Musical Over Dose
is proud to present
Rls Name : Joan As Police Woman - To Survive
Rls Date : Jun-xx-2008
Street Date: Jun-06-2008
Rls Type : Album
Company : Pias (rough trade)
Genre : Rock
Source : CDDA
Tracks : 10
Encoder : LAME 3.97 V2: preset standard
Quality : VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo
Bitrate : avg. 191kbps
01 honor wishes 04:38
02 holiday 04:28
03 to be loved 03:04
04 to be lonely 04:56
05 macpies 05:06
06 start of my heart 04:33
07 hard white wall 04:12
08 furious 03:24
09 to survive 05:25
10 to america 05:42
________
45:28 Min
62,3 MB
Upon its release two years ago, Joan As Police
WomanÆs debut album Real Life reaped great acclaim
from certain quarters. The first æsoloÆ project of
Joan Wasser (as much as they are in fact a trio,
Parker Kindred recently stepping in on drums), it
saw her step out from the shadows of contemporaries
such as Antony Hegarty and Rufus Wainwright (both
of whom sheÆs sung back-up for) with a startling
collection of songs; from the luminescent splendour
of æThe RideÆ through to the devastating emotional
impact of closer æWe DonÆt Own ItÆ (about and
dedicated to friend Elliott Smith) it yielded
countless replays, quietly converting a number who
may have been put off by the fearsome, misguided
æcoffee tableÆ tag, through its enduring quality.
Guy Garvey of Elbow considers its title track one
of the finest written in recent years, and while
IÆm inclined to agree with him, the fact that said
tune isnÆt even the strongest on the record speaks
volumes.
So itÆs not without a sense of excited trepidation
I approach To Survive, though a recent show in
London that found the band relaxed and on fine form
went some way towards allaying my fears. Lead
single æTo Be LovedÆ (itÆs all about prepositions
on this effort û two pairs of songs on the album
all sharing the aforementioned) is deceptively
light and frothy, WasserÆs words tumbling from the
speakers most agreeably, bright keys and shimmering
guitars perfectly complementing. For all that the
more up-tempo numbers like this gradually,
insidiously make their way under your skin, itÆs
when Wasser lays herself bare (metaphorically of
course, though itÆs surely no accident that she
appears literally so on the albumÆs cover) that
this album truly, resoundingly affects.
Take for example, subsequent sister song, æTo Be
LonelyÆ. Against a backdrop of minimally struck
piano later embellished by strings and deep,
swelling backing vocals, WasserÆs voice wavers with
tremulous, magnificent effect. Throughout both
albums she has managed to sound simultaneously
vulnerable yet imbued with wearily resolute
strength, and on To SurviveÆs soaring title track
(the penultimate on the album) her intonations û
ôSleep now little one / I know how it feels to be
sadö û culminate in a twinkling, profound upturn,
as bolstered by naught but her piano and violin,
she finds the ôsparkö that she needs û that we all
do û to survive. Foreshadowing this: ôIÆll brave
the night alone / The dark, uncertain skies / IÆll
make it throughö. A slow-burning, graceful ballad,
it also showcases her unique ear for melody,
whereby the lugubrious tones and minor chords
employed gradually reveal themselves greater than
the sum of their constituent parts, whether this be
through an initially unnoticed key change or
decisive, unexpected lyric.
Which isnÆt to detract from the other highlights on
display û the enveloping synthesizers upon which
æStart Of My HeartÆ floats forth, Rainy OrtecaÆs
addictive basslines or the questioning, shuffling
thrust of opening track æHonour My WishesÆ. The
best, however, is saved for last, following the
corner Wasser turned on the title track. Rufus
Wainwright takes the star guest spot (capably
handled by Antony on Real Life) on the closing æTo
AmericaÆ. Coming across very much a modern take on
West Side Story replete with fine vocal
performances from its central pair, sweeping
strings and ebullient brass, itÆs a jubilant finale
to an album that, while never quite surpassing the
evocative beauty of the bandÆs first, matches it
with a keen flourish.
---------------------------------------------------
"Real Life", das Solodebuet von Joan Wasser als
Joan As Police Woman, gehoerte zu den schoensten
Veroeffentlichungen des Jahres 2006. Die Merkmale,
die die Platte damals so besonders machten,
zeichnen nun auch den Nachfolger "To Survive" aus:
treffende Arrangements, beseelte Tiefe, Joans Anmut
und der grossartige soulige Backgroundgesang. Die
Songs besitzen eine wie destilliert wirkende
Dichte, man bekommt das Gefuehl, dass sie wirklich
alles in einen Song zu legen vermag.
Musikalisch hat Joan dabei noch mehr als auf "Real
Life" nach dieser Essenz gesucht. Die neuen Stuecke
sind etwas weniger verspielt, reduzierter und
rauer. Den Texten geht es aehnlich: Sie handeln
davon, sich den eigenen Gefuehlen zu stellen, so
aufrichtig wie moeglich. Joans Mutter starb letztes
Jahr an Krebs, auch das ist der Musik anzuhoeren
und sicher auch ein Grund fuer den Titel des
Albums. Und bei dem Stueck "To Be Lonely" ist ihre
Stimme so nah aufgenommen, dass man meint, das
Schmelzen der Toene in ihrem Mund hoeren zu
koennen, erinnert ein Stueck weit an Feist. Andere
Songs klingen gar nach Fleetwood Mac ("Hard White
Wall") oder auch wie uralte Funk-angehauchte
Protestsongs ("Furious").
Auf "Real Life" gab es mit "I Defy" einen Song mit
und ueber Antony, auf dem neuen Album tritt Rufus
Wainwright, in dessen Band Joan lange Zeit festes
Mitglied war, als Gastsaenger im letzten Song "To
America" auf. Es ist ein Stueck ueber negative
Entwicklungen in ihrer beider Heimat. Dennoch: Joan
sagt selbst ueber sich: "First and foremost, I'm a
lover." Keine Frage, das hoert man.
http://www.myspace.com/joanaspolicewoman
www.joanaspolicewoman.com