Theres a lot south Louisianans who grew up in the church will understand about Slow Rosarys Free WiFi in the Vatican.<\/p>\n
The album has the trappings of a Catholic worship record theres the hymn Lord, When You Came to the Seashore and a track based around Matthew 13:44-55 (complete with red lettering on the albums lyrics page). But listeners will immediately realize this isnt a religious work: Free WiFi in the Vatican is secular, complex and contradictory. It grapples with Catholicism in its beauty and brutality.<\/p>\n
Putting it very simply, its an expression of all of my thoughts about the faith and my relationship with it, says Rene Duplantier, the singer-songwriter at the core of Slow Rosary. That includes a song where I criticize Christian presidents and it includes criticizing the Pope, but it also includes a licensed cover of a church song.<\/p>\n
Duplantier was born in New Orleans and grew up in a Catholic family confirmed as Saint Francis Xavier, since unconfirmed, still curious, reads the about page on the Slow Rosary website. As he reached his 20s, Duplantier found himself in a long process of leaving Catholicism, he says.<\/p>\n
It wasnt some contentious process or anything, it was mostly that I realized that I didnt believe a lot of the things they believed, he adds.<\/p>\n
Duplantier went to college in Arizona, and when he moved back to New Orleans, he began playing a monthly show at the Neutral Ground Coffee House. His past songwriting had been more influenced by alt and indie rock musicians like Alex G and Tigers Jaw, but around that time mixed in with the religious decoupling as well he found he was writing more folk-esque songs. He decided to call the project for those tunes Slow Rosary.<\/p>\n
Free WiFi in the Vatican, which is out Friday, is the second Slow Rosary full-length, following up Refinery, released last August, mere days before Hurricane Ida hit. Duplantier wrote the songs on the two albums over the last four years, and they work together in a way.<\/p>\n
I think of Refinery as kind of the narrative, the what happened, and then Free WiFi is the thought process of the main character. Its more fluid, Duplantier says.<\/p>\n
Refinery more explicitly touches on the events of my childhood, young adulthood, a few breakups, a few moves, trips, Duplantier adds later in the conversation. Whereas this record is never things I would have said out loud. Refinery is quite literally what was happening for three or four years, whereas Free WiFi is just what I was thinking about.<\/p>\n
Freeman tapped more than 20 friends for the new record.<\/p>\n
The songs on Free WiFi are lush and captivating, with a bed of sounds lifting up Duplantiers folk-like lyricism. The albums lo-fi, home-recorded quality gives it the impression of stepping into a small, pretty church during the music portion of Sunday service as the band plays songs about so-called Christian presidents calling for waterboarding.<\/p>\n
Duplantier who sings and plays guitar, bass, piano and keys on Free WiFi is at the center of Slow Rosary, and he often collaborates with drummer Blake Robicheaux along with a rotating cast of musicians. The album includes musicians Kate Gauthreaux, Zach Lannes and Dreux Gerard LeBourgeois, and Nick Rosato II also plays with the band live.<\/p>\n
On the Bandcamp page, I tagged it as both Christian and Atheist, Duplantier says with a laugh. A lot of people who arent religious make music with religious imagery. Especially in New Orleans, for locals anyway, a lot of people grew up with [the church]. Everyone can have some easy connection to it.<\/p>\n
More about Slow Rosary and Free WiFi in the Vatican can be found at slowrosary.com.<\/p>\n
Music, dance, theater and more to check out this week.<\/p>\n
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Read more here:<\/p>\n
On new album 'Free WiFi in the Vatican,' Slow Rosary reflects on the church in its beauty and brutality - NOLA.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Theres a lot south Louisianans who grew up in the church will understand about Slow Rosarys Free WiFi in the Vatican. The album has the trappings of a Catholic worship record theres the hymn Lord, When You Came to the Seashore and a track based around Matthew 13:44-55 (complete with red lettering on the albums lyrics page) Continue reading