The Last Rotation Of Earth

Product Information

As the night drew to a close, the Albert Hall crowd demanded an encore from BC Camplight with a slow, gladiator-style clap. The band returned as champions to the chant with the addition of some trumpets. With his suit unceremoniously dumped, a crazed rendition of ‘I’m Desperate’ ensued. Originally from Wenonah, New Jersey, [4] Christinzio relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, in 2003. He soon signed a record deal with One Little Indian and established himself on the city's live music scene. He played live with members of The War on Drugs and appeared as a session piano player on Sharon Van Etten's 2011 album Epic, among other collaborations. The Mourning’ is a slow, wordless elegy that takes the album out on a low note. “No grand finale, more, ‘I wonder what happens next’,” says Christinzio. “After everything people have been through, they’re suspicious of happy endings. Like I said, this is not a redemption saga.” So, he must begin again; new album, newly single, clean slate. And without tempting fate again, before the last rotation of earth, BC Camplight and his band will tour The Last Rotation Of Earth, including his biggest headline shows to date, at London Shepherd’s Bush Empire and Manchester’s Albert Hall. “It’s wonderful to realise the songs in front of that many people,” says Christinzio, “I know I’m never going to be Coldplay, but ten years ago, I was certain I wouldn’t make music again.” DeLuca, Dan (29 April 2014). "Philadelphia's BC Camplight makes it in Manchester, new album 'How To Die In The North' on the way". Philly.com . Retrieved 26 October 2014.

Talk about tempting fate. But it’s true to say that Christinzio has made his best music under immense duress, and The Last Rotation Of Earth is an inimitable work; a heady, heavy slice of lustrous hooks, moods bursting with classical sophistication and fractured paranoia. Christinzio’s signature dizzying progressions and U-turns are executed with a masterful hand. A notable feature of the album are periodic conversational voices, as if a cast of people were delivering their lines – which was exactly part of Christinzio’s thinking. “I wanted to make the songs resemble little films, with lots of ideas,” he says. It’s just a device that I really enjoy,” Christinzio explains. “It puts the listener in a specific place. It’s a reminder that you’re listening to a person going through something, and I’m not trying to be Bill Shakespeare.” In 2017 Christinzio recorded a new album, Deportation Blues, released on Bella Union in summer 2018. Some of the album chronicled his experience with the UK immigration system. His most successful at the time, the release was nonetheless followed by another difficult personal period, including the sudden loss of Christinzio's father. [12] a b c Tim Jonze (18 May 2015). "BC Camplight: 'I can't overstate how bad my life had gotten' ". The Guardian. When that happened,” he says, referring to the day his partner broke the news to him, “I was like, 'Christ, this new record is gonna be good.' I had to focus on some sort of a positive, and I recorded the new record in, like, five weeks. It was just a geyser of songs and feelings. It’s really the only thing that’s made the breakup tolerable, because at least this thing that might help some other people wouldn’t have existed if not for it.”

Track List

Few songwriters of his generation sprinkle laugh-out-loud lyrics into their songs so successfully, especially while walking the tightrope of maintaining such heavy subject matter at the same time. “Music is just the instrument my brain uses to get its thoughts out,” is his typically self-effacing explanation for that. “You have to be mindful that you can’t just dump 3000 pounds of awful feelings onto people all at once. I enjoy having a reprieve and letting people breathe and reset. It’s more human; humans are very complicated people, and I think some people appreciate music that reflects the complexities of just how weird our brains are.” I Want to be in the Mafia’ gave an unfiltered display of Christinzio’s talent on piano, at points standing up in Elton John-esque showmanship whilst his hands flew over the keys with flare. His impressive vocal range is also realised from the heartbreaking highs to the final low drone of ‘I’m Going Out On A Low Note’. Throughout the hushed silence, the sound of rain dominated, ironically foreshadowing the next song ‘It Never Rains in Manchester.’

That said, The Last Rotation Of Earth is not exactly a passive experience. There is an inherent buy-in to Christinzo’s work here and elsewhere, one that requires a bit of work from its listener. This marks Christinzo’s fifth album and the first to follow what he has called his “Manchester Trilogy,” three records steeped in turmoil and directly responding to an array of drastic life changes, including revitalizing moves across the world, forced deportation, and familial tragedy. Within that rush of biographical songwriting are true gems like “Just Because I Love You” from 2015’s How To Die In The North, “I’m In A Weird Place Now” from 2018’s Deportation Blues and “I Only Drink When I’m Drunk” from 2020’s Shortly After Takeoff, each containing a painful honesty among increasingly experimental production and songwriting. The Last Rotation Of Earth by BC Camplight The sheer bleakness of the details may not have stung so sharply were it not for the circumstances in which Christinzio, who has achieved cult status with his records as BC Camplight, found himself. Halfway through the recording of his new album, his fiancée and partner of nine years split up with him. It left him bereft, and suddenly all of the music he had been working on seemed redundant. The only consolation to be found was that a flood of new material was suddenly ready to replace it. BC Camplight (born Brian James Christinzio on May 31, 1979) is an England-based American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. There are rumours being spread that The Last Rotation of Earth will be BC Camplight’s final album. However factual this may or may not be, I would encourage you to take any opportunity you can to see this powerhouse live, as this level of energy cannot last forever. It is beautiful, but after all, even stars burn out.Christinzio relocated to Manchester, England in 2012, following the advice of a fan on social media. [7] There he recuperated and returned to writing and performing. [8] [5] In October 2014 Bella Union announced it would be releasing BC Camplight's already-recorded third album, How to Die in the North, in January 2015. [9] All has not been well in the run-up to the release of The Last Rotation of Earth. The album’s promotional material says that after nine years Christinzio’s relationship with his fiancé disintegrated. His long-term struggles with addiction and mental health are noted. He is quoted, saying the album “is a document created in the shadow of incredible darkness. One from which the creator hadn't planned on escaping, and still doesn't. Hence the title of the album. It is the result of an illness that I've battled my whole life. It isn't something that the world has done to me. It's the world I live in and it's no one's fault”. Still, Christinzio doesn’t see any of this as a story of redemption. “This is not a story of victory,” he says. “It is a document created in the shadow of incredible darkness. One from which the creator hadn’t planned on escaping, and still doesn’t. Hence the title of the album. It is the result of an illness that I’ve battled my whole life. It isn’t something that the world has done to me. It’s the world I live in and it’s no one’s fault.” However, in early 2015 Christinzio overstayed his visa permissions due to a severe leg injury and was made to leave the UK, resulting in the cancellation of his band's summer tour which was to include performances at the Green Man and End of the Road festivals and an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland. Gigs in other countries went ahead as planned, including a debut tour in the US. Christinzio temporarily resided in Paris and Philadelphia. [5] [10] In the spring of 2016, he toured the West Coast of America for the first time. He then re-settled in Manchester with an Italian passport, care of his grandparents, [11] and has since been granted a permanent Settled status.