Early this year we ran a Q&A with Fetla, one of the many projects of Chicago-based artist extraordinaire Travis Lee Wiggins. Wiggins delves into pretty much every art form imaginable, from design to film to writing to - of course - music, and is gearing up to play a show at Subterranean on Thursday, October 1 to celebrate the new LP from one of his three bands, Essex Chanel.
The record is titled Love Is Proximity and marks the eighth (yes, eighth) full-length Essex Chanel release since 2005. Over the course of 10 love songs it furthers the project's eclectic pop sound, this time aiming to sound like something that, according to Wiggins, "could be played at Starbuck's and sold at the front counter." Just listen to the single "Skinny Dippin'" (free download below) - a happy, snappy celebration of, well, skinny dippin' - to get a sense of the album's lighthearted approach. The rest of the LP takes a similarly sweet, melodic approach, sometimes simple and straightforward ("Already in Heaven," "For Granted"), sometimes lush and full of instrumentation ("I Know You Didn't Think About," "So Long to Wait").
Download mp3: Essex Chanel - "Skinny Dippin'"
Download mp3: Essex Chanel - "I Know You Didn't Think About"
The band actually recorded a total of 42 songs over two years during the Love Is Proximity sessions. Ten are included on the record, while the rest will see the light of day during the coming months via a series of additional discs.

To hear more before the show, you can already get a digital copy of the full album on Amazon mp3 and iTunes.
Essex Chanel - Love Is Proximity CD release show
Thursday October 1st, 2009
The Subterranean
2011 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647-5413
(773) 278-6799
w/ Ami Saraiya & 1 T.B.A.
8pm, 17+, $8 (buy tickets)
Essex Chanel will also play Chicago on Saturday, October 24 with a special string-only show at Uncommon Ground featuring guitar, violin and cello arrangements.
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