For the nearly two decades he’s been fronting the psych ensemble The Entrance Band, Guy Blakeslee has been saving his most experimental ideas for his own solo recordings, dating all the way back to 2004’s Wandering Stranger. Proving to be no exception to the curious soundscapes produced under his solo moniker, the songwriter is announcing another release for early 2021 called Postcards From the Edge, with the title track debuting today.
According to Blakeslee, the MO of the project—which was recorded in New Orleans at Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s home studio—is to get to the bottom of the question “What if Rimbaud met Roy Orbison on acid in a room full of synthesizers, after a late night wander through the haunted streets of New Orleans?” Listening to “Postcards From the Edge”? Checks out.
“I don’t remember trying to write this song,” he recalls. “It just emerged fully formed, though the title had been kicking around in my mind since I was really young, thanks to Carrie Fisher. It was born from the chaos that’s created when a traveler lingers too long in one place while those who really live there are trying to make sense of their stationary lives. Strange triangulations occur, boundaries are tested, and technology warps the illusion of keeping in touch. If you don’t belong anywhere, then you can belong everywhere. Distance and closeness might be more psychic than physical.”
Along with the track, Blakeslee is revealing a self-directed video, which is more than a little Blair-Witchy. “This strange time we are living in is teaching me how to make the most of the things within reach—a handheld VHS camera, a candle, a forest, an old piano. I’ve rarely been into television, but was pleased to create something handmade that reminded me of two shows I’ve dearly loved—The X-Files and Twin Peaks.” Watch it below.
