Thursday, July 10, 2008

It's Not the Mendoza Line, But It's Close.


Shannon McArdle releases her debut solo album, Summer of the Whore, through Bar-None Records on August 19, 2008. This is the first recording by McArdle since the Mendoza Line disbanded in 2007. Collaborating on arrangements with former Mendoza Line alum Adam D Gold, her album is a sparse, haunted affair that delivers a wide variety of moods and textures.

After four albums with the Mendoza Line and another project with Bracy called Slow Dazzle, Shannon McArdle is heading out on her own with an unflinching report from the frontlines of divorce.

Summer of the Whore is a unique, fearless view of her life from the summer of 2007, finally ready for delivery in the summer of 2008.

Shannon explains, "It's very strange going back and listening to the record. When I wrote and recorded the songs last summer, my emotions were completely exposed. I had no interest in veiling them in any way. Subtlety was not something that appealed to me at the time. I'm glad for that."

Summer of the Whore (as the name might hint) is not the feel-good album of the year, but it is an honest, singular work, rich in melody and the occasional bitter smile. Sometimes a season seems to last a very long time, but soon the air and the trees change and maybe we change as well without effort. Fortunately for her listeners, McArdle captured the Summer of the Whore before it passed her by.

Download: Poison My Cup

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