Brice Randall Bickford

In the '00s, Durham-based singer-songwriter Brice Randall Bickford was known for recording and performing his own country-inflected narrative pop songs as The Strugglers. Under that moniker, Bickford released four LPs – including two on the Madrid-based label Acuarela – and toured Europe and the U.S. Bickford's latest album, Paro, contains nods to the art rock of the 1980's (David Sylvian, Roxy Music, Talk Talk). However, music fans will also recognize the familiar sonic touchstones of Fleetwood Mac, late 70s AM radio, and enigmatic 90s singer-songwriters. Paro is the latest product of a fruitful creative partnership between Bickford and producer Scott Solter (The Mountain Goats, Spoon, Superchunk). Previously, the two worked together on Bickford’s eponymous 2011 LP. Paro also features collaborations with arranger/keyboardist Alex Lazara (The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers) and Ash Bowie (Polvo).