|
 |
|
The dustbins of music history are filled to overflowing with albums that should never have been released. Likewise, there are millions of recorded albums that, for any variety of reasons, have never seen the light of day. And for that the general public—and music lovers especially—should be thankful. The world has enough useless clutter.
But every once in a while something extraordinary falls through the cracks and by the wayside. For reasons unfathomable to you or I, a work of art—a fully fleshed, highly conceptualized piece of art—gets abandoned. It lays forgotten, in a plastic shell, gathering dust. Not clutter, but certainly useless, or, more to the point—unused, unheard. Such is the case with The Partisan (RY0011).
Recorded over a single weekend in 2002, The Partisan remains vital and urgent. The passing of time and the further development of styles and tastes—however much or little that may mean in today’s hyper stratified, ADD rattled musical culture—have not left it any worse for wear. For all of its surprisingly subtle intricacies, it will forever remain the document of a young band drawing their influences from a variety of sources—everything from punk, rock and progressive to soul, rap and Afro-beat funk. There was no master plan, just the earnest spirit and unchecked rawness of a young, ambitious band coming to terms with itself. With a limited budget and minimal studio time, the band was forced to work quickly and instinctively, an approach that would serve the band well. As guitarist Lee Tesche recalls, “It was all tracked live. I learned a lot of things from this whole process. We revisited some of it on The Gothic and the Gospel. When something wasn't working I could think back to how we approached things from this session. It was usually a matter of simplifying things. Some songs on TGATG weren't sounding right, so we had to re-cut them and get them sounding more like these. Just set up a bunch of mics and guzzle some beer or loosen up and cut it all live in one room.”
Unfortunately, however, shortly after completing the record, bassist Ryan Mahan decided to take a year off to study in the UK. Rather than searching for a replacement and proceeding without him, the remainder of the band chose to take a break and wait for his return. When he finally came back, the songs that comprised The Partisan were abandoned in favor of new material that Mahan had begun to compose while he was away—songs that would eventually grow to form the bulk of the band’s critically acclaimed debut, The Gothic and the Gospel. Tesche explains, “It was one of those things that just happened. As an artist you are continually looking forward, exploring new ideas ... Once we started working on new material we were excited about that, because we were making another huge step artistically. This record became a victim of circumstance.”
When Partisan disbanded in 2006, it seemed highly doubtful that The Partisan would ever surface to see the light of day. When Reason Y Records went on a nearly two-year hiatus due to financial difficulties, it seemed certain. Although a couple of tracks have managed to find their way online, the record as a complete, organic whole has existed on but a handful of increasingly hard to find CD-Rs. Still, there remained a determination on the part of the label to make the record available. When Reason Y re-launched in the fall of 2009, a plan was put into effect to finally get The Partisan into the hands of longtime fans and supporters. This March, that plan will finally come to fruition.
Eight years is a long time to wait for a record, especially one that has been complete and mastered, but just sitting and gathering dust. Whether or not people will return to it and embrace it remains to be seen. Even at the peak of their powers, Partisan always remained on the fringes of the Atlanta scene. Regardless, The Partisan is a record that needs to exist, even if it’s just for those few fervent fans that ardently supported the band when it was alive and breathing. As Tesche concludes, “I don't know if we really had a place in this town. If we really fit in. Maybe in a different time and place. There are a few people who were passionate about us and were happy that we made music. That made it all worthwhile. Some of them hold this particular record close to their hearts.” |
|
|
 |
|
 |
RY007
THE GOTHIC &
THE GOSPEL
16-SONG CD
|
 |
RY011
THE PARTISAN
10-SONG CD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
