20 Feb 2024

See the animated lyric video for Phil Thornalley’s Shipwrecked Love

Phil explains: “Whilst improvising on my old piano one day i found a cool repeating motif and, to me, it suggested the ebb and flow of a rising tide. Shit got sea faring dude!”

After a while i found the lyrics to suit the simple melody. The words that came to me felt impressionistic rather than literal and i soon had a song about disintegrating romance. But not a sea shanty. No fair isle sweaters or captain birds eye beards. More the spirit of Robinson Crusoe rather than rock and roll cruise ship.

With the help of Karl, a string bass player, we created this minimal orchestral arrangement mirroring the pulsing piano. Added some vocoder harmonies to the singer’s plaintive plea. And a touch of flute.

Then, drum roll please, my collaborator, ac (head at record company lojinx) created this wonderful lyric video with, perhaps, a french impressionist feel.

Cascading warm, natural colours and sweeping brush strokes. Like Van Gogh on vacation.

As source material he used a film i had made on a beach holiday in January. then he added my scrawled handwriting that somehow became a wannabe Cezanne’s delicate touch. Pretty remarkable eh?

And that’s the salty sea tale of how a sad song became this visual feast.

“and so begins, the journey’s end”

Disclaimer: no fish were battered in the making of this video.

Phil Thornalley - Holly Would album

The 3-track Shipwrecked Love EP is out now. Pre-order the album Holly Would now for release on March 29th.


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26 Jan 2024

Ahoy! Naval gazing!

For lovers of metaphorical maritime melancholy comes melodic ballad Shipwrecked Love, the second song and EP from Phil Thornalley’s forthcoming album Holly Would.

Swirling piano, chopping cellos, fluttering flute and vocoder voices embrace the singer’s siren song of a love on the rocks. One-man orchestra Karl McComas-Reichl layers accompaniment of Thornalley’s string arrangement.

Over the years, as a formally untrained musician, I have been drawn to the emotion that strings can bring to a song. I suppose I’ve been diligent in studying how to arrange with years in the studio seeing other top pop arrangers at work. Del Newman, Paul Buckmaster, George Fenton, Charles Blackwell and Sal Herbert have all written arrangements for recordings I was producing, writing or engineering. With the power of modern string sample libraries it’s possible for me to sketch an authentic arrangement and then convert that into a score for the players, who can overdub themselves from their home studios, bringing their beautiful craft to colour my probably laughable scratchings. Karl records in California and sends the results to me in West Hampstead.

Phil Thornalley 2024

Once I’d decided on shipwrecked as the theme it felt good, the lyrics seemed to come naturally. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell a story in so few lines but they fell into place quickly.

Riding the waves of the title track the EP includes two non-album tracks with simpler productions. The late era Beatle-ish Could You Be Loved and the hybrid acoustic ballad Too Many Goodbyes.

Throughout my career, whilst trying to write, possibly contrive , ‘hit’ songs for other artists, I’ve had many other songs fall into my lap, from the sky into my hands. I started collecting these ‘found’ songs from the last few years for an album of perhaps more introspective feel; keeping them less arranged, looser in playing style and even more naturally ‘me’. I love singing harmony vocals and enjoyed the intertwining coda of Too Many Goodbyes. I suppose they are more singer-songwriter songs rather than singer-with-a-full-band blasting away.

Having shelved the idea of a niche album from an admittedly already niche artist, I felt I wanted to still share them anyway. It’s a natural reflection of the way I feel my way through a song just strumming and humming with my guitar . I realise later the unconscious influence of The Beatles, solo Macca and even Weezer”.

Shipwrecked Love is the only ballad on the Holly Would album, so the tone of this EP doesn’t reflect the sound of the album overall. But with the abundance of songs pouring out of Thornalley in recent years it seemed a shame for them to go unheard and natural to group these tracks into a melancholic set.

Sometimes writing songs is like a surfer catching a wave: you struggle to get past the breakers but once you get the right energy it can be a beautiful, graceful ride to the shore”.

Phil Thornalley - Holly Would album

The 3-track Shipwrecked Love EP is out now. Pre-order the album Holly Would now for release on March 29th.


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01 Dec 2023

Ten strummers strumming, three drummers drumming and a dash of kitsch in a major key.

Phil Thornalley has always been a fan of Christmas, and lucky enough to have enjoyed the childhood family gatherings, “I had a million uncles and aunts, most of whom smoked cigs or made delicious trifles”.

Like most songwriters, Thornalley has regularly rejoiced in capturing the Christmas magic by the recognised music industry tradition of choosing the hottest day in august to set the mood.

Songwriting pal Mads Hauge (his co-writer on Pixie Lott number one “Mama Do” and “Boys and Girls” and the top five christmas tune “Cry me out”) got together to attempt an ascent on the Christmas charts with the opening gambit “How would you like to write the next Christmas number one?”.

So here we are – Christmas Lights – with lyrics playing on the darker side of Christmas, beyond the mince pies, the indulgences and the ritually enforced gaiety. Exploring the duality of the cash-drain and hangovers of most family festive get-togethers, whilst the tree lights innocently sparkle in the corner.

Following a star with my credit card, tryin’ to buy a heart or two

And what’s a Christmas record without being overcooked in the Phil Spector oven? All the cliches: jingle bells, ten guitar players, ascending strings, glockenspiel & the kitchen sink.

The Christmas Lights EP takes one song from the forthcoming album – of which more news soon – but the 3 other tracks are exclusive to the festive EP.

We Lived Like Kings rocks out while sustaining the Christmas theme, though Thornalley admits “I have no idea what the lyrics ‘we were like three wise men with a pocketful of zen’ is about

Holy Cow, whilst referring to a bovine member of the nativity scene, is in fact a timely protest song disguised in a Santa hat. Maybe the lyrics ‘you made the rules, now you break them’ is a clue.

Not Now Carol, though mentioning another Christmas cliché, is in fact about a friendly, but slightly rogue, neighbour “someone who turns up at inopportune moments. Based on an anecdote by co-writer Mads Hague, about his own street”.

Christmas lights, a king, a cow and a carol.

Festive indeed.

Phil Thornalley’s “Christmas Lights” EP is out now, accompanied by a slightly sinister animated AI-driven lyric video.


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01 Jun 2023

As first-out-of-the-gate with his 2015 solo album Serious Poke, following the split of Noah And The Whale, Fred Abbott let loose with the classic rock riffs and infectious hooks that, in hindsight, made his influence apparent on the later NATW material.

A joyous blast of rollicking rock’n’roll” – Classic Rock

The open-hearted emotional clout of Randy Newman” – Mojo

Top-notch songwriting” – Evening Telegraph

Now, Fred is joined by a band of vocalists for his new album Shining Under the Soot as Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown.

Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown - Shining Under the Soot (Lojinx)

PREORDER: Apple | Amazon | Lojinx

So why “The Wild Unknown”? With a day job answering to the creative demands of other artists this was a record made for pure pleasure and the only person to please was Abbott himself. Fred demoed the songs with his own vocals. “Listening to the demos I thought “how could this be better?””, says Abbott “What would be more fun? The one thing that could be better is the vocals and I know lots of good singers…”

First single What Kind Of Trouble sees Steve Llewellyn (Orphan Colours, Ahab) step into the lead vocal role and is accompanied by a psychedelic head-spin video that was filmed in a single take using 360 cameras at London’s Karma Studios. Watch the premiere of at Americana UK.

Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown - What Kind Of Trouble (Lojinx)

LISTEN: Apple | Spotify | Tidal | Deezer

Shining Under the Soot is set to be released on the 7th of July and is available to pre-order now.


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15 Mar 2023

Mike Viola has released a third single from forthcoming album “Paul McCarthy”, out next month. I started so young. By 13 I was playing sold out shows in Boston and it was drilled into me that I would be a star. That never happened but the 1980s version of what it was to be a rock star kind of never left my psyche. I used to be ashamed of it, like… let it go man!  But, at some point i found a way to draw from it, like a well, there was more there than a sense of failure or success, there was the simple fact that it was me down there, I’m the same person now as I was then.”  Forever Proof allows Viola the alternate life of being that young rock star who joined the circus. Falling in and out of sleep, one foot in the future one foot in the past, once again blurring the lines of the narrative to create a sense of longing for the thing all over again.

Mike Viola - I Think I Thought Forever Proof (lojinx)Apple|Spotify

I Think I Thought Forever Proof
is out now ahead of the album release on 14th April.

PRE-ORDER MIKE VIOLA’s PAUL MCCARTHY ALBUM NOW!

Find Mike online:

Web: mikeviola.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MikeViolaMusic
Instagram: instagram.com/themikeviola
YouTube: youtube.com/@mikeviola


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27 Jan 2023

New album Paul McCarthy to be released 14th April with European and US Shows.

Title Single “Paul McCarthy” is out now: LISTEN HERE.

Mike Viola is a producer, musician, songwriter and singer. Viola may be best known for his work with Panic! at the Disco, Andrew Bird, Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis and Mandy Moore, but his solo career stands on its own starting with a number of acclaimed records as the leader of New York based cult favourite Candy Butchers and 7 critically adored Mike Viola records. His original music has been featured on soundtracks for movies such as That Thing You Do!, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek.

Decades into his career his music continues to resonate with and inspire new generations of musicians and music lovers. Viola is cranking out more music than ever including the fan favorites; “The American Egypt” from 2019 and “Godmuffin” from 2021.

A new Mike Viola album, “Paul McCarthy”, will be released on 14th April 2023 on Good Morning Monkey/Grand Phony in the US, Lojinx in Europe and SONY in Japan.

Paul McCarthy was recorded over the summer of 2022 on 1/2” tape at “Barebones”, Viola’s home studio in Los Angeles. Joined by his friends Jake Sinclair on bass and Brendon Urie on drums. Viola says, “I set out to make a sonic monster using the legs of James Gang Rides Again, the heart of Black Sabbath Paranoid, with my kid brain inside my greying middle aged head on top. I’ve hit a point in my life where instinct has taken the reins fully, logic now waits in the wings to sweep up the stage and pay the taxi fare home. This album is the result of committing to this path fully and laughing all the way.

Viola will support the album release with his first tour in over a decade with dates in Europe and the US in Winter/Spring 2023, and more dates to follow later in 2023.

About Paul McCarthy (the song):
Viola imagines a universe where his favourite contemporary visual artist Paul McCarthy joins the Beatles as the “fifth Beatle”. Viola adds “the concept kind of ends there and the song itself is just me playing around in this colourful world. It can all be kind of heady and heavy if you want it to be, go ahead and connect the dots if you want, but it’s more fun as a romp in the eternal purposeless of it all

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY ON NOW!

European Show Dates
22 Feb Hamburg, Germany – Freundlich+kompetent Bar
02 Mar Glasgow, UK – The 13th Note
05 Mar London, UK – West Hampstead Arts Club
08 Mar Hebden Bridge, UK – The Trades Club

US Show Dates
21 Apr Milwaukee, WI – The Back Room @ Colectivo
22 Apr Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s
23 Apr Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl
25 Apr Nashville, TN – The Bluebird Cafe
27 Apr New Hope, PA – John and Peters
28 Apr New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
29 Apr Boston, MA – City Winery

Find Mike online:

Web: mikeviola.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MikeViolaMusic
Instagram: instagram.com/themikeviola
YouTube: youtube.com/@mikeviola


<< lojinx blog
16 Jan 2023

Mike Viola is finally returning to Europe for a handful of live shows (on his off-days touring with Panic At The Disco). Expect full band shows in Hamburg, Hebden Bridge & London:

22nd Feb – Mike Viola at Freundlich+Kompetent, Hamburg
2nd March – Mike Viola at The 13th Note, Glasgow
5th March – Mike Viola at West Hampstead Arts Club, London
8th March – Mike Viola at The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

Mike Viola is a producer, musician, songwriter and singer. Decades into his career, Viola is cranking out more music than ever including the fan favorites; The American Egypt from 2019 and Godmuffin from 2021. His music continues to resonate with and inspire new generations of musicians and music lovers.

Viola may be best known for his work with Panic! at the Disco, Andrew Bird, Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis and Mandy Moore, but his solo career stands on its own starting with the acclaimed records as the leader of New York based cult favourite Candy Butchers and 7 critically adored Mike Viola records. His original music has been featured on soundtracks for movies such as That Thing You Do!, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek.

A new Mike Viola album, Paul McCarthy, will be released in 2023 on Lojinx in Europe.

Join Mike on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/MikeViolaMusic
Instagram: instagram.com/themikeviola
YouTube: youtube.com/@mikeviola


<< lojinx blog
06 Jan 2023

effective, affectionate and beautifully craftedMojo

epic pop… string-led symphonic melodies and multi-tracked harmonies of ELOUncut

Imagine Jeff Lynne with his ELO and Tom Petty hats on and you’ll get the gistDaily Express

Proof that a good melody never goes out of styleClassic Pop Magazine

Taken from Phil Thornalley’s glorious new solo album “Now That I Have Your Attention” is the new video for “Solid Gold Sunshine”. The raucous 70s glam stomp is brought to summer-soaked visual life by Neil MacKenzie Matthews’ (Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys) bonkers playschool-on-acid video.

Wanna’ beat those winter blues? Bin that new year hangover? Why not take a long refreshing sip on some ‘Solid Gold Sunshine’, my new summer cocktail, out today. Recorded during the UK’s heat wave last year, a sunburst swagger of seventies flavoured glam rock hot enough to melt any ice bomb.

…and don’t forget to enter the “Now That I Have Your Attention” competition:

Q: Just how did we make this video?

Please let me know! The prize? What all my competition winners get… my very best wishes!

Solid Gold Sunshine” is out now and includes non-album b-side exclusive track “America”. The acclaimed Phil Thornalley solo album “Now That I Have Your Attention” is also out now.

Join Phil on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/philthornalley/
https://www.facebook.com/PhilThornalleyMusic/


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