Wonderful full length from Anathallo, a beautiful release on the Anticon label. Plenty of reviews are below with testimonial for you to peruse...while this is original and inventive music, some touchstones mentioned include Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, Pet Sounds era Beach Boys, etc. Disc is in excellent condition, fold out poster style booklet is mint, little hole punch through jewel case/front and back cover (it's tiny). Please feel free to email with any questions. Thanks for looking!
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Music geeks create something utterly original
Sufjan Stevens propped open the door to the marching-band practice room earlier this decade, and since then several of his band-camp compatriots have strutted out onto the wider field of popular music. Chicago septet Anathallo is at the head of this geeky class, and the band upholds its reputation on sophomore album Canopy Glow.
Like its predecessor, 2006’s
Floating World, the band’s latest
album mixes sensitive folkie singer/songwriter fare with strings, horns
and all manner of hand percussion, creating a dizzying and frequently
gorgeous mashup that splits the difference between Animal Collective,
the Salvation Army band and the neighborhood glee club. It’s the same
approach Stevens has employed so masterfully on albums such as
Illinois, but there are some important differences. First, everybody
sings, and although guitarist/pianist Matt Joynt and autoharp player
Erica Froman handle the lion’s share of the vocals, there’s a marked
emphasis on choral harmony that’s mostly absent from Stevens’ albums.
Second, almost everybody bangs or pulls on something—bass drums,
glockenspiels, Velcro, balloons—and there’s a primal rhythmic focus
here that nicely offsets the egghead sensibilities. I’d call it an
everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, but the members of Anathallo
are probably inclined to bang on the kitchen sink, too.
All of which would make for an idiosyncratic but disposable effort if
the songs weren’t so well constructed. “The River” is typical: Starting
with pensive piano, the song builds layer upon layer, first adding
contrapuntal vocals from Froman, then a trumpet, then a cello and
percussion before building to a cascading, swirling climax of strings
and horns and multi-layered vocals. It is sweeping, symphonic and
breathtakingly beautiful.
The lyrics are quirky and mystical (one song ruminates on a Cool Whip
bowl used as a baptismal font); the song structures are endlessly
inventive, constantly subverting standard verse/chorus/verse
construction. And it’s all elevated by a transparent focus on beauty
and wonder. This is a marching band that’s veered way out of formation,
and is making utterly original music.
and more:
Canopy Glow's opening salvo, Noni's Field, introduces straight away the
topic of death. Among lush pile-ups of Pet Sounds harmonyand Sung Tongs
texture, Anathallo's Matt Joynt and Erica Fromansing to the rafters: We
saw the sky, swarming full with the light thatthe fireflies made / An
accidental constellation / You, how will you go? Out through your mouth
in a sigh? / Into a space we don't know. It's a surprisingly beautiful
rendering of life's most feared result: calm and considered, yet
wide-eyed in approach, and colored by kaleidoscopic detail. Canopy
Glow, Anathallo's second full-length (and first for Anticon), could be
described just the same.
and another:
Canopy Glow is a triumph on so many levels. Musically, it sees
Anathallo taking a more song-based approach and hitting it (way) out of
the park with each distinct track (as opposed to Floating World, where
everything seemed to flow together—although I never had a problem with
that, personally). Lyrically, too, Canopy Glow is simply astounding. I
know Anathallo's brand of hyper-poetic lyricizing can easily be
misconstrued as pretentious by some, but I simply can't resist the
spiritual and introspective layering and phrasing of their songs.
There's always something interesting happening here, both
instrumentally and lyrically—and it makes for a truly beautiful
listening experience every time I click play.
one more:
I've been anticipating Anticon's release of Anathallo's
Canopy Glow for some time now, especially considering how good that leak of initial mixes dubbed
Engine Glow sounded. The band's second full-length shows noticeable growth from
Floating World,
which was impressive in its own right despite its sometimes unfocused
symphonic energy. With a more fleshed-out vibe nuanced by handclaps and
bells, the album is instrumentally airtight while the lush harmonies of
Matt Joynt and Erica Froman soar to new heights. Kicking off the album
is "Noni's Field," which touches on the theme of death. Joynt sings:
"We saw the sky, swarming full with the light that the fireflies made/
An accidental constellation/ You, how will you go?/ Out through your
mouth in a sigh?"
Canopy Glow is effective because the songs
seem to be built around lyrics and themes rather than packing on sound
for the sake of experimentation. This is a welcome new characteristic
for the band. Not to mention, it all sounds so beautiful. Take, for
example, the infectious harmonies of "Italo," an absolute winner of a
song built around complex vocal interplay. While I've tired of the
ever-so-popular girl/guy vocals so rampant in today's indie landscape,
it's hard to deny the sheer gorgeousness and originality of
Canopy Glow. This is Anathallo at its most concise and effective. -- Capt. Obvious
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