Jason Falkner - Biography & Discography

There is this kind of musician who is writing, releasing records and performing his own music for more than two decades - but misses the aim that is chart success? The one who creates stunning music and don't get any recognition by public, but by his loyal fans? One of them is Jason Falkner.

To sum it up: he may be one of the most underrated musicians of the last two decades. What a pity!

Falkner started his musical career with a band called The Three O'Clock but soon he joined a new band of his former bandmate (Roger Joseph Manning Jr.) - Jellyfish. After the success of the first record (Bellybutton) he left the band and said he'll be never again a band member again (where he was clearly wrong).

His solo career started in 1996 with Presents Author Unknown, followed with the fabulous Can You Still Feel?. I recommend to listen to Can You Still Feel? from start to finish - there's no filler song, no low point.

2001 was a good year for loyal fans: two collection of rare songs and demos were released: Necessity: The 4-Track Years and Everyone Says It's On. Falkner also put a collection of Beatles songs, performed as lullabies, the title says it all: Bedtime With The Beatles (the follow up was released in 2008).

In 2002 a full album of unreleased material surfaced in the internet - it was called Eloquence, in 2004 he had the phenomenal Bliss Descending EP out.

His latest two records (I'm OK... You're OK and All Quiet On the Noise Floor) had only a release in Japan. Three years (THREE YEARS!) later I'm OK ... You're OK was finally out in the US and Europe. All Quiet On The Noise Floor didn't have this fortune.

Jason Falkner solo - discography:

•  Presents Author Unknown (1996)
•  Can You Still Feel? (1999)
•  Necessity: The 4-Track Years (2001)
•  Everyone Says It's On (2001)
•  Bedtime With The Beatles (2001)
•  Eloquence (2002) - never officially released!
•  Bliss Descending (EP) (2004)
•  I'm OK... You're OK (2007)
•  Bedtime With The Beatles 2 (2008)
•  All Quiet On the Noise Floor (2009)

Since 2009 Jason Falkner stopped his solo career and became producer, session musician and performed with several bands:

• Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990) 
• The Greys - Ro Sham Bo (1994 - with Jon Brion- vocals, guitar)
• Susanna Hoffs - Susanna Hoffs (1996 - bass, keyboards, guitar, percussion, organ, drums )
• Brendan Benson - One Mississippi (1996 - co-writer) and Lapalco (2002 - co-produced, backing vocals)
• Eric Matthews - The Lateness of the Hour (1997 - electric guitar, bass, piano, drums, co-producer) 
• Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning (1999 - bass)
• Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell - Logan's Sanctuary (2000 - guitar, lead vocals, bass)
• Air - 10 000 Hz Legend (2001 - bass, he also toured with the band), Talkie Walkie (2004 - bass)
• TV Eyes (Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell) (2001)
• Aimee Mann - Lost In Space (2002 - bass)
• The Blondes - The Blondes (2002 - producer)
• Travis - The Invisible Band (2001 - keyboards, backing vocals on the B-Side "Killer Queen")
• Pugwash - Almanac (2002 - vox continental, vocals, guitar)
• Lisa Loeb - The Way It Really Is (2004 - electric guitar, Wurlitzer piano, background vocals)
• Magnet - Tourniquet (2005 - producer)
• Ben Lee - Awake is the New Alseep (2005 - backing vocals)
• Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (2005 - electric guitar, acoustic guitar)
• The Nines - Calling Distance Stations (2006 - mixing, backing vocals)
• Beck - Sea Change (2002 - guitar), The Information (2006 - acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, percussion, African drums, Moog bass, background vocals) and Modern Guilt (2008)
• Anne Soldaat - In Another Life (2009) - producer, instruments, co-writer
• Daniel Johnston - Is and Always Was (2009 - producer, engineer, mixing, guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals)
• The Informers – Soundtrack (2009) 
• Glen Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas (2011 - bass, guitar)
• Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (2011 - guitar)
• R. Stevie Moore - Make It Be (2017)
• Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon? (2017)
• Pugwash - Silverlake (2017 - producer)

Here is the famous, never seen the light of the release day album Eloquence in all his glory:

Jason Falkner - Eloquence (complete unreleased album from 2002)

+ + + New Music for 2012 + + +

Bleu - Besides 

Seems to be delayed, probably it'll be out in early 2012. Besides is a collection of unreleased songs (a long time ago they would have been called B-Sides...). You only can buy it HERE.

Jellyfish - Spilt Milk & Bellybutton (January 10) 

The vinyl re-release from Omnivore Recordings. Preorder it HERE.

Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (January 23)

The first single "When I Was Young" for free download HERE 

Goldfrapp - The Singles (February 6)

Well, it's a .. Singles collection. - with a great selection of tracks - and two new songs. More info's HERE.

AIR - Le Voyage Dans La Lune (February 7)

‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’ (A Trip To The Moon) is a classic black & white silent short film by French director Georges Méliès from 1902. It is widely considered one of the most important works in film history, and the very first to use science fiction as its theme, incorporating special effects that were very state-of-the-art at the turn of the 19th century. Restored in 2010 the producers decided to ask AIR’s Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel, to compose an original modern soundtrack. AIR decided to develop the project into a full album inspired by the film. There will be also a special edition including the short movie itself.

The Shins - Port of Morrow (March)

It's their first record since 2007′s Wincing The Night Away.

Ocean Grove (May)

Their debut album is crowd funded via kickstarter.com.

Ben Kweller - Go Fly A Kite (February 2) 

It's the first record since Changing Horses (which I REALLY didn't like!). But the sound samples show its musical direction is more like the 2006 Ben Kweller LP (which I REALLY did like!).

Listen here: 

Head & Tails by benkweller

Paul McCartney - My Valentine (February 7)

Macca says:  “This will sound like the years between 1920-1940, the time when my father was 20. These are songs I heard. My family, my uncles, everybody sang.”  

Brendan Benson - What Kind Of World (May)
Everytime a new Brendan Benson record is out I get a little excited. He's such a good songwriter. Read more HERE.

Aimee Mann 

Aimee tweeted on December 2: Just finished my new record!!!! WOOO!!

Ben Folds Five 

Ben confirmed it: there will be a new Ben Folds Five record

And then there are new records from Bleu, Keane, Travis and Phoenix in the pipeline for 2012 (no album name, no release date).

A breeze of fresh AIR

Air is the English translation for lug, luften, Luft, ilma, de l'air, udara, aria, aeris, hava.

AIR

Air is also French and can be translated as melody.

And AIR is finally also an acronym for Amour, Imagination, Rêve which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream, which is a French band founded by Nicolas Godin und Jean-Benoît Dunckel.

Since their first LP in 1997 seven records:

• 1997 Premiers Symptomes
• 1998 Moon Safari
• 2000 The Virgin Suicides
• 2001 10 000 Hz Legend
• 2004 Talkie Walkie
• 2007 Pocket Symphony
• 2009 Love 2

AIR is hard to sort by genre: it's ambient, electro, pop and trip hop.
The duo uses mainly analogue synthesizers (Korg, Moog), also Wurlitzer and Vocoder, which create
smooth, mellow and dreamy songs.

Listen to their best three records here:

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