Notes
A History of Love and Devastation STORY Kyle Rhodes and Maarja met in 2007 at a beach bar on Isla Mujeres; a small island in Mexico off of the coast of Cancun. He was a musician and songwriter out of Austin, TX. She was a singer from Tallinn, Estonia. Maarja had initially traveled to Cuba, but ended up in Isla Mujeres after a local disappeared with her phone and camera. Maarja was a pianist and singer that finished 4th in the Eurovision Song Competition 'Eestilaul'. Kyle Rhodes was a songwriter and musician from southeast, TX on hiatus from the Austin music scene. Kyle had been writing and performing since he was a teenager. While Kyle's songs caught the attention of Sony and Capitol Records early in his career, he was unable to gain a foothold with the majors. Shaking off his alt-rock and new wave roots, Kyle picked up an acoustic guitar and began traveling through Mexico and Central America. He even worked as a jungle river-cave guide for a short while in Guatemala. He began crafting songs about his experiences and philosophy; incorporating more of the roots-rock and country influence inherent in true Texas artists. In returning to Austin, Kyle performed relentlessly, and toured nationally in support of his acoustic record 'This Tiresome Fate'; which featured the songs 'Sami Smokes Grass' and 'Alright'. He also wrote for and fronted the short-lived rock band CRASHED, whose EP received airplay on Austin's KLBJ. As the story often goes, the rock and roll lifestyle began to outweigh the rock and roll. And with little thought, Kyle packed a U-Haul and quietly left the music scene behind for a decade; landing in Boston, New Orleans, Virginia and Kentucky before settling back in Texas. While out of work in 2013, Kyle began to uncover a lifetime's collection of music gear while cleaning out his garage. Kyle decided to create Climb Studio, a recording studio for singer-songwriters. In the garage, Kyle came across boxes of old demo tapes, live performances, and rehearsals. After picking up a Tascam tape deck off eBay, he and Maarja began sifting through the songs. With few clients to record, Kyle slowly began producing this collection of songs that would become 'A History of Love & Devastation'. 'A History of Love & Devastation' paints a picture of love gone wrong; usually unwittingly or inadvertently; and often while under the influence. While misfortune is a consistent theme, any heartache is artfully camouflaged in the mood and melody of the songs. Artistic OVERVIEW Acoustic guitars prominent throughout the record are bolstered by a crunchy, electric guitar style prevalent in alt-country, and colored with classic and alt-rock guitar riffs. Simulated strings provide evidence of old new wave influence reminiscent of The Cure and New Order. TRACK NOTES In "Pathetic and Lame", Maarja sings about a girl that has a one-night-stand because she believes that her boyfriend is cheating. She finds out the next morning that she was mistaken when her boyfriend calls to explain, but her lingering fling picks up the phone. "Fallen" tells the story of a soldier's realization about his true love, and the last letter that he wrote to the girl he left back home. The Story is told from the perspective of his childhood sweetheart, that never grew out of her infatuation with him. In the throw-back rock ballad "(I Don't Ever Wanna See) Your Face Again..." a guy and a girl tell the story of a break-up from their own perspectives about how things are decidedly over, without actually knowing exactly what went wrong. "One Sober Moment" tells a story of how a man's relationship with sobriety interferes with his ability to make time with an Austin music icon. "Natalia" is inspired by the UK indie film "You Instead" (US "Tonight You're Mine") starring Natalia Tena.
