Here Be Monsters
Indeed, dear traveler, here be monsters! Though, perhaps, none you need fear. Your body is safe. For now.
It is the heart and mind that we must worry about. What those of old referred to as Spirit – that nebulous repository of personal meaning that bounces on the walls of space and time and echoes within the song of ages.
And what are the songs that we sing here?
Sad songs.
Dark songs.
Some would say bleak songs!
For these are bleak times. A time in between certainties, perhaps the end of times... though time never ends so long as there is someone to count the days.
But a wise man once said "In order to enter Heaven, you must first pass through Hell." And the darkest shadows are only made by the brightest light.
What shadows lurk here that also lurk inside you?
What ghosts and spirits await? Read on!
Shy Ghosts LP
The latest solo recording by t.k. bollinger was released in digital format on January the 16th 2016. These 13 tracks have been lovingly crafted to bring you the maximum downer to sychronise with your sad and sorry existence. The songs were arranged around 4 and 8 bar acoustic guitar chord patterns. All development in the melody is left to Bollinger’s voice, which hatches musical themes reminiscent of heartrending Soul and dark Gregorian chant, as well as the lengthy doom tinged guitar solos which soar and plummet between the verses. This gives this music the impression of some ambling, yet beautiful, musical monster pieced together from inspiration, Bollinger freely admits, gleaned from Jason Molina’s sparse acoustic master piece “Let me go, Let me go, Let Me Go”, Gothic Country, Doom Metal and the soaring solos from Sigur Rós’ beautiful Ágætis Byrjun. A creature searching for answers to the eternal question, “why does suffering exist?” No clear answers emerge, other than we must keep walking and enjoy the brief insights and the occasional ray of hope that helps us to summon forth compassion for the shy ghosts that hide in our shadows.
Sinking Claw 7"
This is a limited pressing split 7" EP. One side features two tracks from t.k. bollinger. No More is Bollinger in solo mode, while To Lose the Darkness is Bollinger and his band, that sinking feeling, with all the stops pulled out. The other side draws you into the sinister world of Black Claw, Canadian Black Country at it's most eerie and potent. Join the Rev. Claw as he sings you lullaby's for the tomb.
A Catalogue of Woe
A year after it's release, this collection of dark, minor key roots and rock is still being praised as a worthy wallow for lovers of sadcore. Minted in the mysterious orient, this 9 track album is the culmination of 3 years work. Recorded live to tape and with minimal overdubs at Ugly Separation Studios, the inner sanctum of reclusive producer/engineer/bass-boss R.S. Amor, these handpicked and hand reared tunes will win you over with their dark charm and their maudlin swagger. Available in 3 forms: Book and CD; CD; and Digital Download.