European Heartbreak

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:37:03
Personnel: Annelotte de Graaf (vocals, guitar); Trey Pollard (guitar, piano); Manuel Van Den Berg (guitar, keyboards); Meg Duffy (slide guitar); Treesa Gold, Anna Bishop, Adrian Pintea, Ellen Riccio (violin); Molly Sharp, Kim Ryan (viola); Jason McComb , Schuyler Slack (cello); Taylor Barnett, Rob Quallich (trumpet); Ben Culver, Nathaniel Lee (trombone); Daniel Clarke (keyboards); Chris Cohen (drums, percussion); Pinson Chanselle (percussion); Colin Killalea (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Ali Chant. Recording information: Los Angeles, CA (10/2017); The Spacebomb Studios, Richmond, VA (10/2017); Utrecht (10/2017). Photographer: Nick Helderman. After fulfilling her life's dream and making an album, which she did in Brooklyn with Ben Greenberg of the Men, Annelotte De Graaf was faced with making a second record. The first Amber Arcades record, Fading Lines, was an unassumingly good modern dream pop record that balanced De Graaf's plain-spoken vocals and melancholy nature against a gentle backdrop of drowsy guitars and dreamy melodies. European Heartbreak takes a different tack entirely. De Graaf wanted to make something that was both sparse and lush; simple, classic ballads and midtempo songs filled out with strings and horns. She laid down the basic tracks with producer Chris Cohen of Deerhoof, and they headed to Spacebomb studio in Virginia to add the rest in their typically cosmic American music fashion. The result is something of a mixed bag. Sometimes the plan works really well and De Graaf's pleasant songs come to life when given full arrangements. "Where Did You Go" and "I've Done the Best" have a rambling, loose-limbed feel that's not far from the same sweet spot Camera Obscura occupies, "Simple Song" sounds like a mash-up of Stereolab and Dusty Springfield, and a couple of the ballads -- especially the desolate, album-ending "Baby, Eternity" -- have a nice dramatic impact. ~ Tim Sendra