ARTiST: Punch Brothers
ALBUM: Antifogmatic
BiTRATE: 173kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: Nonesuch
GENRE: Folk/Rock
SiZE: 59.75 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 45min 40sec total
RiP DATE: 2010-08-26
STORE DATE: 2010-06-15
Track List:
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01. You Are 5:06
02. Don't Need No 4:29
03. Alex 5:00
04. Rye Whiskey 3:29
05. Me And Us 6:01
06. Missy 3:53
07. The Woman And The Bell 4:06
08. Next To The Trash 3:05
09. Welcome Home 6:38
10. This Is The Song (Good Luck) 3:53
Release Notes:
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'Antifogmatic,' the follow-up to the Punch Brothers' 2008 debut, 'Punch,' is a
collaboratively written collection of songs from these 'five wily, omnivorous
bluegrass titans,' as the Village Voice has called them, a quintet that the
Washington Post, in turn, has described as 'some of the best string pickers of
the new generation.'
'Antifogmatic' is seamlessly sequenced to display the collective imagination,
the instrumental and vocal power, of the band - Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge,
bassist Paul Kowert, banjo player Noam Pikelny, and fiddler Gabe Witcher. Though
the quintet is now based in New York City, where they have an informal residency
at Manhattan's The Living Room, they recorded and mixed the album at Hollywood's
historic Ocean Way studio with iconoclastic producer Jon Brion (Brad Mehldau,
Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Kanye West) and engineer Greg Koller. Says Witcher, 'We
knew we needed a producer equally as well-versed in pop and rock as in
instrumental music, and I don't think there is anyone more able to capture and
communicate the essence of this material than Jon Brion.'
The arrangements on 'Antifogmatic' range from intimate to boisterous and back;
genre-wise, the band once again ventures where no string band has ever gone
before. The spare opening track 'You Are' contrasts percussive guitar riffs with
lyrical string parts that dance around Thile's sweet upper register as he spins
a tale of romantic emancipation; occasionally, the other instruments give way to
reveal the throb of the bass. The band also engages in some unexpectedly
beautiful harmony singing, smoothing out the compelling melodic twists and turns
of 'Welcome Home.' 'Me and Us' and 'Woman and the Bell' both have a dream-like
quality; the former, in fact, was inspired by those jumbled, thought-filled
moments before sleep sets in, and the instrumentation keeps pace with the
ever-shifting imagery. In contrast, 'Don't Need No' and 'Rye Whiskey' are
foot-stomping barroom boasts and 'Next to the Trash' is the closest the band
gets to traditional bluegrass, even as the lyrics tug the piece in a more
surreal direction.
The Punch Brothers are as comfortable at the jam band-oriented Bonnaroo
Festival, where they will appear in June, as at Carnegie Hall. Their fan base
ranges from the hip youthful crowds that packed the Living Room to the dedicated
listeners of NPR's Prairie Home Companion, which has also hosted the exceedingly
good-humored boys.
The group will be on tour throughout the spring and summer and will make
appearances at the Newport Folk Festival and the Telluride Blugrass Festival. A
special deluxe edition of 'Antifogmatic' includes a four-song instrumental EP
and a seven-song DVD filmed during the band's Living Room residency. The first
250 copies will also include a signed 'Punch Cocktail Recipe Guide.' The word
'Antifogmatic,' explains Thile, 'is an old term for a bracing beverage,
generally rum or whiskey, that a person would have before going out to work in
rough weather to stave off any ill effects. This batch of tunes could be used in
much the same way, and includes some characters who would probably benefit
mightily, if temporarily, from a good antifogmatic.'