LEWISTON — Maine-based singer/songwriter Chris Robley will celebrate the release of “The Great Make Believer” Saturday, March 26, at Avant-Garde, 182 Lisbon St.
Doors open at 8 p.m.; music begins at 8:30 p.m. The event is free.
Robley will play many of the songs on the album, along with bassist Brad Dormanen. He will also play a handful of tunes written by Harry Nilsson.
Previously described as the “Stephen King of indie-pop,” Robley’s fifth full-length album, his first in five years, sheds the lush orchestration of previous releases to deliver a raw, country-tinged collection of 10 pop-folk songs that detail his quest for redemption.
National Public Radio has described Robley’s music as “gothic, orchestral indie-pop (which) is sure to leave heads spinning with its unique and haunting sound.”
Whereas his previous releases went for bigger production, lush soundscapes and plenty of instrumentation, with “The Great Make Believer,” Robley let go of creative control and embraced collaboration, helping to ensure the album’s raw feel.
The result is a more vulnerable, introspective Robley. “The songs on “The Great Make Believer” are more stripped down. They are more country, folk, and even a little swing. Less 1960s pop, less Beatles.
“There’s no orchestration,” Robley said. “No production tricks. Just a band in a room, doing what they can.”
For Robley, “The Great Make Believer” is a cathartic record. He’s cleared his emotional slate and, in letting it out into the world, hopes only that “the songs reach the people they need to, which so far seems to be folks in the midst of complicated breakups. Poor souls. I’ll try to write some sexy dance tracks for them next time around.”
FMI: 207-402-0807, [email protected].
Comments are no longer available on this story