Heartless Fools by Indianapolis, IN based Jordan Munson is the first release on Church of Noise Records. Recorded at Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland (Bjork, Brian Eno, Sigur Ros, Oneotrix Point Never, etc, etc, etc) "Heartless Fools" showcases Munson's ambidextrous skills of weaving knotty and complex avant-pop around soaring neo-classical compositions. The album features contributions by experimental pop trio Square Peg Round Hole, vocalists Isaiah Robinson and Hanna Benn, and Icelandic cellist Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir and reaches deep into the worlds of jazz, classical music and pop song structures to create a record in deep conversations with all of these traditions.
Heartless Fools is a collection of works exploring multiplicity and often contradictory ideas. Supported by a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, many of the works were realized and recorded in January 2018 at Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland. Since these initial recordings, the music has grown through far-reaching collaborations with musicians in the worlds of jazz, classical, and pop. Album credits include experimental pop trio Square Peg Round Hole, vocalists Isaiah Robinson and Hanna Benn, and Icelandic cellist Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir.
While the music itself is not intended to be political, the title Heartless Fools refers to the response of two characters to the current political landscape. The first is working through shock and grief as they awake to the realities of this world, and is trying to make sense of it all. The other, fueled by an imagined loss of cultural identity, is full of a rage that causes them to do inhumane things. This shows up in the music as a struggle between order and chaos, contemplation and impatience. The works constantly push in pull, both internally and with one another.
Available on limited edition beer colored 12" vinyl.