ARTIST: Josh Ritter
TITLE: The Animal Years
LABEL: V2
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 188kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 49min total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-04-11
RIP DATE: 2006-02-01
Track List
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01. Girl In The War 4:22
02. Wolves 4:03
03. Monster Ballads 4:05
04. Lillian, Egypt 3:24
05. Idaho 3:49
06. In The Dark 4:41
07. One More Mouth 3:29
08. Good Man 4:07
09. Best For The Best 3:57
10. Thin Blue Flame 9:33
11. Here At The Right Time 3:33
Release Notes:
Josh RitterÆs songs are a rare gift of natural, intuitive beauty. Maybe itÆs his
Idaho roots (promising far more resilience in the face of music industry
pressures than a Manhattanite gene pool would), or his suitably tousled
hairstyle - or maybe itÆs just the ethereal collision of inspired songwriting,
understated passion, and an arsenal of future classics that sets him apart.
Born in the late æ70s to two neuroscientists, Josh bought his first guitar from
the local K-MART after hearing the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash classic "Girl From
The North Country." He began Oberlin College with the intent to follow in his
parentÆs scientist footsteps, but instead, discovered songwriting and the music
of artists like Gillian Welch, Townes Van Zandt, and Leonard Cohen. He graduated
and then moved east for its close proximity to historic folk clubs like Club
Passim in Boston. On a shoestring budget he recorded his critically acclaimed
break through album Golden Age of Radio in 2001 at various tiny, one-room
studios on the East Coast.
In the fall of that year, Josh pressed up several thousand copies of Golden Age,
which quickly sold and funded more touring. A copy found itÆs way into the hands
of Jim Olsen and Signature Sounds Recordings, and the record was released
nationally in the US in January 2002. Critics called the modest album
"stunning," "elegant," and "damn near perfect," landing Josh in the pages of
Details, the New York Times, and Maxim. "Come and Find Me," the modest anthem of
Golden Age, was featured over the end-credits of HBOÆs uber-hip series Six Feet
Under, and several successful tours followed.
Meanwhile, at a Boston open mic that spring, Josh met Glen Hansard, the lead
singer of The Frames. Hansard invited him to open a string of shows for the band
in Ireland. JoshÆs career took flight in Ireland, buoyed by the single "Me &
Jiggs," which entered the Irish Top 40 and helped gain Josh full blown cult
status, complete with sold-out headline tours, late-night TV appearances, and
his very own cover band in Cork. Josh ran the gamut at the Irish Hot Press
ReaderÆs Poll Awards, landing in the Top 5 for Best International Folk Act,
International Male Songwriter, and International Male Singer, putting him in the
company of Springsteen, David Gray, and Johnny Cash.