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this is the

by Chris Robley

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1.
Little Miss Masochist 04:23
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2.
Devil's Playground 04:11
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3.
Swimming Lessons 03:59
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4.
Preamble 03:04
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5.
All Roads 01:29
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6.
Wondrous Withering of Days 03:34
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7.
Isabelle 04:25
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8.
Mantra of a Melting American 01:12
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9.
Stalin Looks Back 04:11
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10.
Rainy Day Amputee 06:40
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about

Robley's solo debut album is a kitchen-sink bedroom-folk-pop album for the intelligentsia with sparking electric wires, ambient menace, and casio-beats. Recorded quicky over 4-days at Portland's Type Foundry Studios with Adam Selzer (m. ward, the decemberists, laura gibson), Robley tracked all the instruments himself to preserve the frenetic energy of these poetic story-songs.

"this Is the" deserves a place among your Elliot Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, John Lennon, and -- yes, even your Guns 'N Roses albums.
-Splendid e-zine

"this is the" is what John Lennon would be doing today if he wasn't killed a quarter century ago.
-music liberation project

Making creative use of colors from Beatles pop to emo rock to lo-fi indie ache, "This Is The" is definitely unusually abundant in imagination and vision.
-CD Baby

Understated but assured pop abounds on this singer-songwriter's first solo album. High praise in my book but fully warranted. He shows no lack of ambition in his arrangements. Full but never fussy, tasty but biting, familiar but fresh. Ace all around.
-Foxy Digitalis

The album could have ended up being mere studio trickery, but Robley's songs are so strong he could deliver them given just an unamplified acoustic guitar. Robley's singing, at his most urgent, recalls Lennon's desperate-yet-melodic rasp, but it's evident he's not posturing to achieve the sound, just slipping comfortably into it like a pair of vintage Beatle boots that happen to perfectly fit his feet.
-Willamette Week (jeff rosenberg)

"this is the" is impressive, proving that Robley has found his voice, working in the great dissonant pop tradition discovered and delivered by the likes of John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Elliott Smith. Live, with his orchestra, though, Robley's songs bloom.
-Willamette Week (Mark Baumgarten)

Chris Robley is a unique musical talent. Hell, I'll say it: He's a genius. True to form, his set last night was full of lush instrumentation, beautiful arrangements, and simply the best pop hooks. Check out Chris next time he plays or go out and buy "This is the..." You can thank me later. --Casey at X58Radio.com

credits

released October 5, 2005

produced by Chris Robley and Adam Selzer
engineered by Adam Selzer at Type Foundry
mastered by Jon Cohrs

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Chris Robley Lewiston, Maine

"Chris Robley is at the top of his game with his new work." - KCRW

Maine-based singer/songwriter and award-winning poet Chris Robley (formerly from Portland, Oregon) performs orchestral indie-pop and fractured folk reminiscent of John Lennon, John Vanderslice, Harry Nilsson, and Joe Henry.

His poetry has appeared in POETRY Magazine, Prairie Schooner, and many other journals. ... more

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