Nels Andrews – Pigeon and the Crow
Format: CD – Limited edition – LP – Digital
Label: Self-Released
Releasedatum: 10 april 2020
Now living in Santa Cruz, California, Nels Andrews’ new LP ‘Pigeon and The Crow’, produced by traditional Irish flautist Nuala Kennedy (Gerry O’Connor, Will Oldham), gracefully weaves the morning fog, redwoods, and his beloved oceanside.
A songwriter’s record in the spirit of Van Morrison’s Veedon Fleece with a breath of the texture, rhythm, and longing of Milton Nascimento’s Clube De Esquina, Pigeon and The Crow brims with literary wordplay, mixed with some sway, some shimmer, and some sand between your toes.
The bones of the album, Andrews’ fourth studio endeavour, were assembled during a three-day live tracking session at Whispering Pines Studio in Los Angeles.
The studio was originally built for Sam Cooke in the 60s, turned into a funk/soul palace in the 70s, abandoned when the owner found religion in the 80s, and later rehabilitated by indie rock outfit Lord Huron.
While recording, Andrews slept on the tracking room floor every night and dreamt in Technicolor, born of the vibes steeped into that well-worn musical space.
Andrews, along with Kennedy, Sebastian Steinberg (Iron and Wine, Fiona Apple, Soul Coughing) on bass, and Quinn on drums/percussion (T-Bone Burnett, Eastmountainsouth), breathed life into the songs together in that one room.
The album boasts a mix of traditional players from Kennedy’s past along with some of Andrews’ newest old friends like Stelth Ulvang of The Lumineers, as well as some older old friends and collaborators from New York, including guest appearances by fellow songsmiths Anaïs Mitchell, AJ Roach, and Anthony Da Costa.
The result is ten ethereal yet substantial tracks that assess life’s “mid-game,” a time that is less straightforward than youth imagined, where our strategies and gambits are yet unresolved – stories from a place past innocence but perhaps still before wisdom.
These are songs written about that place: an actress in her sunset, a husband folding now-soft wedding sheets, a shipwrecked Scottish fisherman asking himself life’s tough questions as he fights to survive a night floating in the frosty north Atlantic, a father meditating on love and selfishness, and the ghosts of former relationships.
From cover to cover, ‘Pigeon and The Crow’ contains wistful resolve, a steady backbone, and a late afternoon light reflected off the sea. Andrews’ work, which reflects his love affair with the landscape of his home, enchants from beginning to end.
Tracks:
01. Scrimshaw
02. Memory Compass
03. Pigeon & The Crow
04. Holy Water
05. Eastern Poison Oak
06. South of San Gregorio
07. Table By The Kitchen
08. Lion’s Jaws
09. Welterweight
10. Embassy To The Airport
11. Candidate’s Handshake* ** *
* ** * Unlisted bonus track
All songs written by Nels Andrews, except ‘Pigeon & The Crow’ and ‘Welterweight’ by Nels Andrews & AJ Roach and ‘Memory Compass’ by Nels Andrews & Emmanuel Paquette
Website: Nels Andrews