‘Funhouse Mirror’, the fifth full length album release by Danish rock band Vinyl Floor (formed in 2007), sees the band returning to the experimental and symphonic expression as found on the earlier albums ‘Peninsula’ (2012) and ‘Vaudeville’ (2014). The band, together with the Swedish producer Emil Isaksson, recorded the basic tracks live at Studio Möllan in Malmö, Sweden during the summer of 2021 and did all the overdubbing and vocals at their own studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. The album was mixed at Studio Möllan during the final months of 2021 and mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, Nashville, USA in early 2022.
With this album, Vinyl Floor has opted for a warm, vintage sound with a clear and nuanced modern production of songs with a strong emphasis on melody and lyrics. The 10 songs featured here were all written by Daniel Pedersen & Thomas Charlie Pedersen and the two brothers share the lead vocal duties equally.
The band handled most instruments themselves but invited three additional musicians to play on several tracks - adding different flavors and colors to the songs. The Swedish multi-instrumentalist Bebe Risenfors contributed a selection of horns, percussion and organ to most of the album. Bebe Risenfors has previously played with Tom Waits and his work is featured on the Tom Waits albums ‘Alice’, ‘Blood Money’ and ‘Orphans’. Bebe Risenfors has also worked with Elvis Costello.
Bob Dylan’s former bandleader and bass player, the New York native Rob Stoner, is featured here playing bass on 3 songs. Rob Stoner has played with diverse acts such as Joni Mitchell, Chuck Berry, Don McLean, Link Wray, Ringo Starr, Bruce Springsteen and many more. Finally, the Danish violin player Christian Ellegaard, who is a member of the national Danish symphony orchestra, recorded strings for 2 songs.
Lyrically, the songs touch on different themes and aspects surrounding the state of the world today and most lyrics were written during lockdown.