Record of the Year (maybe ... Woven Hand news)

[Davey]

Been spending a lot of time with Woven Hand lately, especially the always mesmerizing Blush Music and the passionate Mosaic. In fact, that was my morning soundtrack, Blush followed by Mosaic. Wow, so had to find out what is on the horizon for Edwards, and great news for our little band of Sixteen Horsepower fanatics, new one from Woven Hand is now on the eminence front....

This circle is vicious
Spoken behind the hand
It is the storm
That brought me in

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wovenhand is a force to be reckoned with, and this has never been more evident than in their upcoming release, TEN STONES. Music that pulls you in like undertow on the North Atlantic and then catapults you into an expanse full of danger and mystery, TEN STONES is remarkable in its breadth, humanity, and power. Emotions are not merely juxtaposed, they are woven together--confusion and hope are intertwined, joy and terror run in and through each other, urgency and peace are experienced simultaneously. Wovenhand’s powerful and authoritative musicianship, coupled with lyrics that hit the mark with unflagging consistency, results in music that is driving, potent, and excruciatingly alive.

TEN STONES will be released in September ’08.

Track List
1. Beautiful Axe
2. Horse Tail
3. Not One Stone
4. Cohawkin Road
5. Iron Feather
6. White Knuckle Grip
7. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars
8. Kicking Bird
9. Kingdom of Ice
10. His Loyal Love


http://www.soundsfamilyre.com/musicians.php?artistID=7

[bobsticks]

Hhhhmmmnn. Now you've pulled up one with which I'm not familiar. Such strong recommendations shall surely lead to investigation.

Monkey-D, use your ever-prescient and non-moldy wordsmithing to describe for me, no doubt based on past efforts, what a cat might expect to hear...

[jonnyhambone]

just read about a new 16 Horsepower live album too...recorded in 2001. Wasn't a glowing review but for those of us who dig the 16 HP and Wovenhand-thing, it perks the ears. I'll probably wait to hear more...or maybe wait for this Ten Stones disk.
It's summer and these guys haven't been getting much play here, but I think I'll have to sip some Laphroag 10yr. and spin Mosaic tonight.

[Slosh]

Not so fast . . .

Richard Davies' new one is done. Hopefully it'll get released soon. And this due out 9/9 that happens to be NP:

[Slosh]

just read about a new 16 Horsepower live album too...recorded in 2001. Wasn't a glowing review but for those of us who dig the 16 HP and Wovenhand-thing, it perks the ears. I'll probably wait to hear more...or maybe wait for this Ten Stones disk.
It's summer and these guys haven't been getting much play here, but I think I'll have to sip some Laphroag 10yr. and spin Mosaic tonight.

You mean Hoarse? Not new, released in 2001. Got it and like it but as the name implies it's electric and much heavier than the studio albums.

[Davey]

You mean Hoarse? Not new, released in 2001. Got it and like it but as the name implies it's electric and much heavier than the studio albums.

Not Hoarse ...
http://www.almostcool.org/mr/2273/

[Davey]

Not so fast . . .

Richard Davies' new one is done. Hopefully it'll get released soon. And this due out 9/9 that happens to be NP:

Haven't listened yet, and I do really like the Calexico guys, but very unlikely it would be my record of the year, they just don't quite rise to that level with me. The Davies has apparently been done for quite awhile now, but he hasn't got a record contract and I don't think it's fully mixed and mastered. Back with Eric Matthews, like on that one Cardinal record. Be fun to hear, no doubt. There was a guy in a thread I posted over at http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/sh...d.php?t=141215 that thought the new one wasn't that good, but mentioned that, while he's a big fan of all the rest, Barbarians wasn't one of his favorites either, and the new one sounds like more of that. Don't know where he got the advance. I think my favorite these days is Crowd Like This, almost sounds like a cool mix of Bowie and Peter Gabriel sometimes. Thanks for the Moles stuff. Now I need to get Instinct too. Neverending, huh?

[Slosh]

Haven't listened yet, and I do really like the Calexico guys, but very unlikely it would be my record of the year, they just don't quite rise to that level with me. The Davies has apparently been done for quite awhile now, but he hasn't got a record contract and I don't think it's fully mixed and mastered. Back with Eric Matthews, like on that one Cardinal record. Be fun to hear, no doubt. There was a guy in a thread I posted over at http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/sh...d.php?t=141215 that thought the new one wasn't that good, but mentioned that, while he's a big fan of all the rest, Barbarians wasn't one of his favorites either, and the new one sounds like more of that.

I think the new songs sound more like Crowd and Cardinal, with the chamber pop orchestration and all. Personally I like Barbarians the most with Telegraph being a close second and Crowd a d i s t a n t third. I've only heard the crappy stream of the two new songs from his myspace page.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endID=37882816


Maybe I should suggest to RD to offer his album for download in 24/96 FLAC at, say, $15. I'd gladly pony up the coin. Who needs physical media?

[Davey]

Monkey-D, use your ever-prescient and non-moldy wordsmithing to describe for me, no doubt based on past efforts, what a cat might expect to hear...

For a cat with such sophisticated taste in fine music, you'd undoubtedly appreciate the passion David Eugene Edwards always brings. Early 16 Horsepower is a hard rocking dark alt-country band, sometimes almost sinister in their drive, with hints of middle eastern influence and a good dose of the Nick Cave southern gothic vibe, and Edwards was also not afraid to invoke the gospel, the fear of the lord, but I think was somewhat restricted by the band. Still, the passion runs deep. The pinnacle for me was, and still is I think, their final Folklore. Surprising to me, because it is mostly reworkings of traditional folk music, but what a great record. Really comes alive and draws you in, dark, sure, but lively and has such an enveloping sound. Very good musicians too. That and the Blush Music I mentioned earlier, where he reworks some of the tracks from his first Woven Hand record, I love that one. And the last Mosaic, which Jim Clark and I crowned record of the year in 2006. I'll send you one of these drink coasters, it's got a couple tracks, along with a bonus from Blush Music.

Thanks for the goodies in my mailbox last night!

[Slosh]

For a cat with such sophisticated taste in fine music, you'd undoubtedly appreciate the passion David Eugene Edwards always brings. Early 16 Horsepower is a hard rocking dark alt-country band, sometimes almost sinister in their drive, with hints of middle eastern influence and a good dose of the Nick Cave southern gothic vibe, and Edwards was also not afraid to invoke the gospel, the fear of the lord, but I think was somewhat restricted by the band. Still, the passion runs deep. The pinnacle for me was, and still is I think, their final Folklore. Surprising to me, because it is mostly reworkings of traditional folk music, but what a great record. Really comes alive and draws you in, dark, sure, but lively and has such an enveloping sound. Very good musicians too.

I'm way ahead of ya ('sticks will know what this means).

[Davey]

I'm way ahead of ya ('sticks will know what this means).

Good work buddy, I know it's one of your favorites too. Sticks - put the lights low, pour something strong, rotate the knob pretty far to the right, you can guess the rest.

[bobsticks]

Good work buddy, I know it's one of your favorites too. Sticks - put the lights low, pour something strong, rotate the knob pretty far to the right, you can guess the rest.

Can do but you'll excuse me if I get a taste first...Lost in the backwood, you'll find me there...kinda beyond the pale...kinda Femmesy with a touch of Carl McCoy. I likey.

This gives me some ideas for Obscurity Vol.2 which may be significantly less "lighthearted".

You know, with all the talk, I've looked for Woven Hand before...didn't realize that there was a 16 Horses connection. Mebbe I need to re-examine my approach to the stacks.

[Davey]

Can do but you'll excuse me if I get a taste first...Lost in the backwood, you'll find me there...kinda beyond the pale...kinda Femmesy with a touch of Carl McCoy. I likey.

Yea, beyond the pale gets pretty dark, one of the 4 originals, though it would be hard to tell without the cheat sheet, nice stuff, kinda Cormac McCarthy put to music, but always some very cool imagery from DEE and the band .... the band also continued as Lilium and put out a pretty nice record (CD/DVD-A) in Short Stories with a variety of singers that I've dragged around a few times here before.

---

Joy Division. Hank Williams. A Taste of Salvation.

16 Horsepower is, in seven sentence fragments or less: pure bluegrass. Johnny Cash. A midnight field, full moon. The crackle of campfire on a dark mountainside. Running from the law circa 1850. The Bible. And, well . . . Joy Division.

blah blah blah yada yada yada ...

The album marks the high point of an amazing band's amazing career. It's involved, intricate, stark, and definitely not for anyone looking for good driving music. Instead, listeners should be prepared to sit back with this album playing loudly and let it take you on a ride of its own. You'll find yourself up a mountainside, in a humid summer field, along a riverbed, and at an abandoned campsite. All the while, you're walking 'neath a churning storm cloud, the sun's straining to get through, and you're thinking it's goddamned beautiful. Folklore, as a result, is one of the most Hellishly engaging albums of the year.

http://www.popmatters.com/music/revi...folklore.shtml

[bobsticks]

Not Hoarse ...
http://www.almostcool.org/mr/2273/

Found this in the shoebox today...kinda reminds me of early Mission U.k before Wayne Hussey went all "Butterfly on a Wheel"...I'm down.