Xii: They'll Be Diamonds

'Garred's voice and an acoustic guitar pack an emotional wallop' -THE OREGONIAN 'These songs are by no means modern throwaway pop. These compositions have true substance...and they are delivered with subtle integrity and honesty. Will Garred ever be widely recognized as one of the best songwriters on the planet...? ' -BABY SUE 'Garred has, as of late, tucked away the low-fi charm of his earliest recordings in favor of a full band and a more ambitious leaning toward robustly assembled pop songs.' -PORTLAND MERCURY 'minimalistic and lovely, like rolling down a hill with plush green grass...evokes feelings of spring, though if you listen to it, there's something more sinister underneath. ' -REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN 'Garred and company once again use simplicity and humility to make musical magic out of ordinary moments' -THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE 'With fans that have been loyal and passionate for over a decade, including the owner of Tender Loving Empire, it's obvious why each new record continues to receive praise and enhance Gerrad's success.' -THE DAILY VANGUARD After 13 years writing, recording, and producing, Scott Garred aka Super XX Man, has cultivated a mildly edgy modern rock sound in the new release Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds. Previous releases have garnered acclaim from the likes of Bob Boilen, host of All Songs Considered ('If we're going to choose ten songs every week, let it be Super XX Man) and Amy McCullough, music editor of Willamette Week ('If love had a sound, this would be it). Although there's plenty of the familiar Super XX Man-style of music on his latest album, what will no doubt surprise many long time fans are the moody, foreboding tracks that lie at the heart of the album. Songs like Medication, Little Leaf and Crazy People help to comprise, as Garred says, my most sonically ambitious album to date. Songs are marked by washes of feedback, dark atmospherics and pointillist lyrics that chronicle the lives of the people Garred works with at the Oregon State Hospital, the oldest psychiatric institution in his home state. It's a pronounced shift in focus for Garred who has used the other volumes in his ever-growing discography to sing about friends and family, love and loss. Garred is as much a storyteller on this album as he is an empathizer reiterating how people cope with life at the State Hospital. On Volume XII, Garred sings about a woman who plays guitar until her fingers bleed, a man so lonely he only wants to go to parties and meet girls, and the 'guilty except for insanity' person strolling down a corridor wearing his new state-issued sweats. The album's closer, Cautious like a Panther, has this same person strutting his stuff down any trendy thoroughfare in Portland. Scott Garred started off his career as Super XX Man (pronounced 'super double ex man') in the mid-'90s while still a member of the Austin, TX indie pop trio Silver Scooter, putting out a pair of self-released cassettes. Garred has since relocated to Portland, OR, continuing a steady stream of releases that have moved from home recorded four-track material to full fledged studio productions. Along the way, he has also turned Super XX Man into a bona fide band, that these days features his wife Michelle on accordion, singer Ali Wesley, Kelly Dachtler and Josh Woods (who trade off guitar and bass duties) and drummer Bob Ham. The band will be on tour this Fall in support of the new album. Super XX Man has been through many changes since the beginning but none as dramatic and exciting as what can be heard on Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds. It is a difference that both long-time fans and new listeners will surely welcome with open arms, sharing a long embrace with Garred's musical vision.