And make no bones about it
‘giant’ and ‘project’ are the key words here. For Krief
who spent much of the past decade writing
touring and recording with Montreal's original orchestral rock-noir band
the Dears
has created a work that's truly epic
by every definition. Following a devastating string of deaths in his life
Krief dealt with emotional trauma the way musicians do: by pouring all the heartbreak and grief and despair and fear into writing. His creative drive came with a dark underside of self-destruction
a phase he's grateful to have emerged from relatively unscathed — stronger
even
but forever changed.

All of this is reflected in the 20 songs that make up ‘Automanic Red’ and ‘Automanic Blue’
an unconventional double album which is due for release on the panda on November 17th. The two records
according to Krief
are "autonomous in their flow and not meant to be listened to in one sitting." And yet
he continues
"releasing one without the other simply wouldn’t make any sense — the plot truly exists within the invisible line that bonds them." What really ties ‘Automanic’
Krief’s fourth album
together is his songwriting
with lyrics that are at once earnest and abstract
personal poetry with universal reach and a sound unbound by genre but encompassing myriad shades of contemporary pop and rock
from dreamy shoegazing soundscapes to arena rock balladry. For Simon & Garfunkelesque serenity and soulful denouements see also: flashes of Flaming Lips
Depeche Mode
Pink Floyd
Six By Seven and Leonard Cohen
not forgetting an ever present echo-laden twanging undercurrent of the mighty ELO.

Documenting a period of shared grief and internal crisis in a song or a record (or two records) is scarcely unique
but ‘Automanic’ isn't a mere document — it's an opus work
made by a musician who was pushed to the brink and propelled to a creative peak. And yes
Krief does rhyme with ‘grief’. Come see Krief and his band climb ever onwards at these live shows here:

NOVEMBER 18TH IPSWICH THE SWAN NOVEMBER 21ST OXFORD WHEATSHEAF NOVEMBER 23RD LONDON HACKNEY PAPER DRESS VINTAGE (w/ VLMV fka ALMA) NOVEMBER 25TH MANCHESTER FACTORY