Neil Strauch

  It Live and It Breathes , the new LP from Common Sage is out now via No Sleep Records !  Produced and mixed by me here in Chicago this past fall -  check it out wherever you're doing your listening these days...

  Excited for  Audiotree 's recent release of Echo Mine from the collaborative performance that Califone and choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams did for their STAGED series.  Had a great time getting to work on the audio side of this along with longtime collaborator Brian Deck.  

  The first single  Start Again  from Lakes' forthcoming album of the same name is out now!  Album will be out July 30th via  Big Scary Monsters  in the UK and  Know Hope Records  in the US.  I produced and mixed this across an ocean from the band - a truly special record made during a weird time.  Up for pre-order now and more to come soon...

  Feels like a lifetime ago that we were recording this in the late winter of 2020 amidst a growing pandemic.  Now with some light showing on the other side, this'll be out May 21!  Even with all the stress and uncertainty of the time, it was truly an amazing experience being a part of this.  You can shop  here .

 New 7" from  LandLand Colportage  featuring The Good Life and The Pauses each covering a song by The Breeders.  I mixed The Good Life's take on Divine Hammer  and mastered the whole thing - super cool to work with two bands I've wanted to work with for a while, covering another band I'm a huge fan of!  Currently a limited pressing for Record Store Day...

The new double A-side This World Of Ours, It Came Apart from Watford, U.K.'s  Lakes is out now on  Know Hope Records .  I produced and mixed the two songs with the band this spring and can't wait to work on more in the coming year - check out the track premiere for Warning Signs   here .

After some years on the shelf, this gem from Friend/Enemy is finally seeing the light of day!  Featuring Tim Kinsella, Bill MacKay, Sam Wagster, Skyler Rowe, Todd Mattei, Jamey Robinson, Nate Kinsella, and Jenny Pulse, this one-off project was recorded live over a single weekend in 2016.  You can stream the whole thing  here .  First video for The Decline of Ballooning  is below:

Proud to present the debut full-length from Cobey.,  It's Not Me | It's Used .  Spent a good part of last year putting this together with him and couldn't be more excited about what it became.  Head over to his official  site  to stream the album and check out the McKenzie Hanson  directed video for the first single Alarm   here .

Sometimes you get to mix a Good Fuck record and it's cool.  Sometimes you get to mix two in one year (!!!) and it's just the best.  Cherry Tree  is out in the world now!  Stream it or pre-order the vinyl over at their site  here .

Slow Mass just released a new 7" Music for Ears 1 , the A-Side of which is a really special one called Siren  that came out of the On Watch  sessions.  Read more about it over at  Stereogum  and check it out and buy it  here !

Joyful Noise Recordings  just announced the debut LP from Good Fuck  - the new project from Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse.  I mixed this with them a while back and its so great to be able to announce it!  Out February 22nd, you can pre-order  here  and check out the first video below!

Jenny Pulse's new Marmalade  (which I was lucky enough to mix) is out now via  Drop Medium  - check out a write-up from the Reader  here  and pick up a vinyl copy  here !

Joyful Noise  just released this Joan of Arc / Devendra Banhart split 7" as part of their Cause & Effect series!  Devendra covers JoA's "Shown and Told" and JoA covers Devendra's "First Song for B" (mixed by me).  Read about it over at  Stereogum .

Slow Mass' debut LP "On Watch" is out in the world now!  Beaming with pride for this production - it's a special one.  Buy or stream it over  here  and check out the great track-by-track breakdown by the band over at  Consequence of Sound !

New Joan of Arc album "1984" is up for pre-order over at  Joyful Noise Recordings  now!  Tracked by me and put together with love by Nate Kinsella and the band, check out the first single "Truck" over at  Spin  or  Pitchfork .

Very happy to be able to announce the upcoming debut LP by Slow Mass titled "On Watch" - out May 11th via LandLand Colportage (you can pre-order  here ).  Produced over the last year by me and the band I can't even describe what a ripper this record is.  Geez.  Check out the first two singles over at  Stereogum  or watch me be kinda chubby below:

Mixed some songs with the great Dreamtigers and they were just released as part of  Arctic Rodeo Recordings ' Planet Home Series Vol. 2 charity compilation benefiting Doctors Without Borders!  The tracks stand with some good company, alongside songs from J Robbins, Bob Nanna, and Rocky Votolato

Photo: Serge Roca Got to spend a lot of time travelling this year with  Joan of Arc  (probably the best humans to be on the road with and to help put on shows with).  Wrapped it up helping them put on a performance of their original score to Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc live at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Still moved just looking at this picture.

Listening to some takes during a recent session for a new Friend/Enemy record.  Can't wait to finish up the mixes for this - it's a special one.  Featuring Tim Kinsella, Bill MacKay, Skylar Rowe, Sam Wagster, Jamie Robinson, Todd Mattei, Theo Katsaounis, and Nate Kinsella.  Holy shit!

Check out the debut from Chicago's Engines "Obsolete" - take a listen over at their  Bandcamp  or pick up a record from  Forge Again Records ,  be happy records ,  Killer Tofu Records ,  Middle-Man Records , and  4UBRO Records .  This was a fun one to make!

Photo: Emily Burtner Super excited to be able to announce the upcoming release of the Slow Mass debut Treasure Pains .  I can't express how proud I am to have produced this (as well as having just about as much fun as you can making it with these amazing humans).  Read up on the release over at Stereogum  and  Impose Magazine  and check out the first single Dark Dark Energy below! Digital release will be Sept. 9th.  Preorder  here . 12" release will be Sept. 26th via  LandLand .  Preorder  here .

Last year I had the incredible experience of putting together a record with Chicago's resident punk-bluegrass badass  Al Scorch  and it'll be out May 13th! You can pre-order over at  Bloodshot Records  and you can stream "Lost At Sea" over at  Brooklyn Vegan .

Joshua Abrams' Magnetoception  is out now on  Eremite Records .  With absolutely outstanding performances by an ensemble featuring Abrams, Hamid Drake, Emmett Kelly, Jeff Parker, Lisa Alvarado, and Ben Boye, this was such a fantastic record to get to mix.  Truly a must listen from front to back.  Check it out  here .

Owen  and Into It. Over It.  collaborated on a split 7"!  4 songs - each have an original as well as a cover of one of the other's songs.  All recorded by me!  Super fun times... It'll be out August 21 and you can pre-order it over at  Polyvinyl Records .

Putting some finishing touches on Aleph Eris's debut LP.  No firm release date yet but it's due out in the fall via HOMHOMHOM.  Super excited about this one, you guys.

So proud to have been a part of putting the audio together for this amazing installation.  Running at the ICA  in Boston through May 10th.  Here's a review from the  Boston Globe . 

"While No One Was Looking: Toasting 20 Years of Bloodshot Records"  is out now.  Check out Into It. Over It.'s cover of Neko Case's "Deep Red Bells" (which I recorded) over at  Esquire .  I also worked on Andrew Bird and Nora O'Connor's cover of Robbie Fulks' "I'll Trade You Money For Wine"!

A snapshot from "Hunky Dory TK" - Tim Kinsella's performance of his sound collage tribute to Hunky Dory at the  MCA  last week.  It was so much fun helping him put this one together!

The first track from Owen's new record of covers (featuring songs by Lungfish, Against Me! and Smoking Popes, among others...) just premiered at  Stereogum !  We recorded the album last Spring at  Shirk Studios  and it's due out December 2nd via Polyvinyl.  You can preorder  here .

First single "Chewing Ghosts" from Dads' forthcoming LP "I'll Be the Tornado" is up on Pitchfork.  Check it out  here !  We made the record together at  Minbal Studios  this summer and it'll be released via  6131  on October 13th.  You can pre-order now  here !

                        Evan + U47 + awesome sounding attic = pretty fucking cool

Work going on at  Strobe Recording  for Victor Villarreal's new record.  Bleu Genes is very critical.

Another song premier from the new Owls record "Two" over at  Noisey ! You can pre-order the record from Polyvinyl  here .

Final work is done, master is in, new full length from  The Hudson Branch  coming soon... Session at MinBal  this Fall

Check out the single at: Pitchfork Spin

The new Owls record is done First Day Last Day I can hold it in my hand Happiness...

Back at the wonderful  Specimen  space with Ian Schneller working with some of  Andrew Bird's  material from their previous collaboration at the MCA, the  Sonic Arboretum  (which I had the honor of helping record and manipulate).  Ian's new installation is called "Sculptures by Ian Schneller, Sonic Vignettes: With Music by Andrew Bird from the Sonic Arboretum" and is running at Elgin Community College.

Excited to have the first teaser track from the forthcoming Iron & Wine album "Ghost on Ghost" out there! It was an absolute pleasure to have recorded this last spring with possibly the greatest grouping of musicians I've ever worked with.  The record's due out April 16th via Nonesuch. Here's a link to listen: http://pitchfork.com/news/49371-iron-wine-return-with-new-album-ghost-on-ghost-share-new-track-lovers-revolution/