• News

• All

Dec 04, 2018 Murray A. Lightburn By Christopher Roberts

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, is releasing a new solo album, Hear Me Out, on February 22, 2019 via Dangerbird. Previously he shared its first single, “Belleville Blues” (which we premiered and was one of our Songs of the Week). Now he has shared another song from the album, “Changed My Ways.” Listen below, via BlackBook (who premiered it).

Lightburn had this to say about the song to BlackBook: “I wrote this song on the piano. That first melody you hear, doubled by the flute. The original demo was more muscular and I doubted it for awhile. So I zoomed back in to the original way I sang and played it on the piano, which became the guide. I wanted it to be gentle and fragile yet strong - a tough balance that kind of encapsulates the album and its theme.”

Lightburn also had this to say to BlackBook: “I wanted this song and this album to convey my own version masculinity, but totally void of that bullshit. I wanted something that was strong and confident without backing down or [being] perceived as arrogant. That is really hard. And I don’t really see or hear a lot of that these days, especially from black men. In 2018, it’s not really pushed up front - so here I am, trying. Wish me luck.”

Lightburn wrote and arranged all the song on Hear Me Out, which was produced by Lightburn and Howard Bilerman (Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire, Godspeed You Black Emperor!). It was recorded and mixed at Hotel2Tango in Montréal. Lightburn plays a lot of different instruments on the album: lead and background vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, organ, Mellotron, piano, tubular bells, vibraphone, tambourine, and maracas. The album also features guest vocals from Catherine McCandless of Young Galaxy and Ariel Engel of Broken Social Scene and La Force, as well as Hawksley Workman on bongos. Plus the album includes the following players: Jeff Luciani (drums), Rémi-Jean Leblanc (bass guitar), Steve Raegele (electric guitar and acoustic guitar), Gregory Burton (piano), and Liam O’Neil (piano and tenor saxophone).

Under the Radar and The Dears go way back. We first discovered the band as they were preparing to release their 2003 sophomore album, No Cities Left, which still remains one of our favorites and made the Top 20 in our Top 200 Albums of the Decade list in our Best of the Decade issue in 2009. We then put Lightburn on the cover of our print magazine in honor of The Dears’ 2006 album, Gang of Losers. The Dears’ last album was 2017’s Times Infinity Volume Two, which was the follow-up to 2015’s Times Infinity Volume One. Lightburn’s last solo album was 2013’s Mass: Light.

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.