Johnathan|Christian

Dark Hallways by JOHNATHAN|CHRISTIAN Review by Amelia Vandergast https://www.anrfactory.com/johnathan-christian-car-crash-romance-ominously-indulgent-post-punk/ I can’t quite remember the last time a prelude to a track filled me with the same amount as nervous anticipation as what I palpitated through after hitting play on the latest single from the Post-Punk powerhouse Jonathan Christian. After the eerie creeping tonality coming from keys and synth, “Car Crash Romance” certainly doesn’t disappoint as it brings in a new fresh darker wave of doom and morbidity. Despite the synergy of the instrumentals and electronic effect, there was a sense of volatility behind the single. It’s the aural equivalent to falling in love with Ted Bundy, and I’m definitely here for it. Even with the ominous indulgence, Car Crash Romance carries the same stylistic sensibility which you could expect from the likes of Joy Division and Depeche Mode. If anyone has the right to take the reigning Goth crown from Peter Murphy, it’s Christian Granquist for his mesmeric snarls. Describing Car Crash Romance as entrancing really wouldn’t be a stretch; it’s the darkest most danceable Post-Punk I’ve heard this side of the 80s. The single pulls together the same instrumental euphoria as bands such as Covenant, VNV Nation, and And One, yet with their own unique style, they infused caustic Post Punk which any fans of the Editors are sure to appreciate. You can check out Johnathan Christian’s latest single Car Crash Romance for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp. #JohnathanChristian #carcrashromance

While Johnathan|Christian were working on their latest album, a former middle schoolmate of Johnathan Mooney’s, Henry Vaccaro Jr., proposed a collaboration with a family member of a very special musical clan. "My father was a close friend of Johnny Cash, whom he had met through his role with the Kramer Guitar Company,” writes Vaccaro. In fact, Kramer Guitar grew to become the largest American Manufacturer of electric guitars in the 1980’s. “My Dad was a huge Johnny Cash fan and brought the entire band guitars in 1976 and our families have been friends ever since. “ The idea behind this unique collaboration all came together through Vaccaro’s love of dark wave and post-punk. “I first met Johnny Cash’s grandson, Thomas, when we were children and now watching him break out on his own I was blown away by his uncanny vocal resemblance to his Grandfather. His phrasing, tone, spirit, drive and humility are all these remarkable traits passed down from the Man in Black. Thomas is a true dark soul but with country blood running is his veins. I was already a fan of Johnathan|Christian so when I first heard Thomas covering "Hurt" I thought between both parties, they would not only pay homage to Thomas' grandfather but also to the original Trent Reznor version." Knowing that Johnathan|Christian had huge shoes to fill, the band enlisted some help from old friends Clause Larsen (Leæther Strip) and multi-media artist Victor Devilbliss, a.k.a. Michal Bann of 90's band Advent Sleep, whom coincidentally, was going through his own personal struggles since the death of his nephew, Los Angeles musician, Shawn Bann. "Working on this put me into a place emotionally that I needed to be. In the process of putting the remix together of Johnathan|Christian’s cover, I kept thinking about Shawn. I’m not incredibly spiritual, but my nephew’s (Shawn) influence on me permeated and I feel (that) he was ultimately the inspiration for the ‘Love Forever’ mix with the title paying homage to one of his songs. For Johnathan|Christian members Johnathan Mooney and Tiger Koehn, coming up with something that would remotely do any justice to both originals was a daunting task. “Trent Reznor’s ’Hurt’ was such an emotional song that told a very dark tale” Says Mooney. “And then you have Johnny Cash’s version and that was like a huge kick in the stomach that just left you speechless in its rawness.” For this to work, it was important for us to tell the story in a different light. “While Johnny Cash sings about all that’s left, I felt that grandson Thomas, whom while also had his own share of demons, is now on the beginning of a journey. An ‘Empire of dirt’ is, not only what we end with, but it’s also all we start with” That theme also ties in to the album cover, created by award winning horror illustrator, artist and Johnathan|Christian album cover designer Alex McVey where we see a lone figure watching a sunrise as he starts on a journey with a familiar shadow watching. released September 18, 2018 Hurt Written By Trent Reznor Copyright Arlovol Music & Leaving Hope Music Inc. Hurt (Featuring Thomas Gabriel) Produced by Johnathan|Christian Vocals: Thomas Gabriel Additional Backing Vocals: Geriel Recorded at Single-Malt Studios, Orange County, CA & Sweet Leaf Studios, Brooklyn, NY Hurt (Leæther Strip Mix) Remix produced by Clause Larsen "Hurt" (Love Forever Mix) Remix produced by Michael Bann Dedicated to the memory of Shawn Bann, 1980-2017

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=8980 Artist: Jonathan|Christian (@) Title: the nothing i feel Format: Download Only (MP3 + Lossless) Label: self-released Rated: ***** Has it already been two years since Jonathan|Christian released 'Beautiful/Hideous' ? I guess it has. 'the nothing i feel' is the followup to that, inspired by their musical roots with lush strings and the haunting keys of a grand piano, continuing their momentum bringing the best of old and new gothic rock. The album was mastered at The Cage Studios, Coventry, UK by Martin Bowes of Attrition, and features a remix by former KMFDM'er En Esch and drums by The New Creatures' Tiger Kohen on a couple of songs, including a cover of the Siouxsie Sioux/Danny Elfman song "Face to Face". Jonathan Mooney is the instrumentalist/songwriter of this duo, while Christian Granquist provides the vocals and lyrics. (Mooney is formerly of the New Creatures and now living and working out of Orange County, CA, Granquist is formerly of Day Behavior and plays keyboards in an electronic group out of Stockholm called The Atom.) 'Beautiful/Hideous' which I reviewed a good long while ago was an atmospheric, moody affair , full of pathos and high drama. On 'the nothing i feel' they haven't forsaken that, but they have pumped up the power quite a bit and that's a very positive thing. Opening with a brief lyrical recitation on the title track, Christian ensures the nothing he feels will be the nothing you feel as well. Disaffected, disillusioned, bordering on disgust, a welling up of emotion in a powerful catharsis that sweeps you away until the pseudo-classical fadeout. Wow! Rather intense. I should mention that Christian's voice sounds like a grittier Peter Murphy, but still somehow different, unique. "Goodbye Horses" and "Forgotten" are two nice tracks with appropriate impassioned delivery and lush orchestration, but "The Pink & The Black" kicks Jonathan|Christian up to a new level for them; an unstoppable locomotive of a dancefloor burner with ardent lyrics and vocals that pushes the needle into the red zone on the gothometer. "Independence" begins as a brooding piano-based ballad, but picks up steam towards the end. "Her Austere Heart" is an attempt to break the ice of the ice queen, steeped in gothic romanticism lyrically and orchestrally. A heavenly chorus ushers in "Your Lying Virtue" betraying the uptempo motif of this solid rocker that offers a few arrangement twists over the course of its four minutes and forty seconds. Another deeply emotional ballad follows with "I'm Dead (Without You)" and Christian really wears his heart on his sleeve and bares his soul for this one. "Hush" is a 52 second lullaby done old school with only piano and violin accompaniment that sounds positively nineteenth century, transitioning into into "Face To Face". For me, this is a tough one. This is one of my all-time favorite Siouxsie songs and hearing another version of it (when the original is perfect) is not easy. Be that as it may, Jonathan comes up with an interesting arrangement for the song. It's plenty powerful, and yet somehow delicate. Christian handles the vocals on it fairly well too. The album technically ends with the En Esch remix of "The Pink & The Black" and this is the one DJs are going to want for the clubs. I usually don't care much for remixes, but this one really rocks! I'm impressed. There is one more I was privy to - the Kitty Lectro Remix of "Forgotten". It's a somewhat stripped-down version of the original, and while nice, not essential. Guitar is more prominent, rhythm is simplified but overall, kind of superfluous, so you're not missing out on much. 'the nothing i feel' is a solid album with many good tracks, and some really great ones. You can preview the whole thing on their Bandcamp site, and buy it there too, or just what you like. (Buying it all give you more bang for the buck.) Powerful stuff, and if they ever play live in your area, you'd better catch them.

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=8157 Jonathan|Christian is Jonathan Mooney, former keyboardist of the New York based band The New Creatures (now living in Los Angeles, California) and Swedish artist Christian Granquist, having spent some time playing with the power-pop trio Day Behavior and now the keyboardist of Stockholm electronic band, The Atom. (Granquist is the vocalist of this project.) 'Beautiful Hideous' is the debut collaboration of this trans-continental project, and it's already garnered quite a buzz. When I first popped the CD in to play it blind (as I often do, without reading any accompanying material to get a totally objective sound experience) I though I was hearing a new Peter Murphy solo album. Closer listening made me think 'that's not PM, but it does sound uncannily like him'. But not always. Sometimes Granquist sometimes sounds a bit like Bowie, like on 'Before The Dark' a romantic gothy power ballad. Some of the lyrics are even sung in French. In fact, the whole album has a romantic-goth bent to it. The music isn't just keyboards and a drum machine; it sounds like a full band including guitar, although the keyboards are predominant. Very well-produced too. It's a grand style these guys have latched onto, as good if not better than anything else currently out there in this vein. Granquist's lyrics are superb, full of appropriate imagery, pathos, and high drama. It works very well with his voice. Mooney is a most effective composer for this kind of material too, as well as an excellent arranger and player. If there is a word for this album, it has to be 'atmospheric'; there is definitely a brooding mood throughout. Nowhere is that more evident than on their cover of Duran Duran's 'The Chauffeur'. Rather than sing the lyrics, Granquist chooses a recitation for most of it until the end, turning the song into something more'¦sinister. (Although I do like DD's video of the song, it might even be better with this version.) The one thing I wish they had done is a real uptempo rocker. I know they might have thought it would be a mood spoiler, but I don't think so. There are a couple of remixes on the album- one by Attrition's Martin Bowes ('I Walk This Earth Alone'), the other by Bryin Dall of Thee Majesty, 4th Sign of the Apocalypse, Dream Into Dust, A Murder of Angels, Loretta's Doll, etc (title track 'Beautiful Hideous'). Although neither are radically different, they do offer another perspective on the songs, and both are quite enjoyable. If there is one track on the album that's an attention grabber (if not a hit), it's 'Fallen' with its killer chorus. That song alone should have big labels rushing to sign these guys, but you know big labels these days, a bunch of bitchy little girls. I'd be very interested in hearing what the follow-up to 'Beautiful Hideous' might be. I'd also be interested in seeing of there are any tours planned (a tough thing for trans-continental projects like this). I'd see them if they came to New York. So would a gaggle of goth girls I imagine. How could they resist the tragic romance of Jonathan|Christian?

Peekaboo Magazine 09/12/2013, Filip VAN MUYLEM http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/johnathan-christian-beautiful-hideous/ I must say this is yet another artist I didn't know before. I only listened to a few bits before accepting the job and I must say the result is up to it! This phrase helped me out: 'Dark Wave Rock n Roll Doom from Swedish Post-Punk pioneer Christian Granquist and New Creatures' keyboardist Johnathan Mooney'. And off course: this is their debut album that must have been the reason why it didn't ring a bell! At some points this one reminds me of the early Christian Death anno 2013. The title describes is perfectly 'Beautiful Hideous'! The opening track is a pearl 'I Walk This Earth Alone', like Christian Death would have proposed it anno 2013. It has a nice piano, some metal influences, a warm harmonic sound and dark lyrics. A band like Lacrimosa would be nice as a second option to bring this song to life! The nice cello in the beginning of 'Before The Dark' is nice, just as the haunting and dark sound. The French part is also nice, just as the different voices jumping in. It's an epic song that will haunt a lot of heads! 'Fallen' sounds a bit more positive than the rest, but don't let yourself be misled! 'Beautiful Hideous' has something mystic and sounds a bit like a Belgium Artist called Daan. Love the piano and the mixed up tempo. 'Haunted' could be a slow song from Marilyn Manson, love the sound and the cold anger. The vampire’s will over this song and once again I start thinking about Christian Death as a referral. 'Just to Ease the Pain' is a nice interlude, slowly growing. 'My Private Room' is a soft and melodic metal song that sounds as if the singer was too depressed to perform at full throttle and is thinking about ending his life. 'Downtrodden' sounds as if Nick Cave was ready to jump in and start one of his great ballads. Once again the darkness reaches out and mixes with a beautiful piano (and a cello or is it a violin?). 'The Sweetest Betrayal' is a nice title and a pearl on the musical level! This one could feature during a Burlesque show in Paris! 'Chauffeur' is a nice Duran Duran cover, but I doubt if a lot of people will actually recognize the song! It's clear that they have their own sound and change any song into one of their own! As bonus we get 'Haunted' (Another World Attrition Mix and here the song clearly changes into an Attrition song!) & 'Beautiful Hideous' (Hard On My Sleve Mix). Once again I discover a nice band! Keep up the good work!