Terrapin
Chicago, Illinois, United States | SELF
Music
Press
TERRAPIN is the accordion-laden solo project of WILLIAM NEYLON, who kicks up a hearty Andrew Bird-esque chamber-pop ruckus. The 23-year-old tells Gossip Wolf he's been writing his own songs since age seven, when he composed an ode to Kurt Cobain. That makes this gravy waver feel old as fuck. Anyway, Neylon recently recorded Terrapin's debut album, Paint Sky on Everything, with Mickey Craft at Mystery Street Recording Company. You can download it free at terrapinalley.bandcamp.com, and if you pony up some cash Neylon might be able to release the album on vinyl in a few months. People, help the grunge babies out! If you want to support Neylon in person, he'll be playing a record-release show at Pancho's with Parentheses and Motive on February 10. - Chicago Reader
Discography
Paint Sky on Everything (2011)
Photos
Bio
"Kicks up a hearty Andrew Bird-esque chamber-pop ruckus."
-Chicago Reader
William Neylon of Terrapin was raised by an incredible record collection. One of his earliest memories involves playing with the cover of Cat Steven's "Tea for the Tillerman".
In the fall of 2005, Neylon was accepted to the DePaul University School of Music, where he spent two years studying electro-acoustic composition and sound recording. It was during these years at the conservatory that he developed his unique style of combining folk instrument arrangements with electronic backbones.
Paint Sky on Everything, Terrapin's January 2011 debut recording, meanders through manifold styles and forms over the course of its six distinct tracks. Consisting of songs William Neylon wrote over a spasmodic seven-year span, it explores a wide landscape of voices. The record opens with a "folktronica" tune that blends Neylon's array of instruments and noisemakers with electronic beats, demonstrating the significant influence of Patrick Wolf.
The album was recorded over two manic November sessions with Chicago's Mickey Craft of Mystery Street Recording; with the exception of the record's third track, "My Best Andrew Johnson": a lo-fi home recording.
Terrapin's live shows commingle Neylon's vocals with accordion and electronic loops to form a unique and compelling experience. There is an undisguised sense that Neylon is fleeing from his past as acoustic cafe background noise.
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