Electro Rock Act Paris And The Hiltons Releases "Reading Journals, Part One: Puzzles Of Ithaca"

Phil Jourdan of the UK electronic rock act Paris and the Hiltons announced the release his third album, "Reading Journals." The album is being released in three stages, and upon completion will boast 22 tracks. The first installment, "Reading Journals, Part One: Puzzles of Ithaca" features 7 songs that are based loosely on William Faulkner's book Absalom, Absalom.

Commenting on how his latest album is different from the prior two, Jourdan responded, "This album really has scope. It's a twenty-two track work and includes jazz, rock, electronica, weird avant-garde stuff, ballads, jams, IDM beats, and so on. It sounds different from what people would have expected from us, but I think it sounds better, too. And the focus on literature is important as well, because it let us go in a direction that most people don't think of going." He continued, "Basing the album on works of fiction meant I had to reread things, figure out what I wanted to focus on, and discard themes in those books that I knew were important but that didn't particularly move me."

Phil Jourdan formed the electronic-rock solo act Paris and the Hiltons in 2007, and has officially released three albums since that time. "Prettyface Tinybruise," a record of how he dealt with his mother's death in 2009, was released in March 2011. "Fracture and Slice" followed in June 2011, and "Reading Journals, Part One: Puzzles of Ithaca," the third and most recent album, was just released. Jourdan, who began playing the guitar and bass in high school, is also a singer and songwriter. Fellow band member Sam Folkes from the electronic-cabaret rock group Dawn of the Gecko is featured on piano on "Reading Journals, Part One: Puzzles of Ithaca" as well as the two prior albums. Jourdan insists, however, that the two acts are quite different. "Paris and the Hiltons isn't about making funny music. Sometimes it sounds that way, because either the songs have silly lyrics or the music is silly. But it's a much more serious project. Paris and the Hiltons is kind of depressing sometimes. Other times it's moronic. I wouldn't call Dawn of the Gecko moronic — just good fun."

"Reading Journals, Part One: Puzzles of Ithaca" is available for download at Bandcamp.com at http://parisandthehiltons.bandcamp.com/album/reading-journals-part-one-puzzles-of-ithaca. "Prettyface Tinybruise" and "Fracture and Slice" are both available for purchase at iTunes.