This is a very special album for us so just giving a bit of a back story before we get down the the nitty gritty… Everyone should know that this label was formed to mainly deal with Belgian music. Well back in 2006 we were thrown a massive curveball by Paul Hawkins & The(e) Awkward Silences, David Cronenberg’s Wife and Extradition Order who were playing THE most exciting music in London at that time; we had Hawkins, I Blame The Parents had Extradition Order and Blang! had David Cronenberg’s Wife. I used to joke that it was the new Seattle (without the heroin and success), I was younger and at the time it felt like anything was possible… These bands used to play together and share members and it felt a lot like Belgian music in that this was art for arts sake. Extradition Order then released their second album (well, double EP on Helen Llewelyn) and we released the third ‘Kennedy’… Time went on and the band started making ‘American Prometheus’ and Nick got ill and when we found out how bad it was there were talks about getting it out in Nick’s lifetime because he really wanted people to hear it. Sadly this did not happen and it was at Nick’s funeral that all of us labels that had known and loved Nick decided that we would club together to do this record and Nick as proud as we could; Alistair agreed and now it is coming…
Extradition Order’s “American Prometheus” album is out in February – a co-release between five (count them!) labels: Gare Du Nord, Blang, Jezus Factory, Helen Llewelyn Product 19 and I Blame The Parents.
Pre-Order Extradition Order – American Prometheus here
Hear ‘Baby What Have You Done For Me Lately?’ here
“A Northern Soul album about the atomic bomb” is how the band have referred to it during its creation – a great tagline…that music is in the band’s blood and their Warrington roots….maybe that’s all you need to read…..but of course it’s not quite as simple as that.
After their astute post-indie dissection of the Kennedy dynasty on their previous album, EO’s obsession with US politics and history turns to the life and career of J Robert Oppenheimer around the Manhattan Project and the development of the first A-bomb.
The songs cover the science a little, but also Oppenheimer’s private and political life and legacy – the album concludes with the reminder that he was nominated for a Nobel Prize three times but never won it.
Musically the band have taken their often angular dramatic post-punk energy and concentrated it into concise indie beat music that has clear Motown influences, as well as some of the barely contained but danceable terror of bands like The Pop Group or more recently Black Country New Road. On top of that, the unisex lead vocals (Alastair Harper, Anoushka Kenley and Rosie Beard) can conjure up moments of sheer gothic rock and roll abandon – think The Rocky Horror Show meets the B-52s.
The album is dedicated to EO founder member Nick Boardman who sadly passed away in 2018 but whose bass hooks and singing run through this record at its foundations.
“…..acutely cut from the same art pop template that graced those early Talking Heads and Modern Lovers platters…….a transfusion of the Sinatras and Fire Engines’ contortionist pop, some keenly fused moments of classic foot flapping Two Tone-ism and a smidgeon of the Dexy’s ‘searching for the young soul rebels’……. a neat hysteria fuelled hotpot of infectious groove.”
Mark Barton – The Sunday Experience
It’s in tribute to Nick that all five labels who have been involved in previous Extradition Order releases have joined forces to co-release and co-promote this album.
There will be a special launch show and memorial to Nick at The Lexington on January 26th and all proceeds will go to the hospice that looked after him. Special guests are David Cronenberg’s Wife, The Awkward Silences and Ed Seed.
