Eric Chenaux - Sloppy Ground

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Brian on Thu 15 May, 2008.

Eric Chenaux I've never really had the pleasure. I should have listened to this promo of 'Sloppy Ground' a little harder. It's got a meandering, off kilter Alt Country demeanour to it like BPB after a load of 'shrooms & rum. Sad, wonky music with that makes you feel slightly ill at ease such is the slight seafaring feel to some of the tracks. It's a warm, intimate album with some subtle shades & raw emotion. There's definitely an unhinged element to this man's vision. If you like Alt Country & Americana, Elliot Smith, Smog etc & trust the Constellation label (which many, many folk do!) give this a go. I think it's really good although not personally my thang but we'd love to hear other responses.

Sloppy Ground is Eric Chenaux’s strongest, most accessible and most dynamic work in years. We have long been champions of the man’s inimitable talents as a songwriter, arranger and mind-bending guitarist and this new album
should make these talents clear to the nominally attentive listener.
This is a collection of beautifully fried love songs, highly original in compositional approach and instrumental texture, utterly compelling in lyrical content and delivery.
Opening with the swirling drone ballad of ‘Am I Lovely’ the album then breaks into the brilliant frazzled funk of ‘Love Don’t Change’. Third track ‘Rest Your Daylights’ is a truly gorgeous twilight lullaby. Side A closes with ‘Have I Lost My Eyes’, the first of three trademark ‘funk-marches’ on the album with Chenaux conjuring a Highlands-folk spirit.
Musicians include Nick Fraser on drums, Ryan Driver on amplified melodica and synths, David Prentice on violin, Doug Tielli on 5-string banjo, Martin Arnold on electric tenor banjo, and Aimee Dawn Robinson on electric echo harp. Chenaux’s own guitar work has never been more thrillingly deployed in the context of (relatively) conventional songcraft.
Available on CD and 180g LP. Both come in our custom cardstock packaging and feature the work of Toronto visual artist Corrine Carlson.

Tracklisting:
01. Am I Lovely 02. Love Don’t Change 03. Rest Your Daylights 04. Have I Lost My Eyes 05. Arms, Legs And Moonlight 06. Boon Harp 07. Old Peculiar 08. Dreaming of Stars 09. Sloppy Ground

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