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Recommended by us on 4th June 2010
...according to our Brett on Thu 03 Jun, 2010.
It's always a treat to hear what this lady's been up to.. She's pretty much songwritery royalty as far as I'm concerned. As usual she's got Steve Albini on production (or should that be engineering?) duties, resulting in a beautiful sound in which her voice comes through clear as a bell amongst dense and detailed arrangements which are particularly heavy on the strings this time around. For those new to her stuff, hers is a a fairly postmodern take on folk which borrows little elements from modern alternative staples such as Tortoise, Low and Dirty Three but still somehow comes off as completely timeless. On this first listen I'm getting a more relaxed and breezy vibe than usual (relatively speaking) but there are undoubtedly more than a few moments of brooding disquiet. In that sense it's reminding me a little of some of Will Oldham's post-millennial output. Cracking as always..
• Following two gorgeous albums – 2006’s ‘On Leaving’ and her stunning 2007 collaboration with Dirty Three’s Jim White ‘You Follow Me’ – Nina Nastasia returns with something really quite special.
• Recording once more with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Nina engaged Los Angeles instrumentalist and arranger Paul Bryan (Grant Lee Buffalo, Aimee Mann, Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Lucinda Williams) to adapt her songs into a score for a small orchestra. Featuring drummer Jay Bellerose (T-Bone Burnett, Joe Henry) and Chicago guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise), ‘Outlaster’ is aided by, all in all, a dream band.
• This album is a work of lush sophistication that, with no loss of distinction or economy, transcends the reach of Nastasia’s famed spareness. The orchestra takes a more formal approach with Paul Bryan’s powerfully affecting score burnishing the record with lustrous horns and reeds and a dynamic string ensemble.
• The album release is preceded by digital single ‘Cry, Cry, Baby’, the accompanying video for which was premiered on Pitchfork, and a second single ‘You Can Take Your Time’ will be released later on in the year.
• Available on CD and limited edition (500 copies) 180g heavyweight LP with download code.
Cry, Cry, Baby * Moves Away * You’re A Holy Man * You Can Take Your Time * This Familiar Way * What’s Out There * A Kind Of Courage * Wakes * One Way Out * Outlaster
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Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
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Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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