Americana, he explores electronic whispers.”
Rhein Main Magazine

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Matt Gold Chicago, Illinois

The Whirlwind Artist Page for guitarist, composer, producer and singer-songwriter Matt Gold.

"Matt Gold effortlessly embodies his own dialect—defined by varied, spacious soundscapes, innovative improvisational flourishes and rich harmony."
DownBeat Magazine
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