TD Lind - The Outskirts of Prosper
With his third album ‘The Outskirts Of Prosper’, English singer-songwriter TD Lind has crafted 12 songs about the disaffected and outlying strata of society.
It’s a record shaped by his new life in Los Angeles - inspired by the disparity between the city’s popular glamorous image and the reality for all those who are on the outside looking in.
The nascent seed for what would become the story of ‘The Outskirts Of Prosper’ grew from the song ‘Goodnight From Hollywood’.
Beginning with the line, "Everyone knows this town is different," the bluesy number is a requiem for L.A.’s disaffected and shows TD Lind’s experiences of a town "built on passionate fame and fortunate bullshit".
As he notes that "we all chase the big dream and end up waiting on tables - there’s so much I’m craving that I can’t breathe, suffocating" there is a hint of the autobiographical to the song. Signing off with a sigh of "thank you for listening, goodnight from Hollywood" it’s clear why the song struck such a chord as Lind began playing it around LA’s bars and clubs.
Although not a concept album, it became apparent there was a common thread connecting all the new songs that TD Lind was writing. Originally planning to only write 4 songs or so in a day’s studio time, Lind found himself returning to the feeling of being an outsider again and again.
Produced in three separate day-long sessions ‘The Outskirts Of Prosper’ was recorded live "as we would in a club but without the audience noise!"
The finished album touches on 50s rock and roll, blues, folk, ragtime and even jazz throughout its 12 tracks.
Ever-present is the consummate musicianship that Lind has picked up in his years of performing, whether touring the Midwest or playing piano in Parisian jazz clubs.
As well as L.A. itself, TD casts a fair portion of his lyrical gaze on his relationship with the girl (now his wife) who had inspired him to uproot from the UK.
Opener and first single ‘Pushover Boy Blues’ is an infectiously carefree ode to falling for someone. On ‘Black Dress’ and ‘Head Over Heels’ he documents the throes of new love with an honest, sweet and humble poetic ease that is universal to all, and brings a joyous celebration of love to the quirky ‘It’s Lovely.’
Whichever musical style Lind applies himself to, it is his charismatically weathered and instantly recognisable voice that links all the songs together.
The album’s raw production allows the ballads such as ‘Coming Home’ and the piano-led ‘Sing To The Moon’ to retain a delicate intimacy. Meanwhile the cathartic title track and the driving dusty rock of ‘Last Train For Redemption’, with its frenetic guitar coda, undeniably recreate the feeling of witnessing a live performance.
In TD Lind’s own words, ‘The Outskirts Of Prosper’ is an album about "a life in a city where you are doing everything you can to succeed, so you can try and live out your passions."
Ultimately he says "I hope people relate to the stories, makes them feel good, sad, or curious." Having struck a chord wherever he has played these songs, TD Lind has made an album that successful captures the bittersweet reality of chasing the dream.