Charlie Nieland and Joe McGinty pull back the curtain on one of the most beautifully realized songs on Nieland’s acclaimed album ‘Stories From The Borderlines.’ The two NYC veterans share the “Making of Today” video, a behind-the-scenes companion to Alex Dar’s devastating and hopeful stop-motion clip for “Today,” a hymn of loss and acceptance that transforms personal darkness into a universal meditation on the beauty of the finite. The new video walks through how the collaboration came together, including studio footage and McGinty’s deep dive into the extraordinary keyboard collection he brought to the session.
The pairing makes complete sense. Nieland had been singing in McGinty’s long-running NYC performance series “The Loser’s Lounge” and had him as a guest on his podcast “An Embarrassment of Prog” before the two connected musically. When “Today” needed something more than Nieland’s own keyboard parts, he asked McGinty to create layers with the feel of the semi-obscure Jon Anderson/Vangelis song “So Long Ago, So Clear.” McGinty fired up a remarkable array of vintage and new instruments, including a Freeman String Symphonizer, Moog Muse, Oberheim Xpander, and Therevox ET 5, bathing the track in what Nieland describes as “a unique glow that really elevated the feeling of hope and sadness.”
‘Stories From The Borderlines’ is out now and drawing serious attention. Named Artist of the Year by The Manc Review, Nieland brings decades of production and writing credits to the project, including a UK Gold record for his work on Blondie’s ‘Greatest Hits Sight & Sound,’ a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart position with Debbie Harry’s “Two Times Blue,” and film and television work including scoring the feature film ‘The Safety of Objects’ and Showtime’s pilot episode of ‘The L Word.’ The album presents a visceral blend of post-punk, glam, dream pop, and progressive rock across eleven tracks, with additional contributions from drummer Billy Loose, guitarist Dan McAssey, and Staten Island rapper spiritchild.
Nieland performs tonight at 503 Social Club in Hoboken, NJ alongside Renee Maskin and Karyn Kuhl.
‘Stories From The Borderlines’ Tracklist:
- Cease To Turn
- Brutalist Monuments
- Win (feat. spiritchild)
- Drown
- Hypnotized
- Back To Life
- Redshift
- Sentinel
- Shame
- Today
- You Fell Down