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.