“Finely wrought… a series of art songs that can just as readily evoke Robert Schumann as Paul Simon.” — New York Times
“There is no one quite like Kahane… ‘The Fiction Issue’ is not a record to miss.” — I Care If You Listen
“Kahane lyrically sweeps up what’s left after loss: razor sharp observation of the mundane; the crucial morning ritual of a donut and coffee; post-9/11 unease in New York City and beyond.” — Q2 Music
Via Second Inversion, here’s a live performance at KING-FM in Seattle of “Bradbury (304 Broadway)” from The Ambassador with string quartet Brooklyn Rider. Many bowls of pho were harmed in the making of this video.
(Source: youtube.com)
We made a video for you guys in our hotel. This is “Letter to a Lover”, an excerpt from Come On All You Ghosts, which is one of the pieces on The Fiction Issue, which comes out on 2/5, a week from today! You can pre-order a signed copy of the album here.
Letter to a Lover
Music by Gabriel Kahane, text by Matthew Zapruder
Today I am going to pick you up at the beige airport.
My heart feels like a field of calves in the sun.
My heart is wired directly to the power source of mediocre songs.
I am trying to catch a ray of sunlight in my mouth.
I look forward to showing you my new furniture.
I look forward to the telephone ringing, it is not you,
you are in the kitchen trying to figure out the coffee maker,
you are pouring out the contents of your backpack.
I wonder if you now have golden fur?
I wonder if your arsenal of kind remarks is empty?
I remember when I met you you were wearing a grey dress,
that was also blue, not unlike the water plus the sky.
They say it’s difficult to put a leash on a hummingbird.
So let us be no longer the actuary of each other!
Let us bow no longer our heads to the tyranny of numbers!
Hurry off the plane, with your rhinestone covered bag
full of magazines that check up on the downfall of the stars.
I will be waiting for you at the bottom of the moving stairs.
Happy New Year, folks! My first album of chamber music, The Fiction Issue, featuring Brooklyn Rider & My Brightest Diamond, comes out in less than five weeks. Pre-order your copy today and I will sign it for you, plus you’ll get two tracks right now!