John Richardson

John Richardson's music mixes styles and influences freely, combining a singer-songwriter's aptitude for storytelling with alternative and vintage 'acoustic rock', urban and electronic soundscapes, classical and experimental influences (from minimalism to modernism), sound design, film music (from Rota to Zimmer), and the dreamlike qualities of psychedelic pop, post rock and art rock. Richardson, who performs with his band Slow Floe in various configurations (from duo to full band), has been active in the Finnish underground scene for some years, but his first critically acclaimed solo album, The Fold, was released by Svart Records in 2017. Richardson is known for collaborations with renowned musicians like the composer and sound artist Petri Kuljuntausta (Visions and Play; Sounds!) and the guitarist and songwriter Kimi Kärki (Bone of my Bones; Eye for an Eye). Richardson, who holds dual Finnish and British citizenship in the aftermath of Brexit, doubles in his day job as a professor and academic writer. In 2011, he published the book An Eye for Music: Popular Music and the Audiovisual Surreal, which discusses phenomena from Gorillaz to Philip Glass. Current activities include touring and work on a second album, due to be recorded in 2018.

REVIEWS
"A debut album of this calibre is rare and when they come along they become something to treasure. To get an album as fully formed as The Fold both musically and emotionally is like striking water in a desert. The ease and exploratory confidence in which it plays out is something to behold. [It] should easily find itself in those end of year lists. Haunting, mesmerising and playful, The Fold presents us with a musician to be cherished. It’s the intimacy that is particularly striking about this album and through this, a sense of being privy to a series of magic moments.” Martin Koppack, review, Echoes and Dust, April 10, 2017. http://echoesanddust.com/2017/04/john-richardson-the-fold/
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John is a master of quintessential English art rock ballads, blending elements of folk, prog and psychedelia, never detracting from the story at the heart of the tunes.... I love this. Have a listen (to the music video Dawnson/Birdman and check the rest of the LP.
Super World Indie Tunes (SWIT) https://superworldindietunes.com/2017/09/13/john-richardson/
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“Sometimes, by chance, without warning, from nowhere an album appears and shows itself to have been touched by undeniable grace, as though some divine light had lit the birth of this new child. “[The Fold] is simply a pearl of folk rock ...
Herbert Al West, review, http://lordsofchaoswebzine.com/ 17.5.2017 (France), *****
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"John's music has its emphasis in strong songs and lyrics and there's something immersive in this music, which pulls you in or under, a dreamlike or nightmarish quality.... When you listen to [it] you can hear echoes of pretty music everything Richardson has listened to, vintage and new, but not in an obvious way. The arrangements are elaborate and grandiose, sometimes building to breaking point." Fireworks, December 2017
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“This debut record … is full of dark and dramatic music.” “For a first offering The Fold is surprisingly rich and cohesive.” On [The Fold] Richardson shows off his abilities as a skillful sound designer. Influences come from countless directions; mixed up with it all are unique details.
Harri Römpötti, Helsingin sanomat newspaper, Finland. ***

“The Fold is a record of contemporary progressive pop laced with dark undercurrents. The records main strengths are its diversity and multilayeredness. The soundworld combines the analog and urban in much the same way as David Bowie’s last two albums. Influences and references are manifold, but all done with impeccable taste.
Micko Malk, Inferno magazine, Finland ****

"[The Fold] is a musical treasure chest. It is the album’s very special sound design ... that make it so special, so mystical and mysterious, so dramatic and yet intimate and approachable that one is only too easily absorbed by it.
Thomas Becker, Powermetal.de (Germany) 13.07.2017.

“[The Fold] is sensitive, ethereal, brimming with melancholy hopefulness and passion. The album combines experimental folk rock with the British progressive rock tradition, spoken word, psychedelia, and early David Bowie.”Richardson's singing is touchingly expressive and vulnerable." Annika Brusila, Turun sanomat, newspaper

“An album that requires attentive listening and offers many rewarding details and unexpected perspectives. … Assembled with great care and collaboration with a large number of musicians. Richardson sings strongly and convincingly. Salon sanomat newspaper

“Autobiographical fantasy” “a lovingly constructed debut album” Saku Schildt, Soundi.fi (28.3.2017)

* reviews not in English have been translated, check links for original languages.

Official website: https://www.slowfloe.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/songwriterJohnRichardson/