Andrew Johnston andrew johnston Montreal On his latest album, the Murray Lightburn (The Dears) produced “The New Great Game” Andrew Johnston paints in broad, expansive brushstrokes, delivering 12 killer rock anthems for troubled times, with just enough redemption to keep hope alive. Growing up in Ottawa and now calling Montreal home, Andrew has had the great fortune of a career that has included work with some of Montreal’s finest including Richard White (Besnard Lakes), Rishi Dhir (Elephant Stone), George Donoso (Sam Roberts, the Dears), JF Robitaille and many more. “The New Great Game” is the sound of an artist earnestly aiming for the bleachers and holding nothing back. If a certain aesthetic of coy restraint has become fashionable within indie rock circles, this album grabs the listener from minute one and seems to earnestly proclaim that there is no time to lose; we must love now, yearn now, strive now: our dreams will live or die in this moment. Title track “the New Great Game” is indicative of the terrain we are in here. Starting with a Springsteen-esque piano figure that descends into a wall of carefully crafted 6 and 12 string guitars, “The New Great Game” careens into a chant-along breakdown section to make the Hold Steady jealous, before changing gears and sinuously weaving its way to a riveting conclusion of stacked vocals, wailing guitars and pounding drums. With lyrics such as “ain’t there somewhere we can go where it still feels right - ain’t there something we could say that don’t feel like diffidence”, it is clear that Andrew is in big picture mode, trying to make a statement about the hardships and cruelty of the modern world that still makes room for magic, a little romance, and the dreamer that is inside us all. Andrew Johnston’s tracks 12 Meridian by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:16Z 11 Stick Together by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:17Z 10 You Can Count On Me by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:17Z 08 The New Great Game by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:17Z 07 All Those Birds by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:18Z 06 Room For Romance by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:18Z 05 They Keep Doing It Again by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:18Z 03 Fires Of The Plateau by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:19Z 02 Conspiracy Theorist by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:19Z 04 Brand New Narrative by Andrew Johnston published on 2016-04-12T02:33:18Z
