Shiny Joe takes centre-stage with latest album…
It was 2014 when psychedelic rocker Shiny Joe Ryan launched his solo career. Stepping away from his duties as the founding mainstay of POND, Joe stole the spotlight with the release of The Cosmic Microwave Background, a spacey debut which paid homage to the garage origins of the band while setting the stage for an ambitious solo act.
Now, seven years later, he’s returned with a follow-up release that sees him embrace frontman duties with open (and shiny) arms. Aptly-titled Shiny’s Democracy, the sophomore LP crowns Joe as the governor of his own sound, with a Gough Whitlam-inspired album cover to match. A whimsical sonic joyride, the latest offering takes the intergalactic sounds of Joe’s first album to new and uplifting dimensions.
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Longtime fans can find POND-esque flurries throughout the record, with track’s like ‘Pub Boat’ and ‘A Stitch In Time’ feeling like they could be long-lost gems from Man It Feels Like Space Again sessions. But Shiny’s Democracy also introduces Joe to new audiences with a slew of genre-hopping tracks, from the country twangs of ‘Dad’s Hat’ to the lush surf-pop of ‘H2O.’ On lead single and album standout ‘Ketamine,’ Joe spells out the song’s title in a blissful chorus seemingly at-odds with the namesake drug.
Later traversing soulful hooks and guitar-heavy anthems, Shiny’s Democracy unveils a soloist confident in his ever-expanding sound; “Now I’m singing a new song,” Joe exclaims on the cheery album opener. And with his latest album dropping last week, we’re all ears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiSC8Gf-leE
We caught up with Shiny Joe Ryan in the wake of his LP release for a track-by-track rundown of Shiny’s Democracy. Peep the exclusive deets below, and head here to follow him on Instagram.
I’m Singing A New Song
I figured I should start the album off on a positive note but also with a song that gave everyone a glimpse of the palette of sounds and vibe that they could expect from the rest of the album. I’m Singing A New Song does this very well I think. Though it starts off quite restrained and guitar driven, it opens into a lush drop that makes me think of flying through the clouds or something lovely like that.
H2O
H20 is a song that was written in Berlin back in 2014, but didn’t make it onto my first album. It’s an upbeat fuzz, guitar fuelled jam that sits well as the second song on the album. It’s about living it up and going out on the town with no rest or respite (a frequent occurrence for me at the time).
Dad’s Hat
I wanted to write a song about my Dad for this album. He was born in Brooklyn but when he was a teenager moved back to Nenagh CO. Tipperary where his family were from originally. He’s always been an honest hard working man who’s the first to give someone a start or help if they need it. This song is a straight up salute to him.
100 Miles From Nowhere
The lyrics are a made-up story, but the sentiment is about being alone and isolated away form home. When we recorded 100 Miles From Nowhere in the studio I got to play drums which is why the drum fills are so weird. I’ve always wanted to play drums in bands but haven’t been allowed. But now because it’s my band I can do whatever I please haha.
Ketamine
The song Ketamine is one of my favourites from Shiny’s Democracy. The bouncy chords kept circling around my head for so long, it reminded me of a campfire sing along. After mulling the chords over for a long time, some friends and I were laying on an apartment floor in Berlin when we randomly started singing and harmonising together. We spelled out each letter of ketamine to the chords I had written. The harmonies were beautiful, and it was so absurd singing ketamine over those innocent chords that I had no choice but to keep it, write the verses and record it. I find it very funny singing it at shows when my Mum is in the crowd.
If I Had Nothing
If I Had Nothing is a song about finding love and what I’d do to hold onto it. In typical me fashion it has a lot of chords but regardless I think it sounds nice. I’m by no means a harmonica player but randomly I happen to own a harmonica that is exactly in the key of this song and so I had to have it. I also love the freak out fuzz guitar outro. When in doubt turn on every pedal you own.
Pub Boat
Pub Boat is quite literally a song about a boat I saw ferrying tourists around the canals of Amsterdam. The whole thing was decked out like a nice floating pub. The thing I love about the song though is the chug. Playing the 3/4 guitar over the 4/4 drums makes for a lovely deep groove and playing it with the band is so much fun.
I’m Getting Older
As the name suggests this song is about getting older, but it’s a happy song rather than a lament. In the lyrics I reference some amazing times I’ve had with my partner and my friends while traveling abroad. The sound of the songs naturally went the way of The Flaming Lips with delayed drums and LFO sub synth. It turned out quite cosmic.
Yes Song
My band really had a chuckle when I showed them this song because it has so many chords. While most of the song is a swirling chiller progression of chords, the drop and outro is a drum and synth fuelled explosion. I asked Jay Watson from Pond to lay down a huge drum track that was in a similar vein to Chemtrails by Beck, and he absolutely succeeded.
A Stitch In Time
This is one of only two songs on the album that I used my original demo as the basis for recording and then overdubbed the rest at home. I got the name from a something my Mum used to say, ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ and I guess it’s a love song at heart. I have a dinky old plastic keyboard I got as a kid that has really cool string quartet sounds on it. I used that as the base for the song and added a bit of guitar and a basic drum beat. It’s a simple song but I find it very nice to listen to.
I’m Singing A New Song Pt. 2
I’d been listening to Ghosteen by Nick Cave a lot when I wrote this song and I’m in no way comparing it, or me, to him but it does have a kind of reverent vibe to it. I find lyrics the hardest part of writing a song but for some reason it wasn’t that bad this time and that gave me confidence to have just vocals, piano and strings for most of the song. As it is the last song on the album it drops into a beautiful uplifting full band positive affirmation chord progression, with George Harrison style slide guitar that rises and falls away ’till all that’s left is the sound of birds that were having a feast out the front of my house. A good closer.
