stillflyin.jpgAfter Athens (and Kindercore Records) fixture Masters of the Hemisphere dissolved, the components went seeking different sounds in bands like Je Suis France, Dances with Wolves, and Vetran, with the France notably embarking on countless eclectic handmade EP releases.  One of Sean Rawls’ Je Suis France songs, the reggae singalong ”Never Gonna Touch the Ground,” was deemed an interesting enough tangent to be expanded into its own offshoot band, fronted by Rawls, Still Flyin’.  Based primarily out of San Francisco, Still Flyin’ now seems set to get bigger than all of those former projects, including Masters of the Hemisphere.  They’ve already toured extensively worldwide, building up a fanbase energized by their spectacular, stage-cramming live shows.  Members of their ensemble, at one point or another, have included Jens Lekman, Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor), and members of Track Star, Architecture in Helsinki, Aislers Set, Love is All, Maserati, and Red Pony Clock.  But unlike a lot of other “jam” bands, Still Flyin’ hews closely to melody and a polished sound earned from the Kindercore years. 

For all the attention, the “hammjamm” band’s recorded material has been emerging only gradually, first by releasing two superb taster EPs on Antenna Farm Records, Time Wrinkle and Za Cloud, both of which stress the reggae influence, with enough Masters-style pop to please fans of Rawls’ songwriting.  Their new album, Never Gonna Touch the Ground, does feature the old Je Suis France song, but in a truncated, two-minute-long form–almost an obligatory appearance, before they can get on to their newer (and, frankly, better) material.  Particular highlights are “Following the Itinerary,” the single “Good Thing It’s a Ghost Town Around Here” (a monster mash video of which was released on YouTube last year, just in time for Halloween), and the indescribably wonderful “Aerosmith, Take Me to the Other Side,” which is not just the one-off joke the title suggests.  While the album is weaker for not including some of the better tracks from their previous EPs (”The Bird is Aware” and “Rope Burn” are sorely missed), in the iTunes era, where they’re readily available, that seems less important.  Most encouragingly, the main difference between this LP and their previous work is that they seem more willing to let go of the trappings of reggae, and to jam in their own spirit, in their own style.  Some of these tracks–”Ginkgo Biloba” in particular–would not be out of place on Protest a Dark Anniversary.  But overall, the album is just goofy fun, and highly recommended.

It comes out April 7th on Ernest Jenning Record Co. in the US.  It’s already available in Australia on Lost and Lonesome. You can download a sample track below.

Never Gonna Touch the Ground,
by Still Flyin’

1. Never Gonna Touch the Ground
2. Following the Itinerary
3. Forever Dudes
4. Good Thing It’s a Ghost Town Around Here
5. Act of Jamming
6. The Hott Chord is Struck
7. No Go-Kart Ideas
8. Haunted Houses
9. Dead Memory Man
10. Ginkgo Biloba
11. Aerosmith, Take Me to the Other Side