Heavy Black Vinyl 300 Pressing Worldwide. 350gsm Matt Laminated Outer Sleeve.
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Cardinal Fuzz (UK/Europe) and Centripetal Force (North America) are pleased to announce
the upcoming vinyl release of Elixor of Life from Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders. The
album is being presented in a 300 copy vinyl pressing.
Elixor of Life is the second album of 2021 for Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders. The
first, a self-titled affair, was released on Arrowhawk Records this past August and is well
noted for its craftful songwriting and tight musicianship. For Alexander, someone known for
his psychedelic meanderings in Dire Wolves and the experimental folk sounds of both The
Iditarod and Black Forest/Black Sea, this was a departure from the norm. It is with the
release of Elixor of Life that we see a different side of this Heavy Lidders project, one that is
a bit more unbuttoned and relaxed. All of this isn’t to say that the sound and stylings of the
group’s debut have been deserted, for the references to Neil Young’s Crazy Horse days
remain omnipresent, as do the nods to Dinosaur Jr. and the Meat Puppets. This second album
is a return to the wild abandon so to speak, albeit with a more mystical twist.
In 1694, the Transylvanian-born Johannes Kelpius, a man of great intellect and spirituality,
settled in newly-founded Philadelphia. Joining him in establishing residence on the wooded
hillsides overlooking Wissahickon Creek were dozens of other men who would become known
as "The Society of the Woman in the Wilderness", a collective of meditational monks whose
central tenets included the use of instrumental music as a mode for worship. It should come
as no surprise then to learn that Jeffrey Alexander, who today lives mere steps from these
mystic grounds, has tapped into the lore of this mysterious society. Alexander and his own
band of spiritual wanderers not only practice the same kind of metaphysical transference
with their music, a sort of elixor within itself, they also pay homage to Kelpius and his order
with the aptly titled “Hermits of the Ridge”.
Alexander’s Heavy Lidders have always featured a variety of collaborators. Early iterations of
the lineup included appearances from folks like Kryssi Battalene (Mountain Movers,
Headroom), Marissa Nadler, and Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers). For Elixor of Life, as well as the
band’s self-titled album on Arrowhawk Records, The Heavy Lidders lineup has solidified and
includes Jesse Shepherd (bass) and guitarist Drew Gardner (both of Elkhorn), as well
drummer Scott Verrastro (Kohoutek). This core unit, like Alexander, is well-versed in the art
of improvisation, and while Alexander and crew’s first album leans more towards a more
structured and traditional songwriting approach, Elixor of Life plays into the group’s
collective strength, the ability to create within the moment - and the willingness to expand
their playing for the sake of making music a more devotional experience.
Artist: Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders
Title: Elixor of Life
Labels: Centripetal Force / Cardinal Fuzz
Format: Vinyl
Presale Date: October 22, 2021
Includes unlimited streaming of Jeffrey Alexander + Heavy Lidders - Elixir of Life
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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