Although Paul Bergmann’s music has taken many forms over the past decade or so, the changes have generally been less aesthetic than they are to do with recording procedures. His lo-fi, wild-west, gothic-folk demos of yore with The Fair Moans have been spruced up on recent solo recordings to the point that they resemble an outsider’s take on chamber-pop, though on last January’s Long Island Sounds EP he expanded the lineup to a trio coasting on an improvisatory spirit harnessed in the studio on the release’s five tracks—which included two reworkings of songs from his prior solo album. Naturally, his newly announced Connecticut Cowboy takes this idea deeper with a jammier take on the formula.
Today, Bergmann is sharing the most-extended take from the album, the closing track “Blue Light Cowboy.” Joined by bandmates Cameron Brown, Scott Lawrence, and (virtually) Stephen Heath, the track opens with images of a smoke-filled piano bar before the rousing final minutes. “I’ve always been drawn to the mythos of the American West,” Bergmann shares of the song’s lyrical influence. “It’s in the fabric anywhere you go in this country—even in such a derided but beautiful place as Connecticut. I wanted to tune into its presence here.”
As for the composition, he explains that the loose sound the quartet achieved came simply through nearly zero rehearsal as a unit. “The recording is the second time we ever played it; I brought the song to the band the night of. Cam and Scott added some first-pass guitar licks that night, and my old bandmate Stephen out in California recorded that wonderful lead guitar later on. It’s the closer track of the album, and I just love how loosely it all coalesced.”
Check out the new tune below, and pre-order Connecticut Cowboy here.
