Out Now: new A Northern Chorus
Posted on March 21, 2007 at 9:37 am | No Comments
Hidden amongst the more hyped new releases this week is a true gem of a disc from Ontario, Canada’s A Northern Chorus, their fifth album, “The Millions Too Many”. Having seen and been blown away by the band’s beautifully powerful dynamics at small shows in the Boston area, I’d been anticipating this one for awhile… but didn’t expect to be as immediately moved as I was from the very first listen. ANC is one of those rare bands that I fell in love with through their live set before I’d heard a note of studio material, and as much as I liked the couple albums I quickly bought, they didn’t quite take me back to that special place they could from the stage. That’s changed with “The Millions Too Many”.
Here’s the title track…
You can stream three additional songs over at MySpace, hear the full album through their own site, and order up a copy for yourself at Sonic Unyon. I can’t recommend this one enough for fans of chiming guitars, gorgeously restrained harmonies, and evocative string arrangements (thanks to cellist Alex McMaster and newly returned violinist Erin Aurich). There’s just as much magic in the sparse moments as there is in the wonderful washes of sound that swirl and swell throughout. Can’t wait to see these songs recreated live, and I’ll get that chance very soon…
A Northern Chorus returns to the Boston area on Wednesday, April 4th at the Middle East Upstairs as part of a triple bill that has no weak spot: also playing are their Sonic Unyon labelmates Aereogramme and Glasgow’s The Twilight Sad. Check this tour listing to see if they’re playing near you as well.
Keep an eye on the ‘Nac next week when I’ll be doing a giveaway of admission to the show, along with copies of A Northern Chorus‘ “The Millions Too Many” and Aereogramme’s latest, “My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go”.
Mp3 Debut: Caspian’s ASA
Posted on March 20, 2007 at 1:21 pm | No Comments
I nearly titled this post “Oh Caspian, My Caspian“, but it set off my internal cheeze-o-meter, and I needed to be a bit more direct with this one. Because your attention is needed.
Boston’s own Caspian released one of the most stunning (and remarkably mature) instrumental debuts I’ve ever heard in 2005’s “You Are The Conductor” EP. The fact that it existed for over a year before I became aware of it bothers me a bit (right under my nose!), but it means that I hardly had to wait any time at all for the full-length follow-up. Minimal patience needed.
On April 10th, courtesy of Dopamine Records, it arrives: Caspian’s first full-length disc, titled “The Four Trees”. Eleven songs over 60 dynamic minutes. And here, with the band’s kind permission, is track ten from the album, the first official mp3 made available for download. And it delivers…
U.S. pre-orders via the Dopamine site might even get it a little early (and will receive a free poster). The disc sees a Japanese release on May 2nd (via Xtal), and a hand-assembled limited edition should be available at some point as well.
To mark the album’s arrival, Caspian will stage their biggest show yet, at the Paradise on Friday night, April 13th at the Paradise. They’ll be playing with the excellent On Fire and Constants, and tickets are available at the box office or right here.
To stream “Crawlspace” and “Some Are White Light“, two other excellent tracks from “The Four Trees”, visit Caspian’s MySpace page, where you can also hear a couple from that 2005 EP. Their own music page also has more mp3s, including a demo, live track, and some loops. There’s even an entire live set from last fall shared up over at the indepensable Live Music Archive.
Caspian’s upcoming road trip starts on April 19th at the Lit Lounge in NYC, and after crossing the U.S. and back, winds up a month later in the very same city (in other words, you New Yorkers are a lucky bunch). Check their MySpace page for all 27 dates, and catch ’em if you can.