 NEW YORK (Mungler Winslowe Records/ www.crystalbrandt.com) - Mungler Winslowe Records has announced Tuesday, September 21 as the official release date of Crystal Brandt's new album, VOTER. The artist's website has also been revamped to coincide with the new album and features an online voting booth where visitors can download and vote on demo recordings of extra songs that do not appear on the new album. Although the songs on VOTER are personal and lyrical rather than explicitly political, the recording process was influenced by the current political climate. 'I was frustrated about the limited options we have when it comes to choosing our government, so I decided to try to apply the same principles in the studio by recording each song using only two or three tracks. I wanted to see how these constraints would affect me on a creative level,' Brandt said.
She also wanted to move away from 'the limitless feelings I had about production when I recorded my last album' (2003's BESSIE'S LAST STAND), which featured multiple tracks of layered guitars, vocals, drums, keyboards and various other sounds. This time, it's just Brandt's voice and a guitar or a piano, with an occasional third track added to emphasize specific parts of the song structure. 'I wanted to be more specific and subtle this time and try to bring out parts of the melody and instrumentation without overindulging,' she said. Production isn't the only difference this time around. The songwriting on VOTER is more mature and honest than on her two previous studio releases and Brandt attributes the change to introspection. 'Instead of pointing fingers, I've spent a lot of time examining and accepting the choices I've made, which was new for me. It's easy to be critical of other people when you can't see or admit to your own flaws. I've had to look at myself and say, 'Maybe it's not everyone else who's screwed up, maybe I've had more of a hand in this than I'd like to admit.'' An official New York City VOTER release party will be announced at a later date.
Originally from Maryland, Brandt has spent the past four years living and performing in New York City, including recent shows at The Knitting Factory, Pete's Candy Store and an August 2004 residency at Piano's. The online voting booth at www.crystalbrandt.com features five demo versions of extra songs. All tracks on VOTER and the website are written, arranged and performed by Crystal Brandt and were at recorded at MW Studios in Brooklyn, NY.
For more information, visit https://www.crystalbrandt.com or https://www.munglerwinslowe.com
| 
