The prolific lo-fi-driven artist Alexei Shishkin has made a career of trusting his gut. Shishkin kicks things up a notch with “Rose Gold,” a twangy ballad that draws influence from jazz just as much as it does psychedelic folk. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked. By keeping the vocals hushed and the lyrics blunt, the arrangement is able to roam free. Shishkin’s “Rose Gold” allows the artist to explore a multitude of sonic areas, only to blend them together for an all-encompassing groove.
“The recording of Open Door Policy was a new experience for me. In the past, I’ve either worked with minimal other musicians, or I’ve already had the songs mostly written by the time we get together to record,” explains Shishkin. “This time around, I came in with pretty loose structures, basically just the bones of the songs, and I let the other players play. ‘Rose Gold’ is probably the track that sums up this new process the best. My usual love of improvisation is present in the lyrics — they were mostly made up on the spot and were slightly different in each take. On drums, Ian Dwy came up with some great parts, Dave Kahn was given free reign on bass, Eyal Sala played woodwinds, and Bill Waters played the lead guitar parts that basically kept the song flowing. While we tried our best to lay the thing down live, we were blessed to have the genius Bradford Krieger (Big Nice Studio in Lincoln, RI) punch and comp parts as needed to bring it all together.”
