News

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

NEW JASON LYTLE ALBUM OUT

Grandaddy front-man Jason Lytle will release his anticipated new album Dept. of Disappearance today via Anti. It is the follow up to Lytle’s critically heralded 2009 release Yours Truly, the Commuter which American Songwriter called "one hell of a re-emergence."

Listen to a fascinating profile of Jason Lytle in today’s segment of the NPR show Morning Edition. Lytle discusses his time in Grandaddy, moving to the wilds of Montana and recording his ambitious new record Dept. of Disappearance. Just go here: href="http://www.npr.org/2012/10/16/162795927/jason-lytle-balances-the-studio-and-a-life-outdoors">http://www.npr.org/2012/10/16/162795927/jason-lytle-balances-the-studio-and-a-life-outdoors>

Lytle initially made an impact with the influential band Granddaddy. As a solo artist, he subsequently built a catalog of highly inventive and emotionally resonant works. Dept. of Disappearance plays like an emotionally resonant soundtrack for some non-existent cinematic masterpiece. On it the sometimes reclusive but always intriguing musician infuses the toil of ordinary existence with a sweeping sonic beauty.

The obvious home for Lytle's latest would seem the silver screen. One of the album's high points entitled "Your Final Setting Sun" is soaked in the indelible ink of film noir. Lytle says the songs hypnotic dangerous feel was inspired by the writings of author Cormac McCarthy, “It's the one song on the album that had a film playing along in my head as I was writing it,” Lytle explains. “The chorus came to me while I was driving down a deserted Montana road into a beautiful and spooky sunset."

Lytle describes the tracks on his new album as “a roomful of strange, brilliant autistic kids with very peculiar social skills. But there are a few conventional, good-looking ones who go out and shake hands and get the good jobs then they come home and help take care of the other weird, wonderful ones." He then concludes: "Perhaps I will figure it all out someday, but for now I'm OK with it still being one big, elusive journey."

Early Acclaim For Dept. of Disappearance:

“The songs are as sweetly sad as they are comical, and as intimate as they are epic.” - NPR

"Lytle is making a claim to be one of the more interesting and consistent singer/songwriters around; willing to take sonic chances, but always delivering music that’s as much about feel as it is about meaning. " - All Music Guide

“Several songs match the magnificent yearning ballads of Grandaddy’s glory years” - The Sunday Times

“Antique synths in varying states of dilapidation spring into life… and rarely does the comfort of sadness feel so apt” - Mojo

“On an album of depth and scale, Lytle is aiming to move mountains. It’s big…a reassuringly mournful sadcore epic.” - BBC.co.uk

Jason Lytle Live Dates:

10-16 Barboza, Seattle, WA 10-17 Holocene, Portland, OR 10-19 Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA 10-21 Soho Santa Barbara CA 10-22 Casbah, San Diego CA 10-23 The Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles CA 10-24 Largo at the Coronet Theatre, Los Angeles CA