free ep! - JAP. in any other context would be offensive.

"Jon Athans Project is a nice little dose of your everyday indielectronica jones. what started out as a stocking stuffer for his family turned into this six song ep and this duder is giving it away for freezzze. ive had it for a while but totally forgot about it. pick it up at his myspizzle. you should listen to it. then get it. or get it, then listen to it. or both."

Brought To You By The Letter U

http://audiosport-records.blogspot.com/

Audiosport-records, a Dutch (at least I think it's Dutch?) indie music blog, just blogged the Hard Holidays EP.

"Jon Athans Project is het alterego van Jonathan Pretz uit Reading, Pennsylvania. Het project waarmee onze JonAthan mee bezig is is een zeer aardige. Het is daarom ook goed dat hij dit met ons wil delen. De Hard Holiday EP is namelijk een Ep vol 5 fijne liedjes en een remix van Dump Luck van Dntel. En daar zijn we ook gelijk bij de kern van de zaak. Wat het geproduceerde geluid op deze EP doet wel heel erg op dat van Postal Service denken (Dntel = 1/2 Postal Service) op zich geen schande natuurlijk, maar bij vervolgprojecten mag er wel iets meer eigen geluid doorklinken. Wellicht dat dat vervolgproject voorgezet kan worden op het Morr label, want daarop zou ook deze EP namelijk niet misstaan hebben. Kortom een aardige EP, die met 23 minuten de perfecte introductie lengte heeft, maar toch kijken we uit naar wellicht een volwaardig album?"

TRANSLATION BY TENMAT MARCO (95% right!):

"Jon Athans Project is the alter ego of jonAthan pretz from Reading, PA.  The project with which he is so busy with is very nice.  It is for this reason we can't help but share it with you.

The Hard Holidays album is a CD with five songs and a remix of Dntel's Dumb Luck.  That is also the core of the issue.  What he produced on this CD sounds a lot like Postal Service (Dntel = 1/2 PS) which is in itself not a disgrace but a forward looking project should somehow sound different.  Perhaps his follow up can be put in front of the Morr label, also something this album could have been.

In summary, a nice CD of 23 minutes, the perfect introduction length but nevertheless maybe we can expect a full album soon?"

It has been an overwhelmingly special last few weeks as the small ripple effect from the first web press for Hard Holidays has caught some attention from the indie blogs!  The EP has been blogged and reviewed from the USA to JAPan and is gaining some momentum as a few more have popped up this week!  I have never googled myself this many times.  It would be less fun if I didn't keep finding new stuff!

Thx so much to Lost in Your Inbox for this flattering review.

http://lostinyourinbox.blog-city.com/jon_athans_project.htm

"Jon Athans Project Makes Music in (and for) the Bedroom

I like to play a little game with myself when it comes to listening to new music. I put things I've recently downloaded onto my ipod and then put it on shuffle. A song I don't know will come up and I'll have to take a peak to see what it is because it strikes a chord with me. Sometimes it will come up again and if it makes me look that time, then I make a mental note of it. If it happens a third time, then I know I have to write about it and that I should pay a lot closer attention to the band.

     And so it went with the Jon Athans Project. It hit the magical three-looks threshold and I realized I really like it. The song that drew me in is "Humid in Town." It's got a seductive combination of electronica and hushed vocals with just the right amount of propulsion to the keyboards to keep it from being too melancholic. Because it's a little sad, this is true, but that's pretty much a given where I'm concerned, isn't it?

Jon Athans Project--"Humid in Town" mp3 off Hard Holidays EP (buy--click on the album cover)

Jon Athans Project--"Used Books, Torn Pages" mp3 off Hard Holidays EP

     The Jon Athans Project is really Jonathan Pretz. He cites Her Space Holiday, Hot Chip and the Postal Service as a few of his influences and he wears them on his sleeve, but that's OK, coz I really like those bands. He's a singer/songwriter and also a local indie radio station DJ from Reading, Pennsylvania who just released his debut EP Hard Holidays. It's available free from his myspace.

Jon Athans Project--"Hard Holidays (Silent Night Mix)" mp3 off Hard Holidays EP

     One of his upcoming projects is to remix a song for the original Hot Chip drummer Grovesnor. In fact, he has another myspace just for his remixes, which are very nice. My only question is, why is this man not signed to a label yet?? "

JAP 's debut EP Hard Holidays has found its way and blogged in Italy, Ireland and now JAPan!!!

Friends over at Alfa Analog Life (a Japanese blog) took a liking to Hard Holidays and are spreading the good word. 

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/hiroho/diary/200806220000/

OR

GOOGLE TRANSLATION FROM JAPANESE OF http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/hiroho/diary/200806220000

ACTUAL TRANSLATION:

Recently, I find many free download stuff in the music-internet pages.
I think that the numbers of artists who release their tunes by free download are increasing.

Today, I'd like to introduce one of such artists to you.
Jon Athans Project is running by JonAthan Pretz.

He had released "Hard Holidays EP" by free download.

His sound style is like a "electronica pop".
His music is lovely, beautiful and cool.
The beats are spiral and catch me deep.
The loop sounds are hug me gently.
The programming sounds, analog instruments and his singing voice are great collaboration works.
And then the collaboration sounds are sounding wonderful and making me happy!

He is adding some of the tunes to his MySpace page.
At first, please listen to Hard Holidays Silent Night Mix.

My favorite song  is "Used Books Torn Pages".
The tune has so beautiful atoms.
When I listen to the song, I cry.
I don't know why I cry.
The song has really heartwarming beats and melodies.
I cry but I'm happy because his song is staying by my side!!

It is surprised that such a wonderful stuff has been released by a free download.
Then you are able to listen to the songs and you can get a free download EP at his MySpace page.

"JAP is not a Japanese word!