ARTIST: Graves
TITLE: Easy Not Easy
LABEL: Hush Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 204kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 42m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-11-14
RIP DATE: 2006-11-01
Track List
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1. No/Where 3:00
2. Dirty Bird 3:26
3. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do 3:31
4. Val K. 3:17
5. Pulling Out 2:45
6. Lincoln Continental 3:33
7. Alan W. 2:31
8. Why Stay 2:33
9. Never Mind My Love 2:33
10. Hotel/Motel 2:14
11. New Retreat 3:45
12. A Horse Is A Straight Line 2:55
13. And In My Doorway 3:36
14. Death Left A Message 3:03
Release Notes:
Its no secret that Graves have garnered a loyal underground following, with
bandleader Greg Olins winning laissez faire vocals and melodic sensibility,
Graves have topped a catalog of consistently satisfying releases with Easy Not
Easy. His croon is understated, sweet, and earthy, but his sonic palate is
decidedly experimental. He has a penchant for off-the-cuff, rickety solos and
scrappy R&B grooves that turn the otherwise pretty, laid-back ballads on their
ear. A number of songs off Easy Not Easy are downright dirty as Graves ratchet
up the sex appeal with Nate Ashleys bubbling bass lines and Brian Writes
easygoing Motown-styled rhythms. Multi-instrumentalist Cory Gray (Norfolk and
Western) adds delicate piano lines and Wurlitzer keyboard arpeggios, when not
lending sensual, latin-flavored trumpet solos. Olin meanwhile has not lost his
signature stream of consciousness writing style, delivering lines like Death
left a message on my phone, in a rather awkward tone / Rambled on and on and on,
still not sure just what about / It got cut off the tape ran out. More often hes
letting the melody speak for the chorus, his wafting hum speaking more than
words could. Easy Not Easy turns out to be an apropos title for this song cycle
which leans toward the easy-going, slow to mid tempo range, while keeping the
listener challenged with a variety of styles and textures.