Elliot Street Lunatic release new album, ‘Ghost Town Lullabies’

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Lansing’s Elliot Street Lunatic held nothing back when it came to making their new album, “Ghost Town Lullabies.“

The album will be released Saturday at Rubble’s Bar, 112 W. Michigan St., with a release show featuring Mount Pleasant’s Wavvy Hands, Muskegon’s Tiger! Tiger! and Howell’s Good Weather for Airstrikes.

Recorded in June 2011 with The Dear Hunter’s guitarist and singer Casey Crescenzo in his home studio in Los Angeles, the band said they came away from the experience better than ever and even closer as friends.

To fund the album, which features songs like “Ghost Town” and “Shine,” the band created a fundraising campaign through the fundraising site Kickstarter.

“The outpouring of support we got for our Kickstarter page was incredible,” said Eric Robbins, a Leslie native, second guitarist and vocalist.

According to the band’s Kickstarter page, they raised $2,090 officially, but raised even more when checks and cash donations were included.

After having successfully funded their endeavor, the time came to focus on polishing songs the band had been working on for more than two years and to finally record them.

Laingsburg native, lead singer and guitarist Jason Marr said the band is more focused and better than they’ve ever been.

“We think completely differently about our songs than before we went out to L.A.,” he said. “We think about every angle now. We focus on the parts that need attention, and we won’t move on until we get that right.”

Marr said Crescenzo focused heavily on the vocal arrangements, as well as finding new sounds to incorporate into the band’s trademark indie-pop sound.

“Before I would record the melodies for songs, he would listen to each note I hit and tell me what I should change,” said Marr, who mentioned the situation was similar for his guitar playing.

Crescenzo also helped them learn when not to play, Marr said.

“That was a big thing he helped us with; focusing on what’s important in the songs,” Marr said. “We don’t step on each other’s feet with parts.”

Robbins said Crescenzo was also good at “de-cluttering” the songs.

“Let’s strip everything down to its core,” he said.

Robbins said Crescenzo provided many second opinions for ideas.

“It’s great to have an outside opinion from somebody like him,” he said. “When you write a song, you think it’s great, but as an outsider, he can come in with a fresh ear and say something isn’t so great and say, ‘Do it like this.’”

Some of their contemporaries have taken notice of “Ghost Town Lullabies.”

Howell native, singer and guitarist for Good Weather for Airstrikes James Radick said Crescenzo’s production was “great for the sound” of the band.

“My two favorite things about the album are the guitar playing and the drumming — how Eric and Jason play off each other,” he said. ”CJ Kjolhede is a phenomenal drummer, but it isn’t always shown. He plays the parts that are called for.”

“It’s a huge step forward from their last album,” he said.

Robbins said he takes a lot away from the traveling and recording experience.

“It was such a great experience — to not have to worry about your job, school, whatever,” he said. “Our songwriting has changed because of it. It made us better musicians all around. When we came back, we were a changed band.”