Andre Ethier

Genre: Garage

"Take a little trip to see, the heights that we all thought where lost was."

Andre Ethier sets sail to an exploratory album that holds a telescope to the abstract landscape of the heart. Born of Blue Fog is the second installment of a trilogy that pays tribute to the concept album, with interpretive stories that weave through the channels of Blue Fog Records.

After shedding his skin from The Deadly Snakes, Andre decided to step into the murky waters of solo artistry. His first two efforts, Andre Ethier with Christopher Sandes featuring Pickles and Price (2004), and Secondathallam (2006), were the seeds that helped plant the roots of a twisted, and windy tree whose stems branch seamlessly into a dreamy, mirror world of humanity. The Blue Fog series is Andre's best work to date; drawing from the same channels of inspiration that influences is world-renowned artwork, and his continuous collaborations with some of Toronto's most talented musicians. Like his fine art, Andre's musical works are extremely earnest and imaginative, and Born of Blue Fog is just his latest mystic brew.

Recorded at Hallah Music in the summer of 2007, Born of Blue Fog tells the tale of a family's dealings with the seedier side of the soul, and the curious revelations that come with temptations, conflict, and resolve.

This nine-track epic album opens with the spell-binding "The Wine I Crave" where interweaving acoustic guitars, saintly strings, and moog draws the listener into a dark hole of self-awareness, where your only guide are Andre's distinct baritone vocals, leading the way into this voyage. Stepping into "The Easiest Gam", the Floyd laced-sax piano and strings are light and roomy you can tie yourself to it and float away. This blissful drift into the unknown is sustained with a classical string arrangement in "By The Stables" only to suddenly be pulled down to earth again for the birth of the "Infant King," a folksy, blues-driven number, lead by an infectious, cascading guitar lick.

The second half of the album treads lightly through the candid, acoustic ballad "Black is The Colour of My True Love's Hair" while a church organ and countrified timbre of a Rhodes in "Heaven Above You" evokes visions of silhouettes dancing above Laural Canyon. As the sunset turns to night, "Polynesian Beach" whisks the dancers on an oil-slick sea of strings, sprinkled with ivory keys soaring over a lethargically sweet electric guitar. As these visions crash on the shore line, the dreamer awakens to a new beginning. Like a soldier on a mission to freedom, "Cop Killer" stomps to a heavy beat while a Creole-esque piano casts a spell on a skronking sax solo justifying Andre's compelling vocals as he summons the Gods of Revelations. Finally, the voyage draws to a full circle as the listener finds resolution and calamity in the quiet acoustic closer "We Wont Go Back This Way Again."

Like everything that Andre creates, Born on Blue Fog is a collection of songs that draw from a wellspring of human emotions, so put your headphones on, and draw on your own.