liam hayes in esquire

As one of the guest editors in this months Esquire, Nick Hornby suggested a profile of Liam Hayes.

patrick cleandenim to play cmj

Patrick will be performing with his new live band at this year's CMJ in New York. They will play at South Street Seaport on October 23rd 8pm.

white telescope on you tube

patrick cleandenim - orange moonbeam floorshow - uncut and artrocker reviews

bright penny in the irish times

"The more you listen to Bright Penny, the more you sigh. For his latest turn, Liam Hayes (a singer- songwriter who is the very definition of enigmatic) has produced an album of beautifully heartfelt pop and soul. The chances of the world at large copping on to this? Zilch, zero, nada. Despite his peerless talents and spectacular voice, sporadic releases mean that Hayes remains a cult attraction. Here, on an album recorded in Chicago with musicians who played with Curtis Mayfield, Brian Wilson, Jackie Wilson, The Jacksons, Wilco and others, Hayes weaves the sort of effortlessly rapturous and dramatic sounds only a true pop visionary could conjure up. Look Up, Look Down and We Made It see him swooping and swooning away to his heart’s content. He claims on So Much Music that music almost drove him crazy; if so, this is the kind of starry-eyed madness everyone should experience. "

JIM CARROLL - The Irish Times

boomkat on bright penny

"Formerly known merely as Plush, Liam Hayes returns with his own name emblazoned across the sleeve of his new album, and as with Bright Penny's widely lauded predecessor, Fed, here's an album that's singularly out of step with its time. Far away from the modern predilection for all things lo-fi and what Psychedlic Horseshit wryly brand "shit-gaze", Bright Penny embraces lavish '70s easy listening-style arrangements, full of horns, multi-layered backing vocals, creamy basslines and an overall feeling of old-fashioned values resurrected without irony or cynicism. Although for some listeners the likes of 'So Much Music' might come a little too close to the bellbottom-wearing sub-Bacharach hit parade fillers of thirty years ago, there's plenty of evidence here to support the case that Hayes is something of a genius in the field of MOR (if such a thing is possible): the straight-faced, swinging pop magnificence of 'White Telescope' reveals a true studio craftsman at work."

boomkat

more bright penny press

jim newberry's liam hayes shots

Here's some promo shots Jim Newberry took of Liam Hayes for the Bright Penny campaign. You can check out Jim's blog at picturedujour.com

Liam Hayes & Plush - UK shows October 2009

Tuesday 13th Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
Wednesday 14th Dulcimer, Manchester
Thursday 15th 229 (small room), London
Friday 16th The King's Head, Crouch End, London

Ticket details to follow....

bright penny - available now!

You can now order Bright Penny on CD for immediate dispatch from broken horse

liam hayes and plush - white telescope video

Here's your first chance to see the White Telescope video, filmed and directed by Roman Coppola in Chicago.

Andrew Morgan - Please Kid, Remember reviews

If you were thinking about buying this album......

"Meet the new king of pop. Well, the new king of chamber pop, a Kansas City songsmith whose second album is a breathtakingly beautiful work of wonder. Please Kid, Remember is a meticulously arranged, lavishly layered collection of wistful reminiscences, waltz-time reveries and heartache ballads, featuring Morgan's hushed, intimate whisper. This album couldn't be more haunting and autumnal if it came with some leaves and a packet of freeze-dried memories of your ex-loves."
-The Guardian

"Started back in 2003, the fact that this glittering collection of songs has only now been brought to the surface indicates the depths of ill-health and ill-fortune its creator was plunged into in the intervening years. Morgan's debut, 'Misadventures in Radiology', was recorded courtesy of studio time donated by Elliott Smith and there is a respectful doffing of the cap to the master on 'Victory in Passing'. Elsewhere Morgan's swooning vocal perfectly compliments the dewey-eye romanticism of 'As Long As We're Together' and 'Five Paintings'. In fact, the only complaint is that this a glorious daydream of an album waltzes by all too fast. 9/10."
-Clash

"The fact that ‘Please Kid, Remember’ even exists is surely testament to the strength of the human spirit. That it is also so distinctly beautiful to listen to is a wonder all its own. Blankets of soft orchestrated strings shield every melodic nuance and melody, lending these paeans to love, nature and death a stately, sometimes haunting quality. The breadth of sonic scope here is colossal, yet always concise. On any one song you’re likely to be able to pick out numerous guitars, bells, drums, strings, pianos, harpsichords and harmoniums, all circling around Morgan’s undulating wave of vocals. The Press release mentions a likeness to ‘Disney soundtracks’, but only if that film soundtrack is Bambi as re-shot by a French existentialist art-house director, in the deep unrelenting snow. A huge talent, strongly recommended. 8 out of 10."
-Americana UK

"A triumph in baroque, emotive pop. Imaginative and subtle, the meticulously arranged music of “Please Kid, Remember” rarely puts a foot wrong. Far from a summer album, the songs exude a wistfulness that summons the mood and possibilities of late autumn. 8.0."
-Too Cool to Die

"If scientists were able to insert probes into trees and record the actual sound of leaves turning from green to gold in Autumn, then those recordings would form the basis for Andrew Morgan’s second album, ‘Please Kid, Remember’. Veering between impossibly pretty and achingly beautiful, Morgan has pieced together a masterful collection of songs and brief instrumentals. One of the most wonderfully ornate and beautiful records ever."
-Suitcase Orchestra

"With 17 tracks stretched taut over 34 minutes, it's a glorious jamboree of soul-hugging sounds - a brief but thrillingly romantic encounter. Prepare to be seduced all over again."
-Alternative Ulster

"The album exudes a sense of familiarity, of childhood birthdays, of dreams remembered ('Mine and Mine Alone'), and of watching snow fall from behind frosty windows ('As Long As We're Together'). Sleighbells shield the songs from the outside world, and withing the LP, a cast of characters wake and sleep, and fall in and out of love. To term it 'chamber pop' would be too technical a term. Rather, think of it as 'music from within a snow globe'. 8/10."
-Alternative Ulster

"Memorable lush and classy-sounding pop on outstanding second album from Kansas-based singer-songwriter, Andrew Morgan. With lots of memorable melodies and lush and classy arrangements, Morgan's soft-voiced vocals deliver the goods in under three quarters of an hour. Set against many pop albums from the past years, Andrew Morgan's second album probably is one of this year's finest moments."
-Pennyblack Music

"There is an incredibly warm texture to the album, with layers of instruments, be they harpsichords, violins, celestas, Rhodes, handclaps, voices and no end of other toys building behind the acoustic guitar that leads the slow, sleepy charge. Please Kid, Remember grabs you from the word go. Lovely."
-Bearded Magazine

"With echoes of classic chamber-pop like Odessey and Oracle, Morgan's sophomore effort is a minor miracle."
-SoundsXP

"Celebratory chamber pop, like Ed Harcourt singing a Broadway musical by Stephin Merritt. Morgan's voice carries an exemplary singer-songwriter fragility, but there's a lot more fruity diversions than is usual. Worth the wait. 8/10."
-Teletext

"The similarities to Elliott Smith are welcoming, the orchestral sections are haunting and the composition is beautiful. Welcome to the world of Andrew Morgan."
-Subba Cultcha

"A stunningly well-arranged example of the songwriter's art. The symphonic proportions of the album are well earned with great writing. Please Kid, Remember is almost overwhelming in its scope and accomplishment, and you can well understand how such an undertaking took five years to finish. Excellent."
-Boomkat

"A wonderful collection of gentle, intelligent, Americana-influenced pop. 4 stars."
-Leeds Guide

"Morgan’s panoramic arrangements and breathy vocals, which actually do bring to mind The Zombies' Colin Blunstone, are every bit the orchestral pop revelation. Brief instrumental passages, which themselves often beg for more attention as they introduce and play with leitmotifs, weave together Morgan’s airy, sublime, psychedelic, idiosyncratic songs. Andrew Morgan’s talent as an arranger and songwriter is clear, and if you’re after a record to soundtrack those weird, overcast Sundays that bridge the gap between Summer and Autumn, this is probably what you’re looking for."
-Music News

"Morgan's whispering vocals embody the curiosities of adolescence. And the often large, symphonic arrangements that accompany those vocals spire toward an epic scale, melding seamlessly with the economy of Morgan's lyrics. Through it all, Morgan produces a sound that brims with emotional complexity, at once melancholic and hopeful, tender and disenchanted."
-Pitch Weekly

"A pretty, meditative, rainy-afternoon record. Morgan's sound is characterized by lush string-and-piano arrangements and clean electric and acoustic guitars, topped off by Morgan's breathy, multitracked vocals. His compositional abilities are top-shelf, resulting in brilliantly conceived instrumental arrangements that turn his light indie-pop tunes into radiant, ballroom-filling waltzes. I could easily see Morgan following in the footsteps of Badly Drawn Boy or Randy Newman in scoring a film — particularly one by Wes Anderson."
-Pitch Weekly

"Andrew Morgan records are fantastical experiences that create their own little imaginative universes, a lot like Jean-Pierre Jeunet or Michel Gondry films. Elaborately arranged chamber music and whispery vocals collide with the sort of rainy-day pop music that The Zombies or Elliott Smith might conjure. One gets the sense that if Morgan were not occupied with perfecting his pop muse, he'd probably be scoring art-house cinema."
-Lawrence.com

bright penny pre-orders

Amazon
Play.com
CD Wow

bright penny - 4 stars in mojo & uncut

across the boarders

Gathered in Song promoted The Autumn Defense/Plush show in Cardiff last September which was probably the best show of the tour. This should be great too.

ACROSS THE BORDERS: A two day celebration of americana and alt. folk in South Wales, 5th and 6th September 2009

Richmond Fontaine, Vetiver, Willard Grant Conspiracy and Magnolia Electric Co. are just some of the big names coming to South Wales next week for Across The Borders, a two day event celebrating the best in contemporary americana and alt. folk.

Held between the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd and the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, and supported by Capitol Region Tourism, the event looks like an absolute blinder. As well as those already mentioned the line-up also includes Aidan Moffat, formerly of John Peel-approved indie institution Arab Strap, indie folk luminary Adem, who recently provided the soundtrack for Armando Iannucci’s hit political satire In The Loop, Will Oldham collaborator Alasdair Roberts, tremendous singer songwriter Peter Bruntnell and Canada’s latest sensation Ohbijou, who share a record label with both Vetiver and last year’s big sensation Fleet Foxes.

The amount of superlatives throughout the music press for all of these acts is pretty incredible, with Richmond Fontaine recently receiving a full page 5 star review in Uncut, not to mention The Sun referring to their frontman Willy Vlautin as a songwriter equal to Springsteen or Tom Waits. Another of our key picks are Indiana's Magnolia Electric Co., who "recall Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the height of their 70's powers" (NME). The band make their first ever appearance in Wales.

Full profiles of all the acts involved can be found on the promoter's website www.gatheredinsong.com, along with ticket, transport and accommodation information. Tickets can be bought for individual shows, with a limited number of 2 for 1 tickets available in Porthcawl (quote ATB241 when phoning the Grand Pavilion's box office), or there is a very affordable weekend ticket which includes a free bus service between venues.

Listen out for a selection of tracks by featured artists being played on Bethan Elfyn's Radio 1 show from midnight Wednesday (into Thursday) and on Adam Walton's Radio Wales show this coming Sunday evening.

bright penny on myspace

Two songs from Bright Penny - Look Up, Look Down and I Sing Silence

where is kevin tihista?

This was the question someone asked at Drowned In Sound. Kevin forwarded us a reply which you can read here

bright penny - first report

Uncut's Deputy Editor and longtime Liam Hayes supporter is the first to write about Bright Penny over at his Wild Mercury Sound blog

patrick cleandenim - delusions of adequacy

Delusions of Adequacy have given Patrick Cleandenim's Orange Moonbeam Floorshow an excellent review here

simon raymonde/bella union - interview

There's a really interesting interview with Simon Raymonde of Bella Union at the Cherry Red TV website which you can also watch a bit more easily here

alternative ulster and andrew morgan

bright penny tracklisting

Take A Chance
If I Could
White Telescope
I Sing Silence
Look Up, Look Down

We Made It
So Much Music
Getaway
The Goose Is Out
O Street

andrew morgan - new band of the day- the guardian

Paul Lester of The Guardian is getting very excited about Andrew Morgan's Please Kid, Remember. This has got to be one of the best write ups in Broken Horse history, wow!

bright penny - promo copies

Here's a picture of some of the Bright Penny promo CDs that have just landed on the Broken Horse desk. These will be going out to all the prominent movers and shakers of the UK music press this week.

Andrew Morgan - PKR 9/10 review - Clash magazine

Geoff Travis interviewed by Jeffrey Lewis

An interesting interview with Geoff Travis by Rough Trade artist Jeffrey Lewis can be found over at The Guardian's website

Patrick Cleandenim - Motorik

Taken from the new album Orange Moonbeam Floorshow which is now on sale

Liam Hayes & Plush - Bright Penny

Broken Horse has just taken delivery of the new & long awaited album by Liam Hayes & Plush - Bright Penny. More news about this incredible record soon but in the meantime, you can take a peek at the master discs sent all across the ocean by Peerless Mastering

Andrew Morgan - Too Cool To Die

Robert Bennett from Too Cool To Die has given Andrew Morgan's Please Kid, Remember a rave review

orange moonbeam floorshow slipcase!

Patrick Cleandenim Hotel Gansevoort 7" - now available via rough trade

hotel gansevoort / stage fright

Release Date: 11/05/2009

'hotel gansevoort' and 'stage fright' by patrick cleandenim is a super limited edition of 300 copies. at the moment it's available from patrick at his shows and via few special shops. the single is on patrick's own sphinx label and each single is hand stamped. 'hotel gansevoort' is a delicious slice of 80's orchestral pop that sits somewhere between patrick wolf, japan and david bowie.


Buy from Rough Trade

A.C Newman on Letterman

patrick cleandenim hotel gansevoort 7" available now

Hotel Gansevoort/Stage Fright by Patrick Cleandenim is out now in a super limited edition of 300 copies. At the moment it's available from Patrick at his shows and from Other Music in New York. The single is on Patrick's own Sphinx label and each single is hand stamped. Broken Horse hopes to have copies for sale by the end of next week.


Now available online direct from Patrick Cleandenim here

AC Newman - press clippings

click on each image to enlarge

The Independent (Friday)

Uncut

Q

Plan B

The Independent (Saturday)

AC Newman - The Palace at 4AM

ac newman on his solo career and the new pornographers

AC Newman - press so far....

“Like all Newman records, it shows off his smarts and maintains a strong hook quotient…” –Rolling Stone

“The Canadian power-pop ace unleashes another battery of hooks with blasts of vocal harmonies (‘Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer’) and dabs of organ (‘Elemental’).” –Spin

“Get Guilty is a baroque-pop gem, on which he displays remarkable tonal control via crafty arrangement.” –Paste

“Nobody weaves melancholy into melody the way he does, and these new songs have a sprawling, beguiling calm.” –Elle

“[Newman summons] a collective grandeur from guitars, moaning cellos, and shimmering cymbals in songs like ‘Changeling,’ whose bitter musings sting like a fresh slap.” –Marie Claire

“Get Guilty is a stirring set of memorable power-pop…” –The Onion

“In his lyrics, arrangements, and delivery, there’s always much more going on than can be viewed at a distance… Newman’s singularity as a songwriter lies in more than histrionics. Like Wonder, Guilty has its share of up-tempo tracks, yet its real pleasures are idiosyncratic, revealing themselves the more attentively and often you listen.” -Pitchfork

“The defacto leader of the New Pornographers treats back-up refrains and big-beat percussion as conduits to Brill Building grandeur and breathless romanticism. [Get Guilty] attests to this continuing quest for tuneful bliss.” –The Absolute Sound

“Another collection of infectious pop songs.” –SOMA Magazine

“[In New Pornographers] Newman pens precisely arranged confections. Here, on his solo material, he lets the ink spill… The great pleasure is in hearing how all the elements cohere.”—Time Out Chicago

"Get Guilty is not just a lastingly great album. It is that rare kind of pop record that you live in and get to know, that reveals its depth the more you listen, without losing an ounce of its infectious energy." –PopMatters

"It has become increasingly easy to take a new album of his for granted, to mistake steady craftsmanship for complacency. To do that with his second solo album Get Guilty would be a huge mistake as it's loaded with songs that are the equal of his best work." –St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Get Guilty is the first great album of 2009 and solidifies Newman as one of the best pop practitioners today.” –The Bergen Record

“Newman’s gift as a songwriter has always been nuance – scalpel over ax. His melodies don’t kill, they infect… Get Guilty is Newman’s best release as a solo artist and even tops the most recent New Pornographers record, further building on a body of work that is one of the most impressive in the ever-expanding ‘indie’ rock catalogue.” –Aquarium Drunkard

“Get Guilty’s a record that should be in the ears of every pop lover…” –Aversion

“As in The Slow Wonder, Newman practices a spinning plate sort of complexity, juggling big rock sounds on fragile sticks of melody, heaping difficulty upon difficulty, without a single crash (or even a grimace).” –Dusted

“Concise, intelligent pop music…” –The Kansas City Star

“Get Guilty boasts more hooks than any dozen records, and none of them are cheap. It has the playfulness Newman showed with Zumpano in the 1990s, the literate quality of his Pornographers’ songs and a greater self-assurance than either” –Louisville Courier-Journal

“[Newman] retains his enviable gift for wedding elliptical narratives to memorable melodies…” –Washington Post Express

AC Newman - Live at the Virgin Megastore

AC Newman pictured here with Nicole Atkins yesterday played an instore at the Virgin Megastore in NYC.

Lots of photos can be found over at Brooklyn Vegan

AC Newman - on Stereogum

From Get Guilty: The Changeling (Get Guilty)

AC Newman Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer (Pitchfork TV)

This is one of four tracks that will appear online in the next few weeks. This is the New York branch of the A.C Newman band. The tracks were recorded recently in a studio in Brooklyn.

AC Newman interview

Carl Newman has spoken to Pitchfork about his upcoming album "Get Guilty" & other pressing matters here

Plush - #19 in Uncut's top re-issues of 2008

Plush's Fed has made number 19 in Uncut's end of year best of list (re-issue section).

AC Newman Get Guilty

Up next on Broken Horse will be the terrific 2nd solo album by AC (aka Carl) Newman in early 2009. The album will be released on Matador in the US on January 20th and shortly after on Broken Horse in the UK/Europe. It really is a very special album and is more than an equal to his excellent debut album Slow Wonder and his work with the world conquering The New Pornographers.

Carl played his first show with his new band last Saturday at The Bell House in Brooklyn. He was accompanied by rising star Nicole Atkins who sings back up vocals on several tracks on Get Guilty.

Looks like it was a great night.

More write ups here, here and with a ton of photos here

Plush at Metacritic

At the time of writing, Metacritic has Fed at #3 in their list of the best reviewed albums of 2008, (ahead of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Nick Cave...). Don't just take our word for it, check it out here.

(UPDATE: 20th Nov Fed is currently #2!)

Record collector have also given Fed a glowing four star review.

Patrick Cleandenim - Orange Moonbeam Floorshow

Patrick's 2nd album Orange Moonbeam Floorshow will land in early 2009. In the meantime, Patrick is currently living, performing and DJ-ing in Berlin. You can catch him on the following dates.


Nov 12 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin
Nov 15 Madame Claude, Berlin
Nov 20 Madness, Dresden
Nov 22 Offenes Jugendhaus, Riesa
Nov 26 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin
Dec 6 Dr Pong (DJ Set), Berlin

silver ray - reunion video

Filmed by Brett Poliness and Michelangelo Russo, edited by Michelangelo Russo. Reunion is taken from the latest Silver Ray album "Homes For Everyone".

Andrew Morgan on illegal downloading

Andrew Morgan whose debut album Misadventures in Radiology was released on Broken Horse has just made his 2nd self titled album available for download via his website. He has also written some words on how he sees the issue of illegal downloading from his perspective as an artist who is constantly struggling to raise the funds to record his songs.

Whether you like Andrew's music or not it's a great piece that hits the nail on the head as far as Broken Horse is concerned. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you may be interested or to post the article on any relevent message boards you may frequent.


A Plea

Stealing music hurts musicians. When you appropriate music for
personal use without compensating its creator, you devalue the work,
the process which engenders it, and the role occupied by artists
within communities.

Goods are worth what consumers are willing to pay for them. If
consumers are willing to pay nothing for a particular good, then its
value is nothing. While there is still a market for the sale of music,
more and more people are electing, whether selectively or exclusively,
to bypass the market and obtain music illegally through torrents,
file-sharing, and the like. People don't steal music in this way
because they deserve to be able to. They do it simply because they
can. It's a sense of entitlement that considers its own morality
purely as an afterthought, if at all.

What Radiohead did in the fall of 2007 with the release of In Rainbows
was thrilling, but don't forget for one second that when they did it,
they were already middle-aged millionaires made rich by the very
industry model they now condemn with cavalier ease. They exist within
the system they deconstruct & destruct. They consider their songs to
be "public works," yet they continue to sell them. It's a complete
contradiction.

The reason that it is necessary for music to be sold rather than given
away is because the costs of making music are real and unavoidable.
Instrument purchase and maintenance, practice space, recording,
mixing, mastering, and manufacturing are but a few of the many costs
involved. The belief that digital technology has evolved to a point
where anyone can produce high quality recordings is a myth. While it
is true that anyone can make recordings inexpensively, the gear and
expertise necessary to yield exceptional results cost thousands and
thousands of dollars. The financial fate of the music industry will
affect everyone involved in the making of music -- artists, studios,
engineers, labels, publicists, graphic designers, manufacturing
houses, and more. Our relationships are mutually dependent. If, for
example, artists and labels can't afford to compensate engineers and
studios at a rate which ensures their continued existence, the entire
system becomes threatened.

It is a sad fact that those within the music industry are often the
most likely to excuse the theft of music. It is a symptom emerging
from perceptions of insider status. To be clear, it is not OK to steal
music just because you make music, sell music, or write about music.
The only acceptable means of obtaining an artist's music without
compensation is with explicit permission from the artist or legally
recognized copyright holder.

Please don't steal music. It's utterly humiliating to even have to ask
that it not be stolen in the first place. When you purchase music,
it's at a tiny fraction of the cost at which it was made. And it's
yours forever. The number of other goods that can be legally obtained
so far below cost within the market are very few. Go through iTunes
and delete any music you have not paid for. Gather up any CDRs that
contain any music you have not paid for and throw them away. When you
steal music, you break hearts.

Silver Ray - Homes For Everyone

Next up on Broken Horse. The 4th and finest Silver Ray album to date, "Homes For Everyone". It somewhat of a departure for the band as it features 10 tracks as opposed to the usual 4 or 5 and also features writing contributions from all three members.

The album will be released on Broken Horse in the UK/Europe on June 30th.

You can hear four of the tracks from the album here

The Autumn Defense - Americana UK review

"if you love your soft-rock lush and beautiful this will be one of your records of the year"

Americana UK have given The Autumn Defense album a great review - you can read it here

Liam Hayes and Plush

Take A Chance is a new song by Liam Hayes and Plush from their forthcoming album "Bright Penny". No real Broken Horse connection here except we've been fans since their classic debut 7" Found A Little Baby/Three Quarters Blind Eyes and the video was directed by Jim Newberry who took some snaps of Kevin Tihista a couple of years back.

Patrick Cleandenim - The Scurimobile & Interview

Patrick Cleandenim's The Scurimobile will be given a rare showing next month.

"The film will be screened in its entirety on Tuesday, March 11th at 9:00 pm at The Cooper Union (7 E. 7th Street, New York City). Admission is free and open to the public."







Also, you can read a new interview with Patrick from The New Mexico Daily Lobo here

The Autumn Defense - out now

We are extremley proud to be releasing the self titled (& 3rd) album by The Autumn Defense which is John Stirratt & Pat Sansone of Wilco. They are joined on the album by Nels Cline, Brad Jones and Greg Wieczorek.

The artwork has been specially re-designed by Pat Sansone himself for the Broken Horse issue and if we say so ourselves, looks great.

The album has already picked up a handful of great reviews and more we hope are on the horizon. At the moment, we are hoping Pat & John will be over for a few select live dates in April (more info as we have it).

Also look out for "Winterlight" on the covermount CD accompanying the current issue of The Word.

"reference points include Nick Drake and CSN, Bread, Big Star and the essence of Love, Steely Dan and a dozen others" MOJO ****

"never less than utterly gorgeous" THE WORD

"wilco offshoot spins gorgeous soft rock" Q ****

"edifying and beautifully textured third out from Wilco men John Stirratt and Pat Sansone" DAILY MIRROR ****

"soft rock at it's most elegant." TIME OUT

Patrick Cleandenim - T-Sides album of 2007

New York music blog T-Sides have chosen Patrick Cleandenim's Baby Comes Home as the album of the year for 2007. Baby Comes Home comes above the likes of Feist, Dirty Projectors, Panda Bear, St Vincent in their end of year round round up.

"Perhaps the greatest asset that Patrick Cleandenim has is that so few people are doing what he’s doing anymore. What is he doing, exactly? He’s playing updated standards type of music, nodding back to days of big bands and swing and other early forms of jazz and pop. Sure, there are a few who do this - Jens Lenkman, for example, who you’ll likely find of plenty of this year’s top lists. Where Cleandenim exceeds his contemporaries, however, is his ability to do it without sounding gimmicky or gaudy. Too many artists who tread into this territory end up feeling insincere or over the top, like they thought “let’s try something new!” and one-offed it, bleeding perky pop song into perky pop song. Baby Comes Home has a very natural feel to it, as though there is no other way he knows how to make music. It has, well, everything. It’s sensual, flirty, relaxing, engaging, confident, glamorous, humble, sentimental, bitter - name an emotion, and it’s probably in here somewhere. It also has “Days Without Rain,” which is easily my favorite song of the year, a song I could (and often do) listen to for days and never tire of. A sumptuous plea for a lover’s return, he’s seductive, cheerful, commanding and pleading, all in the course of four minutes and 42 seconds. It’s the strings, the high-hat, the piano, each part so artfully played. There is no moment in a song this year that tops the moments where Cleandenim cries, “won’t you come home in the morning / before our love beings to dry the rain” (though that second bit changes throughout the song). Ultimately, though, what made this album so sure in its #1 placement is that this is the album that had me the most excited about music this year, the album that I made everyone listen to, the album that I came back to month after month. While Baby Comes Home is not as grand on an influential scale as something like In Rainbows, it deserves its accolades, too - and I’m more than pleased to give them. "

You can read the original article here

Patrick Cleandenim - Live at the Apartment

Recorded live in New York, Christmas 2007.

Best of 2007

Top albums (in no particular order)

Patrick Cleandenim Baby Comes Home (Broken Horse)
The Broken Family Band Hello Love (Track & Field)
Rilo Kiley Under The Blacklight (Warner Brothers)
The Autumn Defense S/T (Broadmoor)
Silver Ray Homes For Everyone (Silver Ray)
Prefab Sprout Steve Mcqueen (acoustic versions) (Kitchenware - bonus disc with the remastered version of their 1985 album)
The Decemberists The Crane Wife (Rough Trade)
Proud Simon Shoestring Universe (Proud Simon)
Wilco Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
Glenn Mercer Wheels in Motion (Pravda)

followed by (also in no patricular order)

OK Jones Elephantoms (Centropolis)
The Clientele God Save The Clientele (Merge)
Benjy Feree Leaving The Nest (Domino)
Dinosaur Jr Beyond (PIAS)
Candidate Oxengate (Snowstorm)
Band of Horses Cease To Begin (Sub Pop)
Beirut The Flying Club Cup (4AD)
Bishop Allen & The Broken String (Dead Meadows)
Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
Miracle Fortress Five Roses (Rough Trade)
UK States Psychogeography (Hitback)
Okkervill River The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City)
Cam Butler Healing Feelings (Pharmacy)
The White Stripes Icky Thump (XL)
David Vandervelde The Moonstation House Band (Secretly Canadian)

Some of 2007's best tracks

Rilo Kiley Silver Lining
The Broken Family Band Give and Take
OK Jones Deep Sea Divers
Proud Simon American Caskets
LCD Soundsystem All My Friends
The Autumn Defense About To Change
Patrick Cleandenim Days Without Rain
The Yellow Moon Band Entangled
Wilco Impossible Germany
Andrew Bird Heretics
Prefab Sprout Bonny
Bishop Allen Rain
Candidate Furlough
David Vandervelde Nothin' No
The Decemberists When The War Came
Wilco On and On and On
Glenn Mercer Another Last Time
Dylan Mondegreen Girl in Grass
The Autumn Defense We Would Never Die
The Living Image The Show
Tegan and Sara The Con
Bill Callahan Diamond Dancer
Okkervill River Unless It's Kicks
Beirut Un Dernier Verre (Pour La Route)
The Clientele Bookshop Casanova
Patrick Cleandenim Rocket To The Moon
Silver Ray The Streets of Melbourne
Rilo Kiley Close Call
Glenn Mercer Morning Lights
Wilco You Are My Face


Favourite (non 2007) album of the year

Camper Van Beethoven Tusk (Cooking Vinyl 2002) DBL CD

The Autumn Defense on Broken Horse

The Autumn Defense's 3rd & self titled album will be released on Broken Horse for the UK/Europe on January 28th 2008. The core of the band is John Stirratt & Pat Sansone from Wilco. The Broken Horse issue will feature brand new artwork and photos and has been re-designed by Pat Sansone himself (is there nothing this guy can't do?)

"After the release of their second album in 2003, The Autumn Defense, multi-instrumentalists John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, realized that there was indeed an audience for their Simon & Garfunkel/Bread influenced soft-rock that they hadn’t truly appreciated, and like most things took some time to develop.

"We’ve known each other for a long time. We just all knew each other from being around the Mississippi music scene back in the late 80’s and early 90’s," Sansone said. "I reconnected with John when I moved to New Orleans around 97. John was living in New Orleans as well, so we just started hanging out and listening to records and we realized we had the same tastes at the time and we started strumming and singing and realized we had a real great vocal blend, which was really the reason we started the band."

“I loved the way that [2003's Circles] had this sort of gestation period...that it took a while for people to find it, but when they did, they really dug it”, according to Stirratt. Circles earned high praise from critics like David Fricke of Rolling Stone who called it, "warm, gorgeous, and delightful," and picked up 4 stars from both Mojo and Uncut.

In the meantime, Pat Sansone joined Wilco as a full time member just before the release of 2004’s A Ghost is Born. A necessary move from New York to Chicago for Sansone allowed them to work together as often as possible and to record at their leisure in Wilco’s sprawling musical Aladdin’s cave-like loft studio.

Pat Sansone "I think that Chicago kind of lends itself, especially if you’re recording in the winter time, which we did; it lends itself to locking yourself inside because it’s so cold outside. It’s kind of easy to focus and concentrate because you want to be inside. I think that probably did influence this record in trying to make it warm sounding."

Once the songs were in place, they recovened with their rhythm section of the last six years: drummer Greg Wieczorek, and producer/ session man Brad Jones, as well as other Autumn Defense regulars like pedal steel player John Pirruccello and horn player Steve Tyska.

“We’ve worked with them for so long now, that there’s a certain intuitiveness about the track as it’s going down... that they know the possibilities as well as we do,” says Stirratt. And through Brad Jones they were also able to work with new friends Chris Carmichael and Jim Hoke, whose string and flute performances brought Sansone’s light orchestral arrangements to life, and to helped provide a truly organic feel to the recordings.

The result of a long winter’s work is the self-titled release, The Autumn Defense. It is the culmination and continuation of what the band has reached for in the last two records, from the Philly-soul of "Feel You Now", to the baroque "Estate Remains", the bossa "City Bells" to the classic Southern- California sound of "We Would Never Die.” (also featuring Wilco’s Nels Cline). Playing this album next to Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky which followed “The Autumn Defense” a few months later (The Autumn Defense was released in the U.S in early 2007), it becomes clear how integral both Stirratt and Sansone are to the current Wilco sound in what is looking likely to be it’s most successful and enduring line up."