ARTiST: Vienna Teng
ALBUM: Inland Territory
BiTRATE: 177kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Decca
GENRE: Pop
SiZE: 67.81 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 50min 33sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-02-07
STORE DATE: 2009-02-06
Track List:
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01. The Last Snowfall 3:24
02. White Light 4:12
03. Antebellum 4:43
04. Kansas 4:31
05. In Another Life 3:32
06. Grandmother Song 3:32
07. Stray Italian Greyhound 4:06
08. Augustine 3:13
09. No Gringo 5:23
10. Watershed 4:37
11. Radio 4:13
12. St. Stephen's Cross 5:07
Release Notes:
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Zoδ/Rounder records will release Inland Territory, the new album by songwriter,
singer and pianist Vienna Teng. Inland Territoryis a tour de force musically and
lyrically, a complex and deeply thoughtful work from an artist cut loose from
limitations. Recorded over five months and in four cities, with instrumentation
ranging from foot stomps to vintage keyboards to full string orchestra, itÆs
without question her most ambitious work yet.
With producer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and friend Alex Wong sharing
the helm, a fresh, adventurous sound emerged from the studio. Inland Territory
opens with ôThe Last Snowfall,ö interlocking choral lines soaring over Wurlitzer
piano and vinyl-record crackles. Her classical piano training still shines on
several tracks, especially the Debussy-like cascades in ôAntebellumö and the
giddy fluttering of ôStray Italian Greyhound,ö this time playing counterpoint to
WongÆs intricate string arrangements. Even in pared-down numbers, like the
plaintive ballad ôKansas,ö subtle touchesùa distant wash of cymbals, elegiac
hornsùrender the emotions in TengÆs vocals more vivid than ever. Teng also
explores some unsettling themes, letting her imagination run dark and detailed.
ôNo Gringoö uses horns, lap steel and sandpaper to paint the picture of an
illegal border-crossing attempt and ôRadioö illustrates a sheltered, San
Francisco-dwelling narrator imagining her local bus being shattered by a suicide
bomber and the city shut down by civil war.
Now thirty, the songwriter, singer and pianist has released three critically
acclaimed albums, landing her on three Billboard charts and in Amazon.comÆs top
ten. She regularly sells out theaters across the U.S. and Europe, fans travel
hundreds of miles to catch a single show, and her opening sets for the likes of
India.Arie, Joan Baez and Madeleine Peyroux end in standing ovations. Mere
months after quitting her job as a software engineer in 2002, she was being
interviewed on NPR and performing on CBS Saturday Early ShowÆs ôSecond Cup CafΘö
and The Late Show with David Letterman, who declared that heÆd listened to her
entire debut album and that there was ônot a dudö on it. Her brand of
sophisticated, piano-driven pop has been gathering accolades ever since:
ôseductive and transcendentö (Amazon.com), ôgorgeously conceivedàaccomplished
yet understatedö (Paste), ôsingular among her peersö (Variety).