• Jon DeRosa

    Black Halo

    Black Halo the second full-length release from Jon DeRosa, following up 2013's A Wolf In Preacher's Clothes (Rocket Girl). After moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in early 2014, DeRosa began frequenting Joshua Tree and other sparsely populated nature destinations in California. His spiritual attraction to and fascination with the solitude and openness of these new landscapes, combined with his penchant for 60's pop songwriting and orchestration, largely inspired the vast "West Coast" sound of Black Halo.

    Though the amply bearded, heavily-tattooed DeRosa looks the part of Hells Angel- meets-Source Family member, his striking baritone is more in tune with the Golden Age of crooners, 1950's Nelson Riddle arrangements and 1960's teen love songs. Known for his dreamlike ambient-pop work as Aarktica, DeRosa integrates those signature otherworldly elements into the songs on Black Halo, combining a certain kind of occult mysticism with a refined orchestral sound. His ability to successfully blend such disparate elements is what makes his music so strikingly original and DeRosa such a singular character. But then again, this is the kind of thing that can happen when your past includes studying under minimalist pioneer La Monte Young, making records with Alan Sparhawk of Low, collaborating with Stephin Merritt, and touring Europe with Lydia Lunch.

    For the recording of Black Halo DeRosa returned to Brooklyn to work with his musicians and long time collaborator and producer Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields, Soko, Gospel Music). The two returned to Los Angeles for further tracking and vocals, and to work with multi-instrumentalist Brad Gordon (The Weepies, Dan Wilson) on the orchestral arrangements (Brad also co-wrote "Blood Moon" with DeRosa). The record features vocal contributions from the exquisite Carina Round (Early Winters/Puscifer), as well as the DeRosa/Round co-written duet "Dancing In A Dream." Finally, a most notable collaboration comes in the shape of "When Daddy Took The Treehouse Down," which DeRosa co-wrote with the inimitable Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields).

    The first single “Coyotes” will be released worldwide on April 27th, along with “High & Lonely” as a B -side DeRosa will be heading to UK/Europe in late-May in support of Black Halo, to be followed by regional US dates in the Summer.  

    The first single “Coyotes” will be released worldwide on April 27th, along with “High & Lonely” as a B -side

    DeRosa Press:

    "On A Wolf In Preacher’s Clothes, you’ll notice a kinship with Children of Scott Walker like Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker, hints of John Cale’s Paris 1919, and maybe even some<br/>connection to John Doe of X..." –Jason Diamond, Men's Journal

    “DeRosa’s nuanced, cat-ate-the-canary baritone lingers, sometimes ominous, sometimes with more than a hint of rakishness. And he paints a hell of a picture…One of the most haunting and intriguing albums of 2012” - New York Music Daily "At first, Jon DeRosa's Anchored EP, a quartet of gorgeously layered chamber-pop shanties, seems leagues away from the voluptuous Lovecraftian drift he perfected under his moniker Aarktica. but there are dark spaces here, too, room to brood in the sweet gravel of his voice, in Julia Kent's penetrating cello lines, and in the quiet violence of the lyrics. With a depth that belies its brief running time, Anchored is so perfect that it literally gives you the chills." –Ed Park, The Believer “What does strike you is DeRosa’s capable crooning. Sounding not unlike a teen-idol and writing like a stalwart, this man is equal parts Neil Hannon, Richard Hawley, Scott Walker (the ’60s version), Bobby Darin and DeRosa himself…Spankingly superb!" - Flipside (UK)

    "In essence, A Wolf In Preacher’s Clothes is a beautiful collision between the dark dreaminess of Echo & The Bunnymen, and the orchestrated pop ballads of the 50s and early 60s, polished off with some natty 40s vocal styling – all of which has influenced 33-year-old DeRosa down the years. Mostly sombre in tone, the album also reveals flashes of pop perfection, such as opener ‘Birds of Brooklyn’, which manages to walk the wobbly line between being instantly agreeable yet understated enough to avoid a sugary aftertaste.” - Happening (UK)

    Tracklisting

    1. Fool's Razor
    2. High and Lonely
    3. The Sun is Crying
    4. Black Halo
    5. When Daddy Took the Tree House Down (By Jon DeRosa and Stephin Merritt)
    6. Coyotes
    7. Give me One More Reason
    8. Lonely Sleep
    9. Dancing in a Dream (feat. Carina Round)
    10. Blood Moon
    11. Knock Once
    12. You’re Still Haunting me

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