Every Road I Travel (2022)
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5 years in the making, Every Road I Travel expands upon Parks & Recreation’s ongoing themes of the cosmos, escapism, spirituality, and doomed romance in the dark, sunny suburban landscape.
Michael Johnson wrote all but three of the songs between 2012 and 2014, and hashed them out with Bob Ham and Joe Ballman in Joe’s garage and in a few rehearsal spaces before the three entered Suburbia Studios on Sauvie’s Island in Portland, Oregon in 2014 and ‘15 to record the basic tracks. Sean Flora did both the engineering and the lead guitar work. Also at Sean’s, the band recorded three of Michael’s songs, “Love & War,” “Walk In Space,” and “Juliet,” which Micheal had written between 2002 and 2004, and which the band had hashed out a decade earlier with Anthony Georgis and Jason Hughes, but which never made it onto the previous two Parks & Recreation albums.
In 2015, after a long and fruitless search for players to record the orchestral instruments, however, the album stalled. Fortunately, technology caught up with the band, and in 2021 Michael enlisted the help of the (virtual) BBC Orchestra to overdub his string, wind, and brass arrangements. After the orchestra got their proper treatment, the band reunited with Jason Hughes (Parks & Recreation, The Camera & Film) guitarist on What Was She Doing On The Shore Last Night?, and finished the album.
That done, Michael then enlisted Jarkko Heiniö, mastermind behind the mixing of How To Save The World, now operating out of Stockholm, to finish the album’s production. Then it was up to Ron Guensche, long time friend of the band and engineer on How To Save The World to master the whole thing.
And now, 10 years in the making, we here at Reclinerland HQ are proud to present Parks & Recreation’s epic swan song, Every Road I Travel. Enjoy!
Parks & Recreation have been:
Joe Ballman - bass
Bob Ham - drums
Sean Flora - guitars
Jason Hughes - guitars (“Juliet,” “Walk In Space”)
Michael Johnson - vocals, pianos, harpsichords, organs, mellotrons, guitars, percussion, orchestral instruments, glockenspiel, accordion
with:
Anna Lande - backing vocals
Basic tracks engineered by Sean Flora in 2014-2015 at his home studio in Portland, OR. Orchestral, keyboard, percussion, acoustic, and vocal overdubbing in 2020, 2021 at Reclinerland HQ in Paris, France. Additional guitars overdubbed in 2021 by Jason Hughes at his home studio in Portland, OR.
Mixed by Jarkko Heinio at Bughouse Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. Mastered at New Future Vintage Studios, the honorable Ron Guensche presiding.
Chords and Lyrics by Michael Johnson, music by Bob Ham, Joe Ballman, Jason Hughes, Sean Flora, Michael Johnson. Orchestral arrangements by Michael Johnson.
Cover design by Anthony Georgis.
All songs © 2015 - 2022 Zubsongs, Ltd.