His Clancyness LISTEN: ‘Zenith Diamond’ Taken from the debut album Vicious, released on 7th October

His Clancyness will release his debut album, Vicious, via Fat Cat on 7th October 2013

His Clancyness is the alias of Bologna-based Canadian, Jonathan Clancy. Having toured the world in a couple of bands, Jonathan struck out on his own back in 2009 and started to gain some early recognition across internet blogs when he began leaking out a series of bedroom-recorded psych-pop gems. A collection of these smudged recordings was compiled together in 2010 and released under the suitably murky title ‘Always Mist’. Where those early tracks (conceived as a spurt of individual tracks rather than as parts within the cohesive span of an album) often had a certain airy dreaminess, a kind of blurring of focus and amorphous stretching out, His Clancyness’ first proper album, Vicious, arrives fully formed, standing out as an impressively accomplished and completely self-assured album – a huge step forward.

LISTEN: His Clancyness ‘Zenith Diamond’

Recorded with producer Chris Koltay (Liars, Atlas Sound, Lotus Plaza, Akron Family, Dirtbombs) at High Bias Recordings in Detroit, ‘Vicious’ is warm and precise, filled with an unfaltering procession of addictive, hook-filled tracks.  The softer-edges of His Clancyness’ earlier recordings are here replaced by a dynamic of real drive and bite, where every part feels perfectly balanced and intended. The songs still stretch out expansively but everything about the record (from the writing to the playing and production) is bolder, more forceful, cohesive and concise. The guitars are luminous and the whole is powerfully underpinned with a taut, punchy rhythmic spine that fits comfortably within a very modern American take on krautrock’s motorik propulsiveness.

An avowed rock and pop culture obsessive, Clancy cites a long and varied list of artists as influences – Swell Maps, Can, Bowie, Modern Lovers, Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker, The Gun Club, Women, Stevie Nicks, Gastr Del Sol, Zombies and “just about every psychedelic pop nugget ever produced.” Listen in and you might also pick out traces of The Beach Boys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Panda Bear and – especially on the newer material – Deerhunter, Kurt Vile, and Lower Dens. The influence of Cinema can be felt in the eerie synth lines that weave in and out of the record, at times recalling soundtracks to Italian horror movie director Dario Argento’s earlier work. Recently His Clancyness unveiled their signing to FatCat with a wry take on the lyrics video, inspired by the ‘Hitchcock Presents…’ intros.

Tracklisting:
1.    Safe Around The Edges
2.    Miss Out These Days
3.    Gold Diggers
4.    Hunting Men
5.    Slash The Night
6.    Run Wild
7.    Machines
8.    Avenue
9.    Crystal Clear
10  Zenith Diamond
11  Castle Sand Ambient
12  Progress