James Righton, c’è vita oltre ai Klaxons

I Klaxons mancano sulle scene da tempo, tuttavia James Righton non è rimasto con le mani in mano. Polistrumentista con un C.V. anche da insegnante scolastico, ha firmato nel 2017 il debutto come Shock Machine, con sonorità tra glam e Hypnagogic-pop, per arrivare a registrare musica con il proprio nome nel 2020 con “The Performer”, per l’etichetta Deewee dei Soulwax.

James Righton annuncia un nuovo lavoro in uscita l’8 Luglio, “Jim, I’m Still Here”, che vede la partecipazione oltre che dei Soulwax anche di Benny Andersson (Abba). Dodici tracce tra funk e synth avvolgenti nel concept della rockstar Jim VS il padre di famiglia James; l’artista londinese racconta la genesi del disco: “The alter ego of Jim came to me whilst promoting “The Performer” during lockdown. Life shut down and became centered around domestic life. At the same time I was asked more and more to live stream concerts through various social media platforms. So I’d put the kids to sleep, head downstairs to my garage studio, put on my Gucci suit and became someone else. The juxtaposition of these two lives felt extreme but also interesting to me. Jim would be the deluded rockstar, living out his fantasies from the confines of his garage. James was Dad.”

“At the same time I also spent more time than ever thinking. I thought about the people I love, the people I miss, the places I wanted to go to, the things I wanted to do. Thoughts became words and the words became songs. I wrote about my wife, my children, friends who I miss and a friend who sadly passed away from Covid. As a result this album is more personal, raw and unlike any other I’ve made. I let the words dictate. To be clear Jim and James are both me. Jim is an exaggerated semi fictional version of me. James changes nappies, makes dinner and reads bedtime stories to his kids. The balance and constantly shifting nature of this duality I find endlessly fascinating.”

Il videoclip dell’ultimo singolo “Pause” è diretto da Julian Klincewicz, già collaboratore di Beyoncé e Jay Z e qui responsabile con Righton della parte visual e grafiche dell’album.

La Tracklist di “Jim, I’m Still Here” (Deewee):

Livestream Superstar
Pause
Touch
Release Party
Real World Park
Never Give Up On The City
A Day At The Races
I Want To Live
Lover Boy
Empty Rooms feat. Benny Andersson
Playing To Win
Farewell Superstar

Photo Credit: Julian Klincewicz