Shoes' Gary Klebe Announces Debut Solo Album With 'Not Tough Enough' Stream
(MPG) Gary Klebe of the pioneering power pop band Shoes announces his debut solo LP Out Loud, to be released on April 10 via Black Vinyl Records. In stark contrast to his work with the cult favorite group, this record is more than just Klebe's first solo album, it's a one-man operation, written alone and tracked almost entirely without outside help.
Klebe is previewing the melody-driven, guitar-heavy project with first single "Not Tough Enough," which - in typical power pop fashion - combines a euphoric, upbeat sonic landscape with self-deprecating lyrics that find Klebe reflecting on the unexpected challenges he faces in a tumultuous new relationship.
On the new single, Klebe shares: "A once over-confident guy who thought he knew it all has finally met his match and is now facing a thorough ass-kicking. Accustomed to gaining and holding the upper hand, for the first time, he is at the mercy of a woman who has other ideas. The feeling of helplessness is a new experience and not one he is enjoying. A lesson is being learned, the tables are turned and payback is a bitch."
Serving as his own engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Klebe recorded Out Loud on nights and weekends, following his work on the most recent album by Shoes. Drums were tracked in Nashville with John Richardson (Gin Blossoms, Badfinger, Tommy Keene, Shoes), but the rest of Out Loud came together in Klebe's basement studio, largely recorded with his favorite stompboxes and vintage gear from his vast collection.
While making music without his longtime collaborators wandered into unfamiliar territory for Klebe, the finished product is expertly crafted power pop akin to the songs that made Shoes such a well-regarded, influential and ahead-of-its-time band. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Out Loud's vocal harmonies, which find Klebe multi-tracking his own voice into stacked layers of sound - a technique he learned in working with iconic British producer Mike Stone (Queen, Journey, Foreigner) during his time in Shoes.
Stone is just one of many iconic producers who Klebe has crossed paths with over the years. After doing some production work for him, Klebe became somewhat of a mentor to Butch Vig, GRAMMY-winning producer behind zeitgeist-defining albums like Nirvana's Nevermind and Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream, as well as an original member of Garbage. When Klebe sent Vig his solo project, he was one of the main proponents who convinced him that this music needed to be released.
Vig shares: "I'm a sucker for pop songs. I always have been. I like hooks, whether it's a drumbeat or a bass line or a buzzy guitar or a melody. I love great harmonies. You can trace that all the way back to the Beatles, the Hollies, or the Byrds - just the gorgeous sound of voices blending together. When I listen to Gary's new record, I hear all that in the DNA. It's in the production and the songwriting. It's timeless, in a way. He's not trying to invent a new sound. He's taking all the elements of production and songwriting that he loves, and he's coming up with a new album. It's so retro that it sounds fresh, because it's not like anything on Top 40 radio. It's such an anomaly. He's made a timeless power-pop album."
Shoes is still making music, over 50 years since their inception. They've gone through many phases and iterations - from recording their 1977 breakthrough Black Vinyl Shoes in the band's own living room (predating the DIY approach of the punk movement) to a major-label run on Elektra for a period of time in the '70s and '80s. There is still more new Shoes music to come, but for now, Klebe has made an album that bridges the past and the present with the newfound vulnerability that comes with going at it alone.
Out Loud Tracklist
1. Room To Breathe
2. Not Tough Enough
3. Love Beyond
4. Wrong All Along
5. Eyes Open Wide
6. Shake Me
7. No Afterglow
8. Bridges Are Burned
9. Won't Quit On You
10. Invading My Space
11. In A Heartbeat
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