It’s not hard to soundtrack a summer day. Plenty of people do it with ease, accuracy, and obvious intent. However, there’s something much more specific and localized about the relaxing, sun-drenched East Coast. A.J.H. Gillis & the Delusions of Grandeur have managed to capture that essence – perhaps without trying – with Hapless Romantic.
Working with Charles Austin at Ocean Floor recording studio in Halifax, Gillis recorded 14 songs for album, seven of which remain to be released, with Jordan Murphy on drums, and Mike Farrington Jr. on bass guitars. They were also joined by Phil Sedore and Gina Burgess on overdub sessions – Burgess on fiddle and Sedore performing on what Gillis calls the “Sedorchestra” comprised of lap steel, dobro, tele, keys and mandolin.
“It’s an unassuming space, but it has great sight lines for live recording, sounds fantastic and is real comfortable space,” says Gillis of Ocean Floor.
“Nobody in the room had played together before. Usually by the 4th or 5th take we were either ready to move on to the next tune, or were recording one more for good measure. I joked that they were ‘the best rhythm section that never existed’.”
The album also features Terra Spencer and Tom Rich who provide vocal harmonies, aided by Thomas Stajcer, the legendary engineer at Joel Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard studio in Dartmouth.
“I put in 42 hours at the studio in three days over the new year, and then went back in for a few hours on the fourth day to make a few small changes,” says Gillis. “New Scotland Yard has got such a great environment to mix in. I’d sleep there if they didn’t charge by the hour.”
Short and sweet fits this project in more ways than one. The seven tracks that did see the light of day were written, recorded and mixed in the span of a week and a half, though the quickness of it all has done nothing to diminish the quality. The tracks are crisp and emotional. The lyrics feel fresh and authentic.
The opening track, “On My Knees”, is probably the sunniest of them all, with an easy pace and actual sweltering visuals. Despite this, the track chronicles a volatile relationship that keeps the narrator guessing. It’s the type of relationship and the type of girl that becomes familiar as the album goes on.
The tracks that follow have a bit of a softer feel, though still evoking that feeling of driving with the windows down on a warm day. Maybe it’s the way the lyrics constantly reference travel or driving or escaping that continues to build this atmosphere. “Oh Darlene” and “Salt Water” are two examples of this, with characters feeling the need to escape whatever situation or heartbreak they’ve found themselves in.
For Gillis, it was “Oh Darlene” that stood out as a gem on the album.
“‘Oh Darlene’ in particular stands out as having come together in a pretty magical way. The recording has a killer vibe, especially in the last couple of chorus’ after the bridge.“
To complete the feel of a drive on a summer day there’s even a track simulating flicking through the radio, “Annapolis Valley Roadtrip”. It serves as a two-minute intro track for the song ‘Valley Girl Decrees’. The nature of the transition, of finally settling on a song, makes “Valley Girl Decrees” oddly satisfying to listen to. There’s a sense of catharsis when one song finally fades into the next. It also holds the return of a character we’ve grown familiar with, of this girl who’s larger than life and keeps the singer on his toes.
The album ends on a soft note, looking back and reflecting on lessons at the end of a long day. It feels like the singer is unpacking every moment we’ve been given on the album thus far. Despite him singing, “a storybook ending seems so far away”, the ending still seems to wrap things up fittingly.
Gillis says that the other seven tunes that didn’t make it onto the initial album will be released later this month as a sister project to Hapless Romantic.
“I don’t play live a lot, probably due to my love affair with studio recording,” admits Gillis. “I’ve got a couple more recording projects I want to get started on soon, and a batch of new songs in the works from a singer songwriter residency I attended at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in March. I’m focused on spending a lot of time in the studio over the rest of 2019 to catch up with the writing I’ve been doing. Perhaps once I’ve accomplished that, I’ll focus on playing more live shows.”
Show Dates:
05.17.19 – Lawerencetown, NS @ Lunns Mill
09.03.19 – Port Medway, NS @ The Port Grocer