Mark Kraus
New York City based singer/songwriter Mark Kraus grew up in the kind of old Massachusetts town that had long past its day. Abandoned factories turned to strip malls and the suburban ennui that filled his teenage years drove him and his friends seek music as a way out. As Nick Hornby described, “[a place] you either stay and rot, or escape and burn”. This urge not only birthed his music career but is often the narrative in his bittersweet songs.
Kraus and friends eventually did escape to Boston, MA where he formed the indie folk band Jr. Corduroy. 2002’s “I Don’t Want To Be Around When You’re Gone For Good” got some solid acclaim, such as a critic’s pick for The Boston Globe’s 10 best records of the year and charted in the CMJ top 50, but the band fell into obscurity after breaking up shortly after its release. Kraus moved to New York City shortly after and for close to the next decade began experimenting with different ideas, bands, and projects. After the break up of his second band Tsui, Kraus abandoned music for close to five years.
His new album “The Story of Everything” is a reawakening. It is an immediate, cinematic, and at times heartbreaking solo debut that’s both deeply personal and universal. There’s a kind of urgency that echoes throughout the album, a feeling that the songs needed to be written and heard. It’s a record about epochs of time — youth in revolt, a life long love story, the start and end of everything.
The album was recorded by Kraus in Brooklyn, mixed by David Westner, and mastered at Peerless Mastering by Jeff Lipton. Musically it draws from influences like Wilco, Elliott Smith, Bill Callahan, Leonard Cohen, and Bruce Springsteen. The album is a tender statement that’s both infectious and haunting — a minor masterpiece that is sure to please fans of indie folk.
RIYL: Elliott Smith, City and Colour, Sun Kil Moon, Bill Callahan
TRY: #2, 3, 5, 7
Download full album here:
https://www.piratepirate.com/downloads/
More Info Here:
http://markkraus.com
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http://markkraus.bandcamp.com