ROB LAUFER: Los Angeles Singer/Songwriter Releases Fourth Album April 6 ‘Excruciating Bliss’

DT:      JANUARY 12, 2010

FR:      MITCH SCHNEIDER/SHAZILA MOHAMMED/ANGELA VILLANUEVA

ROB LAUFER:

LOS ANGELES SINGER/SONGWRITER RELEASES FOURTH ALBUM APRIL 6
‘EXCRUCIATING BLISS’
FEATURING HIS UNIQUE MIX OF STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS PSYCHEDELIA, COMPULSIVE POP
AND INTIMATE, MELODIC MUSINGS

CONFIRMS SHOW WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 IN LOS ANGELES

ROB LAUFER takes a side turn from the Americana-roots-meets-Brit-Pop mold that defined his previous work with new album EXCRUCIATING BLISS.  Instead, he opts for a heady, expansive mix of stream-of-consciousness psychedelia, compulsive pop and intimate, melodic musings. Laufer’s self-released fourth disc–which was written, sung, played, recorded and mixed by Rob, with violin work by Mia Korf–will be available April 6 and sees his expansive career as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist meld together beautifully.

Laufer’s impressive and eclectic previous credits re-emphasize how wonderfully difficult it is to place him in a mold. Hailed as the "great lost artist" of the Power Pop Era by MOJO magazine for his sophomore set Wonderwood, he’s also played with Pixies frontman Frank Black (guitar, keyboard) and Fiona Apple (guitar), where he can be heard performing on her Grammy-winning single "Criminal"; Johnny Cash, Shawn Colvin and B.B. King recorded his songs for a series of ads in the late 90’s; Beatles’ producer George Martin tapped him to sing "Day in the Life” when Martin conducted the orchestra at Hollywood Bowl in June 1999; and he recently completed a two-week run in Las Vegas this past fall, singing The Beatles' “Within You Without You” and “Across the Universe” as part of Cheap Trick's "Sgt. Pepper Live" extravaganza. His music has also been used in commercials for HP, Honda, Ford, Acura, Chevrolet, Sears, Jet Blue and featured in many films and TV shows.

All his previous work has led Rob to EXCRUCIATING BLISS–an album that sees his pop songcraft at its most dazzling. The album opens with “Come On Sunshine,” written while Laufer jammed to a loop he made of what he describes as a “dirty jazzy backwards cymbal sound” and has traces of Donovan at his jazziest. The gloriously anthemic, Bowie-inspired “New Life”—Laufer’s favorite on the album—is another memorable offering on the set. The sublime “Faith,” he says, “started out from a pretty agnostic place but it’s about the fact that no matter how logical you want to be about the unknowable, the human need for comfort persists,” explains Laufer. He continues: “I was writing about my ambivalence toward defined spirituality but when I got to the chorus, I just rolled up into cosmic fetal position…it was just ‘keep us through the night,’ please!”

EXCRUCIATING BLISS also scales memorable melodic peaks in the seductive “Mary Entertaining”; artfully reels in the listener with the questioning “What Does It Takes To Be King”; hits epic, unabashed emotions on "Lonesome Love"; and is simply haunting on “Hands of Light” and "Tears of Home."

The son of the man who created Tiger Beat Magazine, Rob was raised in Tarzana, California, where he spent his teen years making music with his closest friends, Eric Drew Feldman and Moris Tepper, who both went on to join Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. Rob worked as art director at his dad's magazine company until he won the part of George Harrison in the original production of “Beatlemania.” Tiring of wigs and taped moustaches, he left to front a series of bands on the LA club scene. A showcase at SXSW won him his first publishing deal. Soon after, his song "Reactionary Girl" was recorded by Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander to lead off his Interscope solo album. From there, Rob set up his studio and began recording his solo debut, Swimming Lesson.

The critical praise for 1993’s self released Swimming Lesson brought about a deal with Warner Brothers, which yielded the elegant 1996 follow-up Wonderwood. When Warner turned down his next effort, Laufer walked away from the singer-songwriter world. Still, he continued to write songs, eventually gathering his favorites together on his 2006 CD The Iron Age. From there he decided that his next release would be of a piece and of a time.  

Rob has confirmed a show in Los Angeles Wednesday, February 24 at Silverlake Lounge. Look for additional west coast tour dates soon. For more information on Rob and to preview tracks from EXCRUCIATING BLISS, visit www.myspace.com/roblaufer.

EXCRUCIATING BLISS Track Listing

1. Come On Sunshine
2. New Life
3. Bad Math
4. Faith
5. Mary Entertaining
6. Lonesome Love
7. Falling Birds
8. Hands Of Light
9. What Does It Take To Be King
10. Tears Of Home
11. Someday I Know
12. Sleeping Beauty

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For more press information on ROB LAUFER, contact:
MSO    818.380.0400