Miles Kurosky of Beulah Sets Solo Album Release
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Produced by Kurosky and engineered by former Beulah member Eli Crews (Deerhoof, Why?), The Desert of Shallow Effects is a meticulously crafted, ambitious gem, utilizing a cast of more than two dozen musicians (among them several ex-Beulah members) playing a vast array of instruments. The album release will be followed by a national tour.
For Kurosky, the six years since the demise of the San Francisco-based band have been the best and worst of times. Miles married a woman he met during the final Beulah tour, wrote the most personal and sophisticated music of his career, and recorded his first-ever solo album, The Desert of Shallow Effects. Along the way Miles suffered from severe shoulder problems that made playing the guitar impossible and required two reconstructive surgeries. Then, just as he was recuperating, he began to suffer from kidney problems that also required hospital time.
Painful as the hiatus may have been for the artist, fans of Kurosky's previous work with Beulah finally have something to celebrate. Although it took all of those years for Kurosky to regain his physical strength, he slowly but willfully managed to put together The Desert of Shallow Effects. In some ways the album is a continuation from where Kurosky left off in his career, but at the same time it heralds a giant leap into the new and untried.
"When I wrote lyrics before, for Beulah, they were of an esoteric nature, but this time, I wanted them to read like stories," says Kurosky of the compositions that populate The Desert of Shallow Effects. The album's title itself comes from a quote by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Its 10 tracks are rich and intricate, panoramic and cinematic, yet undeniably intimate and deeply revealing. Viewed as a unified entity they tell where Kurosky has been and where he is today, but they do so in a way that is never contrived or precious.
The critically praised San Francisco–based Beulah was formed in 1996 by Miles Kurosky and Bill Swan. The band released four albums and was very influential in the indie-rock world, gaining fans with their contemplative lyrics and catchy, '60s-influenced melodies. Beulah toured with Cake, Wilco, Guided By Voices, Of Montreal, and The Apples in Stereo, and were by all accounts on their way up in the rock world, dubbed "the best band you've never heard." They appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, made Magnet magazine's list of Lost Classics and The Onion A.V. Club's Hall of Fame, and their album When Your Heartstrings Break recently came in at #37 on Amazon's 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of all time.
However, nearly ten years into their career, Beulah decided to go their separate ways in 2004, after a final tour in support of Yoko, their most highly-praised album, as documented in the film "A Good Band Is Easy To Kill." Beulah left behind an important musical legacy which Miles Kurosky will continue, beginning with The Desert of Shallow Effects.
Majordomo Records, an imprint of Shout! Factory that has released albums by The Airborne Toxic Event, the Von Bondies, and Earlimart, offers artists a unique combination of an indie label's dedication and commitment with a major label's resources, including distribution via the Sony Music distribution network.
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