Strange New State marks the second full length album from singer-songwriter John Gardner, who began performing under the Common Jack moniker during a two and a half year world tour with the actor/musician Broadway show, Once. The first Common Jack album was recorded in Washington DC at the historic Cue Recording Studios with platinum producer Jim Ebert. After finishing that record, Gardner immediately began working on the second LP, this time with his band at Degraw Sound in Brooklyn with co-producer Harper James (of the breakout band Eighty Ninety). Common Jack's sound has been praised in the past for the "the richness of the sound (from minimalist to quite symphonic) , a richness that tells the diversity of life in general ...these songs, these sounds and his voice take us in quite a poetic world, in a very original musical dimension, he makes us fly...a musical escape..." (Mike Penard of ISA Radio) & listeners can expect an expansion on that sentiment with Strange New State. With the anthemic Fine Line, Gardner's soaring voice reminds us of Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard. Those in favor of socio-political commentary will love the grittiness of Postmodern Blues and will wonder if this is the type of song that would've been written during a collaboration between Bob Dylan and Kendrick Lamar. The lead single off the record, Spanish Bird, is a guitar-drenched folk dreamscape about lovers being separated by distance. All-in-all, Strange New State is a breathtaking second effort. It's scope is wide, it's lyrics poetic and sharp, and its music uniquely American. It's a promising evolution for this young Brooklyn band. // // // It's been a while I know. // I was stuck on the N train coming home & Sally with her cloud-head Sam got on & started taking pics of me alone. She said smile & I said I wake up at night hearing you scream about front men, the type who burn you up & how you wouldn't love anyone but them & I swore you tore me a new one over a Clover Son who wasn't the one you wanted so you run & gun & yes that's the patriot way...it's a common fact but not well understood nowadays that wars have only been fought for gold. Not for safety or liberty or god or any of those jokes the filter queen smokes on the sets or reads you on silver screens. One & two & asia &am & the gulf where we buried ourselves & ran to gulp the mud, prying open our throats to fill them up til they were blacker than the night sky or that man the police were killing in missoura & yes maybe that would be a lovely way to go on to whatever’s next. somewhere along the line living life was replaced by getting degrees & paying & paying & paying for them & you have the gall to ask if it's too late now to say sorry. I have worms in my ears & I'm picking them out of my coffee which was burnt by the new pill poet percolating behind the bar. He cut off his left ear, shelfed it onto his right, & balancing his head with all the others, guessed which way the Lazy Tastey was gonna blow his brains so they could jump in front & hope it made them Great. With glazed eyes he tries to cry but yeah...it's too late now to say sorry. // I've missed you so, munch...the UnTouchables are laughing at a joke but they don’t understand the punch line. Ah that’s okay, I rub my eyes awake, you're next to me & it’s late...I could swear your skin is glowing & the sky is still blue in this strange new state. // // // These songs are for the hearts that have been bottled up in a corner and taught to respect fear more than the thump of their own beat.