Van Duren - Idiot OptimismA Memphis pop icon, Van Duren was not only a contemporary of Big Star, he played with both Chris Bell and Jody Stephens in The Baker Street Regulars. Managed by Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones), his 1978 debut album, Are You Serious?, found folks comparing him to artists like Todd Rundgren and Paul McCartney. Now, at long last Idiot Optimism returns as Van originally intended it to look and sound. With full creative control from Duren, this

Whenever I was talking to someone on the phone

the Phleng Khmer Ensemble and Pinpeat Ensemble play instruments such as the khse diev (one-string lute)

reminiscent of Mark Twain classic Tom Sawyer

songwriter and producer Benjy Keating

master saxophonist John Magaldi also doubles on clarinet

he was equally surprised to see Busta grinning from ear to ear

Synchronize (RAC Mix)

Vítezslav Novák

this album is real trip through darkness and chaos

Observing how the shapes reacted to different rhythms and pitch combinations would feed into the songwriting process for each track

Each draws on a wide range of influences from folk-like moments embedded quotations and dazzlingly virtuosic episodes

including the region of Vojvodina