Oliver Oat: Juniper Resin

Juniper Resin, the new Oliver Oat album is finally here, eight years after the release of the On the Ilse of eye EP in 2011. The music for this project by Rotterdam based Joost de Jong could be interpreted as a song cycle about his life. He sings about Love - winning back his girlfriend with the synth chanson Louis et le Chat - and death - Murderer is his way to come to terms with his father's suicide. With Milk and Cigarettes he is torn by conflicting emotions: healthy versus unhealthy, fleeing or staying, with a haunting keyboard part a la Daniel Ruiz. The Dutch multi-instrumentalist is a sculptor with sound, leaning towards psychedelic pop and obviously a fan of synth driven textures. It all comes together in the sprawling title track, an amalgam of Steven Wilson inspired electric guitar prog, pastoral acoustic bits, name checking the cult soundtrack of The Wicker Man, and orchestral pop and dreamy folk.

De Jong describes his music as schizophrenic and he has a point in doing so. But unlike people suffering from that condition he is always in control, building intricate harmonies in his Audio Flamingo studio. He is not a kid in a candy store, he owns the store. And he played all the parts, with the exception of the bass and drums on Our Little Garden that were laid down by his co-mixer Floyd Atema.

Juniper Resin is nothing short of triumph, the fulfillment of a vision that has both inspired him and kept him awake at night for years. He hopes to transfer the songs to the stage with shows in Brewpub De Kromme Haring in Utrecht (May 22) and Willem Twee in 's Hertogenbosch (May 23), Netherlands. Stefan Breuer (keys, vocals), Lukas Dikker (guitar, vocals), Kasper Koudenburg: (synths), Arno Breuer (bass) and Floyd Atema (drums) will have his back. He has been selected for this year's edition of the travelling festival Popronde, so plenty more opportunities to see him in the flesh will be announced soon.

Juniper Resin is released via Audio Flamingo (vinyl, CD, digital).

Tracks:

1. Murderer
2. Cross
3. Tetragrammaton
4. Milk and Cigarettes
5. Snowflake
6. Louis et le Chat
7. Our Little Garden
8. The Glass
9. Open
10. Juniper Resin
11. Yes
12. Lies

» oliveroat.com