Songs of Joy CD is OUT NOW!
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Songs of Joy, the debut album by Sons of Joy. This is a remarkable CD, recorded in less than four hours in a garden shed, with one microphone and no post-production. It has the immediacy of an Alan Lomax field recording and the earnest intensity of the pre-war gospel pioneers. It truly is music to feed the spirit.
However, it is not a record for those who have grown accustomed to soulless Christian MOR or what passes for gospel in the church-marts of the US. It is a record of extremes, saturated by feedback, dissonance and microphones overloaded by the bestial holler of Matt Simpkins, as he channels his righteous fury like some jackleg street preacher from the 1930s.
These raw gospel foot-stompers are complemented by some quieter moments, including beautiful violin interpretations of early hymns and even a Velvet Underground cover version, all arranged and performed by Matthew Simpkins with Daniel Merrill (of the critically acclaimed Dead Rat Orchestra).
This 11-track album is currently available via our webstore and Amazon UK.
