"LONG GONE": THE NEW CD FROM
CLOTHESLINE REVIVAL
about Clothesline Revival's new CD, "Long
Gone" --
How to categorize "Long Gone",
the new CD by Clothesline
Revival ? It's a question that has challenged many reviewers, who
have resorted to all manner of neologisms to try to capture what is going on
here: "ethno ambient electronica" -- " folktronica" -- "ambient folk"
-- "acid country"...
Okay, forget categorization -- let's try description. The songs on Long Gone
start with a cappella source vocals from old field recordings.
These old jewels are then put in a new setting, built up from instrumentation including a
menagerie of guitars, bass, drums, harmonica, and additional vocals, as well
as sampled sounds and effects, beats and electronic atmospheres.
Okay, description is a little inadequate too. Perhaps
the best thing to do is to listen...
listen to clips of songs from "Long Gone" --
1. Under the Ramp (intro) - Ray Wood
2. Morning Train - E. M. Martin and Pearline Johns
[sample]
3. Satisfied - Florence Stamp and girls [FULL MP3]
4. The Color Song - Lum Wilson "Bill" Jackson & Mrs. Myra Pipkin
[sample]
5. Shortenin' Bread - Ora Dell Graham and girls [sample]
6. Big Boy, Can’t You Move ‘Em - “Uncle” Bradley Eberhard
[sample]
7. Crawdad Song - Mrs. Vernon Allen [sample]
8. Strange Things Happening - Charles Haffer Jr. [sample]
9. Trouble About My Soul - Lillie Knox [sample]
10. Down In Arkansas - Almeda Riddle [sample]
11. All You Rounders Better Lie Down - Fred Fox Lee [FULL MP3]
12. With His Ole Grey Beard A'Shining - Pearl Brewer [sample]
13. Music Has No End - Neil Morris [FULL MP3]
There are also links to sample clips of some of the original field recordings
that form the base for some of those songs, including these:
reviews of "Long Gone":
"In
the nearly five years that we’ve been doing Puremusic, one of our
favorite and most important finds has been Clothesline Revival. We’ve
never heard a more compelling synthesis of seemingly disparate sounds
with such melodious and funky results. Each song on Long Gone
began with an a cappella source vocal, from a field recording made
between the 1930s and 50s. The vocals are mostly singing, but frequently
spoken word as well. Many were recorded by the famous archivists John
and (son) Alan Lomax, but a handful of other recordists contribute
equally compelling source material. Praetzel and Powell take each vocal
and plant it in sonic beds worlds away from whence it came, where exotic
things are growing. The interplay of the depth and the lightheartedness
involved produce tracks that contribute something inspired and vital to
Americana, a genre which is sometimes a hotbed of
mediocrity..." [Read the complete
review here.]
At eFolkMusic,
there is this description of Clothesline Revival's work:
"Neo-traditionalists Conrad Praetzel and Robert Powell stake out their claim in the Americana landscape with an eclectic mix of ambient folk and acid/alt country. Clothesline Revival blends electronic and acoustic beats with dobro, mandolin, guitars, lap and pedal steel guitar, ebow, atmospherics and more to create a captivating new sound with an old-time haunting quality."
[page
here]
and clips from these reviews:
WKZE CT 8/18/2005 - "Original, funky, rootsy,
untamed, fun, deep, off-beat, eclectic and with a sense of wonder - all
with a tasteful quirkyness, spiced with the things I love in good music.
Bravo!" Frank Matheis
CIUT-FM Toronto 8/18/2005 - "The release by
Clothesline Revival - Long Gone is truly a stunning recording. I
have never heard a more creative sampling of Alan Lomax''s own recordings.
As many people as possible should be made aware of this fine example of
creativity!". Ron Burd, Music Director
At Stylus,
reviewer Andrew Gaerig said:
"On
Long Gone, Clothesline Revival attempt to re-contextualize old-time
Americana. The second album from Conrad Praetzel and Robert Powell samples
vocals from old field recordings—many of them made by Alan Lomax—and
constructs new foundations out of a flea market of instruments, employing
everything from dobros to drum machines. Before you muff your ears and run
away screaming “Moby!”, consider Clothesline Revival’s more holistic
approach to their sampling: often copping entire vocal performances,
Praetzel and Powell forgo original compositions, preferring instead to
update the tapestries for music long thought to be untouchable..."
[Read the complete
review here.]
-
At globalvillageidiot.net,
"Long Gone" gets this
review:
"In a way almost a companion to the Tangle Eye workout, although the Revival got there first, and on this collection they do a beautiful job of putting old vocals (mostly taken from Lomax field recordings) in new settings. The textures can be interesting, sometimes lovely ("Down in Arkansas" end up sounding like primitive REM), and the sense of invention is never- ending. Their last was good; this is extraordinary."
-
who's playing "Long Gone":
Clothesline Revival's "Long Gone" has been
getting play at a number of stations around North America. Here are some
recent charts and playlists, giving a good idea of the kind of music
"Long Gone" has been keeping company with.
about Clothesline Revival:
Clothesline Revival is Conrad Praetzel (acoustic
and electric guitars, Dobro, sampling, beats, bass and atmospheres) and Robert
Powell (pedal steel, pedal steel bass, lap steel, electric and
acoustic slide guitar).
They are joined on "Long Gone" by Wendy
Allen (voices and voice arrangements), Scoop McGuire (double
bass), Adam "Bagel" Berkowitz (drum kit), and Bruce
"Creeper" Kurnow (harmonica).
Clothesline
Revival's first CD, "Of My Native Land", garnered a
lot of attention -- and good notices -- when it appeared in 2002. Here
are reviews of that CD from:
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cdbaby
- clips from reviews by: Chris Nickson / Seattle Weekly,
Frank Matheis / WKZE (CT), Karen Olson/ Utne Reader,
Julie Flaskett/ Country Music People, Ned Hammad/ Tower Pulse!,
Chris Frank/efolkmusic.com, j. poet/ Paste Magazine,
Ian Anderson/ fRoots
why is this page here? --
Because
I like the CD a lot!
.
. .
Okay, there's another reason:
because Clothesline Revival used some of my photographs for
the cover art on "Long Gone".
I think it would be cool if "Long Gone" got
the attention it warranted -- and I think it would be cool if more people saw
these photos.
So, I'm doing my bit here to try to build the buzz.
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