|
THIS LP COMES WITH A COMPLIMENTARY CD VERSION OF THE ALBUM + A MAILORDER EXCLUSIVE "BONUS BONUS" MP3 ALBUM!!!
The quietly prolific Jason Anderson returns to K with The
Hopeful and the Unafraid. With six officially released albums, two more in the can, four probably-never-to-see-the-light-of-day
records in his closet, a few live albums on the shelf—culled from literally five years of straight
touring—and a Myspace song-a-day project - he also played guitar in Mount Eerie, has drummed with Tilly and the
Wall, and played piano with David Dondero - you've probably heard little about him.
The Hopeful was made at Soma Studios in Chicago, on a two-day tour break in January of 2006.
Recorded in a matter of hours—tracking the vocals, guitars, and drums simultaneously—Jason's goal
was to make an organic documentation of songs he'd been playing every night for half a decade. Thusly,
all the vocal parts are first takes. There were some indulgences, though, as some guys who used to
play in Magnolia Electric Co. came by to put down pedal steel and guitar leads.
The album takes a stab at capturing some of the energy Jason loves putting into every show he plays,
whether there are five or fifty people present. For the most part it succeeds, but to say that these are the
"definitive" or "final" or "best" versions of these songs would be unrealistic, it would be straight-up false,
actually. Jason says he's come to grips with the fact that it can never be just the way he wants in the
studio; that the passionate, in-the-moment rush of doing these tunes in a basement full of singing,
sweating friends is where his affection really lies. This is a bittersweet notion, but maybe explains why
someone would spend half a decade on the road, trying to connect with people anywhere and
everywhere, wanting to make them happy, to make them feel alive.
Also available as individual track downloads:
1. El Paso
2. July 4th
3. Wanting and Regret
4. This Will Never Be Our Town
5. The Hopeful & The Unafraid
6. Ohio
7. Colonial Homes
8. Watch Your Step
9. The Post Office
10. The Half of It
|
