Songs For The Underclass by Art Bergmann

by (weewerk)

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Barry McQuarrie Everything on this is excellent, right now Company Store is the right kind of jam for me. Favorite track: Company Store.

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1.	Drones Of Democracy 07:34	buy track
2.	Company Store 05:15	buy track
3.	Ballad Of A Crooked Man 07:02	buy track
4.	Your Cold Appraising Eye 04:08	buy track

about

After self-imposed exile, Art Bergmann, the anti-hero-iconoclast of Canadian music for over 40 years, comes out of the wilderness thrusting a four song ep at the world tentatively titled SONGS FOR THE UNDERCLASS.
Released in 2014 on the label (weewerk), the new ep was recorded in April at Arch Audio in Calgary with producer Lorrie Matheson and a crew of talented players. If you think being on a dilapidated farm on the prairies of Alberta has mellowed him, you would be wrong, SFTU shows Art at his song writing best.
His first new music since the Juno winning album, “What Fresh Hell is This”, Art is still full of vitriol and contempt for the status quo and he cannot stay quiet any longer. Just choose one or two well-worn clichés to describe the music. This is Bergmann’s “cri de coeur”, “j’accuse”, “I know”, “revolution, come, or die” or simply, his “final cliché”.

What Art has to say about the Songs:
“Dear Writers, Master Leonard Cohen wisely steers clear of sloganeering at all costs. I hated to go against his sage advice, but desperate times call for desperate songs.
I just want to put a pinprick on the great facade of consumer capitalism and let the air out of it where I can. Sustainable growth, an oxymoron. The Conservative party, conserve nothing. But, you know, the targets are endless aren’t they?
Before you think this is a dreary litany of protest songs, think again. These songs are puzzles with obscure political, historical and of course economic references. Pick a line and use it in your daily slog.”

Song Synopses

Drones Of Democracy - The making of a sleeper cell. Drones manufactured in the heart of America. How to explain the use of advanced weapons, cluster-bombs, made to shred tanks. Weapons used on innocents, man, woman, and child alike. If you think Neil Young wrote this, well yeah, I wanted my own Cortez.

Company Store - The hypocritic oath. In the early version of this song, “we sold our souls to the company store”. In an updated take I inject some current events to illustrate the chorus, “we are now all whores at the company store”.

Ballad Of A Crooked Man - Ruminations on ‘what is to be done’, suggestions and advice from revolutionary stars of the past, Lenin, the Anarchists of Catalonia, Robespierre, who was right.

Your Cold Appraising Eye - Well, what can you say about people who manipulate the market to such an extreme that people end up starving as a result. That’s murder, folks.

credits

released August 26, 2014

SONGS FOR THE UNDERCLASS
Track Listing
1. Drones Of Democracy 7:34
2. Company Store 5:15
3. Ballad Of A Crooked Man 7:02
4. Your Cold Appraising Eye 4:08

Players:
Art Bergmann - lead vocals, electric guitar
Lorrie Matheson - piano, organ, vocals
Chris Dadge - drums
Scott Munro - bass
Joe McCaffery - electric guitar
Ian Grant - drums
Tim Leacock - mandolin
Emily Burrowes – vocals on Cold Appraising Eye
Chris Wardman – ebow, theremin, guitars, slide drones, death rattle on Drones of Democracy

All songs written by Art Bergmann

Copyright 2014 SOCAN / (weewerk)

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about

(weewerk) Toronto, Ontario

(weewerk) is an indie label based in Toronto, ON featuring folk, roots, rock, and outsider music. Initiated in the spring of 2003, (weewerk) is owned and operated by Phil Klygo (teenage USA, Skull Geek, Canadian Music Week, New Music West).
www.weewerk.com ... more

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