Separation Rock Jack Ladder

• 1 Missing 06:01
• 2 I Want The 1 (That I Can't Have) 03:57
• 3 Everything Belongs 2 U 04:30
• 4 Sparrow 05:18
• 5 Undignified 05:01
• 6 Radiation 08:30
• 7 Separation Rock (Theme) 02:49
• 8 When We First Met 05:38
• Total Runtime 41:44

Info for Separation Rock

Jack Ladder has been waiting his whole life to make this record.

Songs years in the making boiled down to 4 days at historical Valentine Studios in North Hollywood with producer Zach Dawes (Lana Del Ray, Sharon Van Etten). Zach heard the demos through mutual friend Alex Cameron – who is singing backing vocals all over the record – and on the strength of the songs assembled the ‘reckoning crew of Jay Bellerose (Elton John, Bonnie Raitt) on drums, Tyler Parkford (Arctic Monkeys, Sparks) on keys and Zach himself on bass, a long-term affiliate of producer T-Bone Burnett. Luke Temple mysteriously showed up and picked some guitar while Sharon Van Etten contributed vocals to the opening song ‘Missing’. Meanwhile in Nashville, legend Russ Pahl was putting down the outer space pedal steel you hear on ‘Radiation’.

The bulk of the heavy lifting was done live in the room recording minimal takes and leaving all the good bits in. And yes, those reverbs are real – printed from the 60's studio chamber.

'Separation Rock' celebrates a fresh chapter for Jack Ladder as he hits a new peak and a potential plateau to traverse, recording in a style that celebrates the tradition while kicking his can forward ever so slightly to replenish the well for another generation of song singers and deep music listeners.

Jack Ladder, piano, guitar, vocals
Jay Bellarose, drums
Zach Dawes, bass
Tyler Parkford, Wurlitzer, piano
Luke Temple, acoustic & electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 8)
Russ Pahl, guitar, pedal steel (tracks 3, 4)
Alex Cameron, vocals (tracks 3, 4, 5, 6)
Sharon Van Etten, vocals (track 1)
Tim Young, electric guitar (track 2)

Recorded at Valentine Studios, North Hollywood
Engineered by Jason Wormer
Assistant engineer Kyle Henderson
Additional tracking engineer Sean Cook
Mixed by Tchad Blake at Full Mongrel, Wales
Mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering
Produced by Zach Dawes

Jack Ladder
is a singular character in Australian music. Sentimental and mournful, sardonic and surreal. He brings that towering and tender baritone to bear on tales of beauty, love, hope and redemption. A master of musical narrative, he conjures lyrics that celebrate the absurdity and sincerity of the human condition in songs that groove in subtle ways.

In the sixteen years since his debut album, Ladder’s varied musical journey has been notable for some sharp stylistic turns, but has always been connected by a singular song writing talent. Arriving with the predominately acoustic ‘Not Worth Waiting For’ in 2005, Ladder then jumped to the taut ‘cut-price soul’ of 2008’s ‘Love Is Gone’. 2011’s ‘HURTSVILLE’ was a left turn into an atmospheric collection of tales of desolation and unease, described by The Age as “a terrifying wasp-factory novella of disgust”. Polarising upon release, ‘HURTSVILLE’ has over time developed a devoted following, inspiring the likes of Alex Cameron who recently wrote about its impact on him and his song writing.

2014’s ‘Playmates’ managed to seamlessly blend a dizzying range of sounds, from stark synthpop, to pedal steel and marimbas, while it’s lyrical themes spanned love’s redemptive power to the millstone of notoriety. The self-produced ‘Blue Poles’, released in May 2018 proved to be the perfect culmination of Ladder’s musical trajectory so far, receiving critical acclaim both in Australia and overseas.

In 2021, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, reunited by global lockdowns, performed sold out shows in Sydney & Melbourne to celebrate the 10 year anniversary & expanded reissue of ‘HURTSVILLE’ through new label Endless Recordings. Now comes ‘Hijack!’ the 6th album from Jack Ladder, featuring new single ‘Astronaut’. The release heralds a new age for Jack Ladder with the introduction of celestial string arrangements by US based Australian composer Sam Lipman and a new focus on cinematic songwriting.

Jack Ladder has toured with and worked alongside some of the brightest names in the business – Bill Callahan, Angel Olsen, John Cale, Sharon Van Etten, Father John Misty, Weyes Blood, Alex Cameron, Kirin J Callinan, Florence & The Machine & The Killers.

This album contains no booklet.