The Man Upstairs
*The Man Upstairs* marks the first time Robyn Hitchcock and legendary folk producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake) joined forces in the recording studio. For one week in October 2013, they made what Boyd calls “a Judy Collins album, such as Elektra would have released in 1967: part well-known favorites, part personal discoveries, and part originals.” The approach took pressure off Hitchcock the songwriter and put it on Hitchcock the interpreter, who excels with The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost In You,” The Doors’ “The Crystal Ship,” and “Ferries” by the Norwegian indie pop duo I Was a King, whose Anne Lise Frokedal adds harmonies throughout the album.
The Man Upstairs sees Hitchcock uniting with legendary producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention) for one of the most unique recordings of his already quite idiosyncratic career. Rather than simply record a new selection of songs, Boyd suggested what he called ‘a Judy Collins album’ such as Elektra would have released in 1967 – part well-known favorites, part personal discoveries, and part originals. The multi-tiered approach offered Hitchcock the rare opportunity to record as a performer, not “just another singer-songwriter laying their freshest eggs.” Thus, modern standards like Roxy Music’s “To Turn You On,” The Doors’ “The Crystal Ship,” and The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost In You” are interlaced with lesser-known gems from such pals as Grant-Lee Phillips (“Don’t Look Down”) and I Was A King (“Ferries”), the latter featuring harmony vocals and guitar from the Norwegian indiepop combo’s own Anne Lise Frøkedal. Meanwhile, new Hitchcock originals like “Trouble In Your Blood” and “Comme Toujours” stand among his most fragile and heartfelt, his stark vocal and guitar cast by Boyd against simple, autumnal backing from longtime collaborators Jenny Adejayan (cello), Charlie Francis (piano), and the aforementioned Frøkedal (harmonies). Recorded and mixed at London’s Snap Studio in just one short week last October, The Man Upstairs further comes adorned with delightfully macabre cover art painted exclusively for the album by GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter Gillian Welch.
For Robyn Hitchcock's latest album, the post-punk troubadour has teamed up with producer Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention) for an album that's half-covers, half-originals. These ten songs don’t seem to mesh in any way other than the fact Hitchcock is singing them.
It might seem patronising to applaud a sixty-one year old for making a 'mature' album, but hey, Hitchcock's been calling himself an "elder statesman" since he was 23.
"Yet another elegiac record. It's reminiscent of I Often Dream of Trains," Robyn Hitchcock has said of The Man Upstairs, his 20th proper full-length as a solo artist.