Hammers and Anvils by Graeme Downes (CD, Aug-2001, Matador (record label))

Album Features
UPC:	744861050629
Artist:	Graeme Downes
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2001
Record Label:	Matador (record label)
Genre:	Post Rock, Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. Hammers and Anvils
2. Cole Porter
3. Alright by Me
4. January Song
5. Cattle, Cars and Chansaws
6. Day of the Dead
7. Shoreleave
8. Song for a Hollywood Road Movie
9. Gucci
10. Getting Out of It
11. Sunday Kickaround
12. Rock 'N' Roll Hero
13. Mastercontrol

Details
Playing Time:	43 min.
Distributor:	Alternative Dis. Alliance
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Producers: Graeme Downes, Peter Van Der Fluit, Michael O'Neil.Engineers: Graeme Downes, Peter Van Der Fluit, Michael O'Neil.Recording information: Liquid Studios, Auckland, New Zealand (01/1999-01/2000); Studio 45 (01/1999-01/2000).Photographers: Gob; Jo.Known for his impressionistic work with the Verlaines, Downes has on his first solo album stripped his band's portentous musical intricacies to unearth a core of pent-up inspiration. Having not put out an album since 1997, Downes seems to have had a lot of time to let things filter through a creative prism and crystalize as refined, elegant rock. His spiralling cries can seem a bit strained on some tracks but, for the most part, they complement his signature layered guitar and odd chord changes. Downes has sampled all parts here (except guitar and vocals), so the spontaneity of playing with a band, one of the Verlaines' strong points, is lost, but in some ways he manages to work this handicap in his favor, exerting the omniscient creative control of a gifted composer to full effect. Downes presents more than a few moments of brilliance in this set, with songs about everything from ozone depletion ("Cattle, Cars and Chainsaws") to one man's yearning for movement ("Song for a Hollywood Road Movie") to the relation between a Sunday afternoon soccer game and the slow death of a friend ("Sunday Kickaround"), all adorned with disparate ornamentation and unpredictable resolution. ~ Travis Drageset

Editorial Reviews
...It rivals Downes' best work. His classical training has resulted in a singular songwriting style, where baroque melodies ride on startling chord changes....Rock on, Prof!
Mojo

...The most deserving heir to the long-vacant throne occupied by John Cale in the mid-70s....easily one of the best albums of the year.
Magnet (20021201)

3 stars out of 5 - ...[This] has much of the bittersweet, plangent emotional directness of Downe's marvelous former band The Verlaines...
Q (20010901)