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Summerlong

by Rose City Band

supported by
Ed Fransko
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Ed Fransko Entire album is excellent. As is the rest of the catalog. Go back to 1970...take the Dead and Floyd and roll them up. Yet completely different.
Just plain old GOOD MUSIC. Favorite track: Real Long Gone.
gonzoride67
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gonzoride67 whole album. a nice almost straight line from the 1st to this second with the spirit, but the lighter mood and 'fun' vibe really comes out. great 2nd!!
Jesse Mullen
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Jesse Mullen criminallyunderratedrecords.blogspot.com/2022/06/rose-city-band-summerlong.html

"Perhaps “Floating Out” is the melodic highlight of the album. Dreamy droning guitars surround Johnson’s vocals, evoking the feeling of both Luna and Spiritualized. The slow drums add to the ambiance and give the composition a great sense of space – as well as feeling like it is floating in space." Favorite track: Floating Out.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Summerlong back on Gumball (clear with hi-melt teal & orange) vinyl!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Summerlong via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $23 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Summerlong via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

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

      $9 USD  or more

     

  • Limited LP [Buttercup color vinyl]
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

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

    Sold Out

  • Limited LP [Summer Sunset Orange]
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

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

    Sold Out

  • Limited Edition LP [Teal]
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Very limited quantities of the Teal are available again for Bandcamp Friday

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

    Sold Out

  • Black Vinyl LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

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

    Sold Out

1.
Only Lonely 03:57
2.
3.
4.
Floating Out 05:30
5.
6.
Reno Shuffle 06:23
7.
Wee Hours > 06:18
8.
Wildflowers 05:35

about

It is impossible to talk about modern psychedelic music without mentioning Ripley Johnson. As bandleader of Wooden Shjips and one half of Moon Duo, Johnson has continually charted new cosmic paths that expand on the language of the genre. With Rose City Band, Johnson’s songwriting and beautiful guitar lines take center stage, the veil of psychedelia notably drawn back. While his vocal treatment would be recognizable to any Wooden Shjips fan, the sparseness of the instrumentation lays bare the beauty of his writing. Shimmering guitar lines are free to shine, buoyed by driving rhythms. New to the mix are arrangements and instruments drawn directly from classic country, resulting in songs with more than a hint of twang. The aptly named Summerlong, born of Johnson’s own fondness for the season, delivers an emotional lift—an expression akin to the joy of getting out there on a warm day, be it gathering for a BBQ, hopping onto a bike, leaping into a swimming hole, or simply reading in a park.

Rose City Band started purely as a recording project, with Johnson's role mostly obscured for the self-titled debut album. Released with no promotion, in the style of private press records, it was a liberating act, a focus on music without any expectations. Explaining it with a chuckle, Johnson elaborates, “I always would threaten to my friends that I’m gonna start a country rock band so I can retire and just play down at the pub every Thursday night during happy hour. I love being able to tour and travel, but I also like the idea of having a local band … more of a social music experience.” Freedom from expectation and obligation gave Johnson the space to experiment with new instrumentation and arrangements. The introduction of lap steel, mandolin, and jaw harp enhance Johnson’s lean guitar work with radiant overtones, placing Summerlong more overtly within the country tradition than its predecessor. Work on the album began at Johnson’s home studio in Portland during the summer, but, interrupted by touring, it would not be finished until the winter season. The dark isolation of winter and the pining for summer’s easier days can be felt in the album’s few quieter moments. Summerlong was mixed by John McEntire (Stereolab, Broken Social Scene, Tortoise) at his newly minted Portland Soma Studios and mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering, also based in Portland.

Buoyant and joyous, Summerlong is a captivating listen that leaves the listener yearning for more. The record is an ode to freedom, born of a musician stepping out of all routines and whose own liberation is communicated so completely in his music. Summerlong is a record that, taken in its entirety, is an emphatic statement on the songwriting power of Ripley Johnson. Johnson’s joy in every aspect of this album is delightfully infectious.

credits

released June 19, 2020

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Rose City Band Portland, Oregon

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