Lusterlit, the fiery duo of Susan Hwang and Charlie Nieland, has just finished their spectacular new EP LIST OF EQUIPMENT. Charlie also produced, mixed and mastered these five new songs about books, inspired by: MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING - Julia Child, BLOOD MERIDIAN - Cormac McCarthy, THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE - Jonathan Lethem and THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS - John Wyndham, that range from chamber pop to indie rock to shoegaze.
Charlie produced, mixed and mastered FUCK SANDWICH, the debut album of King Missle frontman John S. Hall's new project, Unusual Squirrel. John weaves his skewed storytelling and songwriting with the dynamic and often improvised cinematic settings created by an all star group of NYC's most unique musicians; Susan Hwang, Ray Brown and Preston Spurlock. The resulting tracks are breathless as John and the band urge each other forward, transgressing notions of spoken word, jazz, rock and music itself. And it's fucking funny.
Ray Brown's Dylanesque new album AILFIONN was recorded in Ireland, and in various studios and non studios in NYC, including Charlie Nieland Productions in Brooklyn. Charlie also mastered the many sourced album for official release.
Charlie Nieland wrote and produced music for two of Madeleine Altmann's dreamy films. Concord 2017 and Labyrinth December 2016. Her lush hypnotic work reveals invisible worlds in the right here.
2016:
Charlie mixed and mastered the latest release by Strata Florida, FALLING FROM GRACE. Led by Louise Trehy, formerly of the 4AD band Swallow, SF makes aching, delicious dream pop with sophisticated twists.
Bushwick Book Club founder, Susan Hwang, and frequent contributor and producer, Charlie Nieland, have joined forces as Lusterlit, bringing their eclectic songs about books to festivals and literature-loving venues around the country. Their set includes songs inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, Jonathan Ames, David Lynch and Tennessee Williams. There's a pop quiz after each set that turns Tennessee Williams trivia into a drinking game. It's kind of nerds gone wild. Charlie produced, mixed and mastered new records in 2016 for both Susan and himself: Susan Hwang's EVERYTHING IS SATEEN: FIVE SONGS INSPIRED BY VONNEGUT and Charlie Nieland's HOPEFUL MONSTERS. They played all over each other's tracks along with many of Brooklyn's best musicians and now have formed Lusterlit to bring these songs about books to the world.
Charlie Nieland explores lush spaces with ICE AGE (2016). After years of writing dense power dream pop with Her Vanished Grace, Charlie has created an expansive set of acoustic guitar based songs with vivid ethereal coloring. Wood, starlight, heartbreak and illumination. Made with the help of talented friends from Brooklyn and NYC like Billy Loose, Susan Hwang, Marcy Hokama and Ronan Conroy, the music on ICE AGE opens a portal on vast inner worlds.
Stretching the sound and feel of singer songwriter style until it becomes a kind of ambient music, Oh Halo creates a startling take on art rock and indie pop on BURDEN OF LIGHT. Jonathan Leonard said it occupies a dreamy place between Hounds of Love era Kate Bush and Fleetwood Mac, which describes perfectly. Charlie Nieland produced and recorded this and it's his first album as a band member, playing guitar, drums and bass. Much of it was spontaneously conceived along with longtime members Julie Dicterow and Marcy Hokama.
Charlie directed the video for the powerful title track of Ronan Conroy's NOT A PART OF ANYTHING. Shot by Charlie and Susan Hwang, the clip captures Ronan's blazing intensity like a fallen power line.
The third of Ronan Conroy's trilogy of albums is called NOT A PART OF ANYTHING, and once again Charlie Nieland produced and mixed. Charlie and Ronan have a rapport that allows Charlie, acting a Ronan's studio band leader, to create settings for Ronan's wildly eclectic styles, ranging here from indie folk-rock, to shoe gaze to hardcore.
2015:
Susan Hwang is the multi dimensional talent behind Soozee Hwang and the Relastics. On DONG PEH, which Charlie Nieland mastered, she's at her eclectic best but coming soon is an EP of songs inspired by Kurt Vonnegut for The Bushwick Book Club, which she curates. Charlie's producing and recording the upcoming music and it's going to be something great...
THE GAME is the second of a three album series that Charlie Nieland produced for RONAN CONROY. Echoes & Dust says: "Ronan Conroy honed his songwriting skills studying Dylan, and Nick Cave and those influences are clear once again. Like those masters Conroy is extremely adept at building contradictions, layers and dilemmas into his songs."
2014:
Deepfieldview is the music of Danny Lackey. His intricate yet emotional landscapes of shimmering guitar work were his inspiration and his refuge especially as he battled cancer in his last year. Producer Charlie Nieland pulled together contributors from the shoegaze scene to add another dimension to Danny's music and the finished product is a celebration of his life.
Charlie Nieland produced Ronan Conroy's debut CD DISCONTENT, part one of a trilogy of new music that he's working on. Formerly of Oh Halo, Ronan creates a rich mix of darkly emotional storytelling using folk and post punk for his solo work.
Charlie Nieland mastered the dream pop band Lightfoils bold new album HIERARCHY, out now on Saint Marie Records.
2013:
Exploring the intersection of ambient music and hypnotic kraut-rock, Charlie let this track, "Canal", grow into an epic journey inward.
This is Charlie Nieland's remix of Star Sign by UK chanteuse Jaq Gallier from her upcoming debut album release "Duality" on 456 Music.
Additional drums: Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Duncan Sheik, St Vincent) Video By Charlie.
Charlie Nieland over saw the REMIXED EP by the dreamy indie band Oh Halo, remixing the opening and closing tracks himself.
