Tongue Master is very happy to have a legendary New York band THE SCENE IS NOW and their new album as an official release - " Songbirds Lie ". Without doubt THE SCENE IS NOW is one of the most mysterious and secretive bands ever to come out of New York City. For the last 22 years this outfit has only released 5 albums, and all of them very hard to obtain here in Europe. It has been more than necessary to be apart of their first-ever UK release. THE SCENE IS NOW have often been compared to the likes of Pere Ubu, Red Crayola, Half Japanese or The Residents, but most people discovered them through the Yo La Tengo classic album "Fakebook", on which Yo La Tengo covered a THE SCENE IS NOW song "Yellow Sarong". This ever-revolving outfit has always been spirited by the two main nucleus members: singer/trombonist/guitarist CHRIS NELSON & keyboardist PHILIP DRAY. Both NELSON & DRAY - originally from Minneapolis - got started in the New York NO-WAVE scene of the late 70's with the band INFORMATION. NELSON also had a parallel career at a later stage with the band MOFUNGO, which also included the internationally known composer ELLIOT SHARP. Since then they have continued evolving, and established an enduring legacy with THE SCENE IS NOW. "Songbirds Lie" is probably the most cohesive and sharp THE SCENE IS NOW album to date. The tangled rhythms, cheap keyboard sounds and NELSON'S cracked vocal style still dominate the proceedings, and the sound is very reminiscent of early PERE UBU. CHRIS NELSON always manages to blend his commanding literary vocabulary into ironic & poetic lyrics within each song while displaying a snappy and excellent sense of humour. The new release features a brilliant rhythm section as well: East Coast band veterans SUE GARNER and ROBERT DENNIS guest as the "Honky Ass Punks". "Songbirds Lie " provides plenty of twists & turns for the fans that like their music adventurous and spiked with avant-garde digressions. Various New York stories unfold and one can envisage the late night diners, the lazy Sunday afternoons in the Village or the spring drives out to Brooklyn. "Songbirds Lie " is one of those albums only a New York band exposed to the experimental underbelly of the city can delve out. THE SCENE IS NOW is an artsy bohemian band far removed from any trend & their original material avoids certain hackneyed rock and roll ideas both musically & lyrically. Unpolished, " Songbirds Lie " is a blazing album that has retained an outsider edge and is a necessary instalment for those who still desire music that is genuine, ironic & unusually great.