Easy listening for anxious times, torch songs for a world on fire, orchestral pop for the algorithm age: this is the twilit milieu of L.C. Franke, whose debut album Still In Bloom, releasing July 19, builds a bridge between twentieth-century nostalgia and our modern alienation. Across ten tracks of pure mood-indigo music, inspired by the jazz-club savoir faire of artists like Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Ella Fitzgerald, Franke's barstool croon smolders against a backdrop of woodwind trills and string quartet swells. It's a musical tonic that pairs equally well with gin and general malaise--light on the ears, heavy on the heart. In a previous life, L.C. Franke was known as Jeff Klein, an Austin-by-way-of-New York indie-rocker who spent the better part of his youth garnering widespread acclaim as a solo artist, as a collaborator with countless other songwriters, and as the frontman of the Southern gothic soul outfit My Jerusalem. But by 2017, he had hit a wall. After a demoralizing experience with his then record label he was feeling lost and jaded, his mental health teetering. He'd given so much of his life to music, with so little to show for it. He decided to take a year off and reassess. Then, along came the pandemic. That hiatus turned indefinite, and he found himself suddenly isolated and adrift, unsure whether would ever get back to who he was. Then he realized: Maybe he didn't want to. The opportunity for reinvention presented itself when his friend, the Bessie-winning dancer Melissa Toogood, asked the artist to compose the score for her performance with the Boston Ballet. Franke bought a Mellotron, started noodling around with the sounds of flutes, clarinets, and strings. He reached out to John Mills, a professor of jazz studies who's worked with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, to help him turn his horrible caveman arrangements into something a 65-piece orchestra could play.
Release date:
September 6, 2024
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner
Thoroughly clean and restore your vinyl records, removing dust, dirt, and grime from every groove without damaging the surface
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO
Featuring a one-piece carbon fiber tonearm, precision-tuned motor, and a heavy steel platter with TPE damping, it ensures superior stability and sound quality.
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
HumminGuru: Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner
Advanced ultrasonic technology with customizable cleaning cycles and a large tank capacity to thoroughly remove dust, dirt, and contaminants
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Yttling Jazz Illegal Hit
Year0001
September 25, 2025 -
Extortionist Stare Into The Seething Wounds [2xLP]
Unique Leader Orch
October 10, 2025 -
Kara-Lis Coverdale A Series of Actions in a Sphere of Forever
Smalltown Supersound
September 12, 2025 -
Metronomy BBC Sessions [2xLP]
Because Music
September 12, 2025 -
Conjurer Unself (Petrol / Black Smoke)
Nuclear Blast
October 24, 2025 -
Lola Young I'm Only F**king Myself (The 'Basic B*tch' Edition Nude Pink)
Island
September 19, 2025 -
Various Artists No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All
Silver Lining Music
November 14, 2025 -
All Time Low Everyone's Talking!
Photo Finish Records
October 17, 2025 -
Gulp Beneath Strawberry Moons (White)
Universal UK
September 5, 2025 -
Madi Diaz Fatal Optimist
Anti
October 10, 2025 -
Yowie Taking Umbrage (Gumbone Blue)
Skin Graft Records
October 3, 2025 -
Tallah Primeval: Obsession // Detachment
Earache Records
September 12, 2025 -
The Beths Straight Line Was a Lie
Anti
August 29, 2025 -
Arjen Anthony Lucassen Songs No One Will Hear [2xLP]
Inside Out Music
September 12, 2025