cock and swan - stash (deluxe edition cd)

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The CD (Not a CD-R) (Limited Edition of 100) comes housed in a hand-aged linen cloth bound book. The linen cover is backed with archival mulberry paper and bound over high quality and heavyweight archival book board. Cover art is printed to canvas and stitched. The interior is lined with hand made banana bark paper, lokta and mulberry paper. Each limited edition is hand numbered…

Through the hypnotic fog that is the music of Cock and Swan lurks a strange energy, feeling one part sinister and two parts innocent. Yet, it reveals itself in subtle uneasy layers of blissfully haunting melodies as you clamber further into the dank outlands that entrench their sound.

Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford (aka Cock and Swan) began making music together in 2003, on a Tascam 4-track in a tiny bedroom in Bothell, Washington. They now write and record in a white brick bunker by the river. Their music is inspired by old analog synthesizers, unplanned samples, giant vintage bass drums, and faded colors.

To many, the name Cock and Swan might be a new one, yet Stash is the group's 4th full-length album. Many of our listeners will recognize the name from their heartfelt contributions to the recent Vieo Abiungo And the World Remix album and 2010's Lost Tribe Sound: One compilation.

For those who have followed Cock and Swan or explored their earlier endeavors, Stash marks a rather significant shift in their overall sound. The idea sparked over many a conversation with Johnny a couple years back about retooling their heavily synth-reliant sound into something a bit more stripped back, raw, and acoustic. That concept has resulted in something that we think you'll agree is truly heart-warming, intimate, and highly addictive.

Although the basic make up of their songs remains relatively simple with guitars, drums, vocals, piano and horns, Cock and Swan spends a huge amount of time in the quality control department. They have collaborated with a number of friends on this new album, including Adam Kozie (Pollens) on drums and William Ryan Fritch (aka Vieo Abiungo), adding in bits of cello, vibraphone, flute, sax, and marimba.

One could perhaps draw comparisons to the likes of Mum, Boards of Canada in more of a live band capacity, or perhaps a more acoustic Yo La Tengo, amongst the fragile homespun lyrics, warped melodies, off kilter rhythms, and murky thuds that lay comfortably with this dark lit duo. Yet, Johnny and Ola stay distinct and sharply on their own path.