2016 Review: Apollo Up!

This is part of a 2016 Year in Review of yk Records releases... a healthy reminder to catch-up if you don't know them already.

I won't lie, having the opportunity to re-issue Chariots of Fire from Apollo Up! is a bit of a dream come true for me. When the album was originally released ten years ago (2006), I can remember thinking how awesomely cool Theory 8 Records was for putting out such a wonderful piece of work.

If you're paying attention, you may have noticed that two other yk Records releases from 2016 involve members of Apollo Up; namely Tower Defense and Jay Leo Phillips. I am extremely pleased to be involved in their post-Au work and honored that they'd let me be involved in re-issuing the album on gold vinyl (naturally). Of course, it's on all the digital platforms too if that's your thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Nashville in 2006 was on the cusp of something but hadn't made it there yet. There was no shortage of amazing music emerging from the city but the world wasn't watching for it in the same way they are now. I know that may sound absurd but I honestly believe it to be true. Chariots of Fire came out before it's time as it is a perfectly accessible but just left-of-center rock record to stick out. It's centered around post-punk, math-rock and a bit of big anthemic Rock (capital r), layered underneath the right amount of intricate details - tubular bells, horn parts, little mellotrons, etc.

This is a record a youth would hear and it would change what they think about music. In my opinion, it's that good. I'm just happy to have done my small contribution to get it out into the planet on vinyl for someone to discover down the line.