About Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards
In 2001 Dan Michaelson was living in Reykjavik, Iceland. Pondering the practical applications of his Fine Art degree and fussing over a handful of demos he had made in England 6 months previously, he returned to London, moved into an abandoned Jewish tearoom and theatre (which also housed the Lithuanian Social Club in the basement) and committed himself writing songs for the foreseeable future. The first fruits of this were heard on 2005’s Donkey Stock, one of three records under the name Absentee. Between 2006-2009 the band recorded two more albums of (reasonably) articulate alt country tinged rock before each member took separate directions in search of something new.
Shortly after, Dan started work on a solo album. Icelandic producer Valgier Sigurdsson (bjork, bonnie"prince"billy, Sigur Ros) came to stay in London, producing the tracks Michaelson had written. This quickly led to the formation the Coastguards, a beautiful collection of men willing to keep the creaking ship Michaelson afloat. Among those appearing on that first recording were: Henry (from the band Fields), Arnulf (KT Tunstall), Tom&Henry (Tehe Rumble Strips), Romeo (Magic Numbers), Steven (Broken Family Band/Singing Adams) Laurie (Absentee) and Valgier himself playing various parts of the piano. The culmination of these efforts was called Saltwater, released on the Memphis Industries label in March 2009.
Dan Michaelson and The Coastguards will release their new album ‘Distance’ through State 51 on 18th August. Produced and mixed by Ash Workman (Metronomy, Big Deal, Summer Camp), the album was written in Montauk, Long Island NY (the setting for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), recorded in Hackney, London and is the follow-up to last year’s much-lauded ‘Blindspot’.
