Madrigals for Mongrels
"Defies convention. Raw emotion, haunting beauty, a visceral and transcendent auditory experience. This is music for the wild at heart, for those who find harmony in chaos and poetry in the primal."
Madrigals for Mongrels (aka Bryan Clark) employed a wide array of experimental techniques to bring his band's vision to life.
Field Recordings: To create a sense of atmosphere and texture, Clark integrated field recordings of natural sounds— city scapes, trainyards, thunderstorms, and even the rustle of leaves—captured during late-night sessions in varied locations. These sounds were then radically processed and repurposed back at Rainfeather Records studio and then woven deep into the fabric of the tracks, adding depth and an almost ethereal quality to the music. Clark calls his Madrigals for Mongrels music "cinematic pop".
Analog Distortion & Tape Manipulation: Clark utilized vintage analog equipment to introduce intentional imperfections into the recordings. By running tracks through worn-out tape machines (reel to reel and cassette) and manipulating tape speed, he created otherworldly soundscapes that oscillate between clarity and distortion, mirroring the lyrical themes of chaos and beauty in his songs.
Unconventional Instrumentation: The album features a variety of unconventional instruments both analog and digital. In addition to electric guitars, metal pipes, baritone resonator guitar, pedal steel, and a host of vintage analog synths were used to create the raw, visceral edge to the music.