Aaron J. Burke of the Greenville punk band Gláss has just released a new solo album called Corvine: Columns & Verses. The album is a full-length collection of solemn folk songs that Aaron says he had been working with for several years.
“Overall it was a very slow and natural process, never rushed, never forced,” Aaron explains. “That being said, there are a couple of songs that were ninety percent written in an hour or so, mostly the longer ones. Often times on those longer ones I was so locked in on the lyrical form and meter that the words just fell out of the gaps unwritten.”
The bulk of the album was recorded at the home studio of Aaron’s friend Reuben Knight, but Aaron did record the all of the stripped-down sounding parts right on his phone.
“Regarding this album, as some of the first songs started coming on (‘The Angelus,’ ‘Pass by, Fixerman,’ ‘The Nature of This Town’), the concept started to spread itself out: lyrically dense, ornate and sprawling pieces balanced with bare, acoustic fingerpicking songs,” Aaron explains. “The album was always going to deal with some heavier subjects: how we experience trauma, guilt and shame, the difficulties of communication and identity, but then also light-hearted, life-affirming things. Ultimately ending on the affirmative.”
Prior to the album’s release, Burke linked up with his former roommate, Greenville-based filmmaker Daniel McCord for what will be the last of his porch sessions, as Daniel has recently moved out of the house where he filmed them. Aaron played two songs off Corvine: Columns & Verses: “Tender Boats” and “Pass By, Fixerman”.
Watch Aaron J. Burke live from Danmanor below, and catch him at Horizon Records in Greenvile this coming Thursday, February 27th with Reuben Knights.
Listen to the full record, and Aaron’s previous solo releases on Bandcamp here. Also check out Aaron’s former experimental keyboard project, Ice Cream Social.