Long March Through the Jazz Age is the final album from Chris Bailey and The Saints, a stirring farewell from one of rock's most uncompromising voices. Recorded in late 2018 at Church Street Studios in Sydney, Bailey and longtime Saints drummer Pete Wilkinson reunited with guitarist/engineer Sean Carey, joined by Davey Lane (You Am I) and a handpicked ensemble of Sydney's finest horn, string and keyboard players.Shaped from Bailey's raw demos, the album captures a restless artist reflecting on modern life with trademark wit and grit. Opener 'Empires (Sometimes We Fall)' sets the tone with its Western-tinged guitars and aching refrain, leading into tracks that balance punk swagger with expansive, cinematic production. The 12-string-and-strings melancholy of 'Judas', the Stones-style country lilt of 'Gasoline', and the candid storytelling of 'Bruises' reveal Bailey at his most open and resonant. Dylan-esque flourishes emerge in widescreen arrangements, while the title track's mournful trumpet underscores its haunting, poetic pull.A powerful and human closing statement, Long March Through the Jazz Age crowns over four decades of boundary-defying music from Bailey and his ever-evolving Saints.
