John Roberts New Album Glass Eights

By the cover of this record you might think it's a goth/tech record, or maybe a Bauhaus rip-off, or  maybe some crust punk LP. I guess the closest guess would be the goth /tech record but you'd still be missing the point. Glass Eights is John Roberts first full length LP and it's released on  Dial Records, the label that have other new house/minimal artists such as Pantha Du Prince, Efdemin and Isolee who just released a new single. They're one of my favorite lables and they're based out of Hamburg, Germany focusing mainly on deep house with a lean on academia of house music. Besides Kompakt, they're my favorite minimal record label.

This record wasn't really made for the club but more made for the bedroom. I heard the whole record the first time while my girlfriend was working on a project for art history on Frans Hals and I was geeking out on some music. She asked who the artist I was listening to was and I was caught off guard; she usually refers to my music as beeps and bloops and ignores my music (or at least seems to).

The record comes off romantic from the beginning. I can't tell if it's a romantic love for Chicago House or for a lady or what. The Berlin based artist only speaks with sounds, not words. I feel it has to be for a girl though. The song titles scream longing with "Even or Not", "Dedicated", or "Navy Blue". The record has an overall melancholy feel to it. The off kilter pianos sound like they're recorded in a 1920's abandoned home in the South surrounded by oak trees with a spooky amount of Spanish moss in them.
I think I'd really like to see in an old 1950's Disney style cartoon with dancing oak trees with plenty  Spanish moss in them surrounding an old run down house with the roof hinged off and a piano player (John Roberts) inside conjuring up souls with the music he plays. Hopefully that's not too abstract. Sounds like an awesome video though.

I'm pretty sick right now and Glass Eights (sounds like a John Cage record title) record is keeping me company. This is one of the stranger blogs I've written in a while so hopefully it's alright. Listen to this record though, it won't be a regret.

John Roberts: "Porcelain"  mp3 (via Pejhy)
John Roberts: "Pruned"  mp3 (via Keytars and Violins)



Watch this video from about 1:30 into it on mute and play any of the John Roberts music. It's kind of what I'd want out of him for a video. At least watch until the part with the castle and the souls.