“He can flip deftly between dense arpeggiated picking and stark, singular chords : “Sky Breaking, Clouds Falling” and Deep Wish” open with what almost resembles an unplugged Glenn Branca.” – WIRE
Mason Lindahl is a guitarist and composer based in New York City. His finger-picking style is largely influenced by minimalism and classical music. He grew up listening to folk and country music in Northern California, where he was first taught to play the guitar by his father.
Kissing Rosy in the Rain was recorded in Oakland, California and Brooklyn, NY with Lindahl’s longtime friends – Jay Pellici (Dilute, 31 Knots, Natural Dreamers) Robby Moncrieff, and Ben Greenberg (Uniform/Hubble).
A word from Tompkins Square’s Josh Rosenthal :
Over the past couple of years, I’ve found myself gravitating towards a certain kind of music. It was happening before Covid, but Covid accentuated it. My interest in this sound probably originates from my love of Terry Riley. It’s not limited to “drone,” or “ambient” sounds. It’s more about an artist staying in a zone, not caring about variation for variation’s sake, content with an artistic statement that doesn’t move from its core. I like that. I also think there’s something courageous about it. Recent examples of “it” are albums by Daniel Schmidt, Kali Malone, Luke Schneider, and Steve Tibbetts’ masterpiece, Life Of, which I wrote about for Aquarium Drunkard – each with its own sonic solar system.
And if you follow Tompkins Square’s catalog, there are some examples of “it” – notably, music by Richard Skelton (A Broken Consort) and Ran Blake. Of course a lot of the acoustic guitar music I’ve released falls roughly into this space as well.
So when my old friend sent me Mason Lindahl’s Kissing Rosy in the Rain, I saw it as yet more serendipity, a sense of things falling into place for a reason – something I have experienced so many times with the label over the past 15 years. First, I love the way it came to me. When I started the label in 2005, I needed a place and a person to help me record stuff. We recorded Max Ochs and Bern Nix in my friend Carter Matschullat’s apartment on St. Marks Place, formerly The Dom, where the Velvet Underground used to play. Carter never sent me any music to listen to until Mason. And when I heard it, I immediately loved it. Something in the Spanish guitar reminded me of Leonard Cohen. There were sonic artifacts all over the recording like little Easter eggs. The music was desperately sad and dark, but somehow uplifting and hopeful. I just loved it.
Mason has done it. He has created his own sonic world.
And it is his alone.
JR
Technical notes ::
Mics: Neumann U48/Lucas C1/DPA 4006
Forgot what mic we put on the amp, but the amp was a Gibson Falcon. Preamps are mostly Neve 1073 and 33114, maybe a Millennia pre or Ampex 351 or DW Fearn, as well. Prob also some weirdo Stromberg-Carlson tube pre that sounds crazy. Compressors were prob Retro Sta-Level, 1178, neve 33609, Distressor, LA22? That filter that Robbie went crazy over is an Allison Labs passive filter.
Limited Ed LP : TSQ 5760
