Imogen Moon updates Doug Randle's 1971 eco-activist concept album

Singer/songwriter Imogen Moon enlisted the Dap-Kings to reimagine her grandad's cult classic Songs For The New Industrial State.  

Here's the scoop...

Way back in 1970, Calgary-born, Toronto-based pianist/composer Doug Randle who was working at the CBC and NFB, had an idea for a song-cycle warning of the dire consequences posed by unchecked corporate greed on our Canadian culture and environment. So he rounded up Toronto's first-call session musicians – including Peter Appleyard, Guido Basso, Moe Koffman and Rob McConnell – with sunshine pop vocals contributed by Tommy Ambrose and Laurie Bower and recorded Songs For The New Industrial State. 

Despite the prescient message, tasteful arrangements and incongruously upbeat singing, Randle's clever concept album was a bit too far ahead of it's time in 1971. Without the proper promotional push, and somewhat misleading sleeve art which made it look like pro-industry propaganda of the era,   Randle's well-intended Songs For The New Industrial State failed to ride the wave of Canada's emerging green movement and ironically wound up in landfills. 

It wasn't until the early 2000s that beat diggers – checking for anything CBC-related in the quest for obscure sample material – hit on Randle's overlooked gem. Perhaps sensing that the times had finally caught up with what Randle had put down decades earlier, Seattle-based reissue operation Light In The Attic re-released Songs For The New Industrial State in 2009 which you can get right here. The 81-year-old Randle got some long overdue attention for his work before his passing on August 30, 2013 at the age of 85. 

But the story doesn't end there. Randle's 21-year-old granddaughter, Vancouver singer/songwriter Imogen Moon recognized a timely message in the album's songs about corporate malfeasance, resource extraction and global warming and thought it would be worthwhile to introduced the relevant songs to a new generation by updating the music. 

Cellar Music Group boss Cory Weeds saw merit in the idea and connected her with producer Ian Hendrickson-Smith best known as the saxophonist with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Hendrickson-Smith booked time at Diamond Mine Studio in Queens and invited over his pals from the Dap-Kings, namely guitarist Tommy "TNT" Brenneck, drummer Homer Steinweiss, bassist Nick Movshon and trumpeter Dave Guy along with Hammond B-3 ace Adam Scone. To complete the circle, backing vocals were added by Imogen's mom, Joanne Randle who regularly sang on the recordings of her father, Doug Randle. Sweet. 

The resulting 6-track EP, When They Start Rebelling – which could easily pass for a Daptone release – is set for release by Cellar Live on July 21st. Pre-order it via Bandcamp right here. The first single is a dramatic reworking of "Nicolston Dam" – check out Imogen Moon's video followed by an audio clip of Doug Randle's 5th Dimension-style original version.