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Nov 18, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

Multi-instrumentalist and producer Kramer has been operating in the indie underground for decades now, producing for hundreds of artists, including seminal records from Daniel Johnston, Low, and Galaxie 500. Amidst it all, he also ran his Shimmy-Disc label from 1987 to 1998, releasing projects from WEEN, GWAR, King Missile, and a host of others.

In 1998, Shimmy-Disc went under and Kramer stepped away from music, but this year, following a 23-year hiatus, he’s back. Shimmy-Disc is born again and on December 3rd Kramer is sharing his first original LP in over two decades, And the Wind Blew It All Away.

On the LP itself, Kramer says: “A terrifying wind is coming. I recorded this LP as I wondered, through sound and song, if I’ll ever collaborate on making music with another artist by my side again, or live to see another New Year’s Eve, or ever hear my daughter’s voice again, or ever Love again. Time will darken it. It always does.

Do I really want to be the last man standing, in a wind like this one?”

Last month he shared the lead single from the record, “The Crying,” and today he’s back with his second single, “The Rain,” premiering with Under the Radar.

Much like Kramer’s last single, “The Rain” is sparse and contemplative, yet filled with atmosphere and startling emotional weight. Kramer’s echoing vocals are accompanied only by lilting piano lines and hints of twinkling instrumentation, the song’s raw despondent core on full display. With the lyrics, Kramer longs for connection, begging for comfort and absolution一“If I ever see you again / Will you let me touch you in the rain? / And if you ever see me again / Will I even touch you here or there?”

As Kramer explains, “‘The Rain’ is based upon a dream I had in which I walked a cobblestone street in Amsterdam under a light November rain with someone I knew I’d never see again. I wondered if she wanted me to touch her, as the guilt of never having tried, was killing me. I showed her my right hand, and my five fingers, hoping she might show me how to wipe the guilt away.

She pulled her arms away, and said, ‘I don’t need any more complications right now.’

Yes, I’m fairly confident that it was just a dream.”

Check out the song and accompanying video below. And the Wind Blew It All Away is out December 3rd via Shimmy-Disc and Joyful Noise Recordings.