Track Listing

1. Saints
2. She Dances
3. Hollow Men
4. Song Among The Pine
5. Trust
6. Western Lands
7. Farewell Farewell
8. Hourglass
9. Grand Union Canal
10. Collector

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63157 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

CD Description
Taking equal parts inspiration from British folk and shoegaze pop, Gravenhurst is the vehicle of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot. The band's fifth full-length, WESTERN LANDS, takes a giant leap forward in terms of production, throwing every small sonic detail into a bold panoramic relief. Talbot's somber guitar tones twang evocatively, like duskyspaghetti-western soundtracks, lending the album a sense ofsinister beauty. Other tracks take the hard-charging approach of bands like My Bloody Valentine, framing Talbot's spectral vocals within layers of blistering, droning guitar bliss.

Customer Reviews

post folk perfection
this is the album indie kids and learned rockers have been waiting for. nick talbot blends the most incredible guitar action with the most beautiful melodies to create total post folk perfection. i adore the title track - a shadows-esque swagger through blue cowboy guitar wails, and also the track "she dances" -intense guitars and fascinating ode to sandy denny lyric. the record also features a brilliant rumbling fairport convention cover and the spooky folk track nick penned for ace german indie flick "ein freund von mir" last year called "song among the pine".

in general its the best work from gravenhurst, spanning my bloody valentine to yo la tengo vie velvet undergound, and i absolutely cannot wait to a) see the new 4 piece band on tour in coming weeks and b) see this hotly touted new warp films video for single for the ripper "hollow men" !

thank god the press are starting to give this band the credit they deserve!

Pale Saints for the 21st Century
I bought this album on the basis of the other reviews here and in the main, I agree. Musically, this is an excellent record with clean and clear production that lets the guitar strings sound immediate and close. My only reservation is the lyrics, which occasionally sound trite or naive. For me, the most obvious comparison in terms of sound and atmosphere is the Pale Saints. 15 years ago, 4AD was churning this sort of sound out by the bucket-load. So, it's not original but it is very good.

Intricate, swirling soundscapes of 21st Century folk-rock
On 'The Western Lands' Gravenhurst come very close to perfection.Their wondrously intricate, swirling soundscapes of 21st century folk-rock are delivered with a rare poignancy and panache that lends a warmth and dignity to this album that seems to be lacking in the much more commercially successful end of the watered down indie market.
The fact that Gravenhurst are not willing to sell their soul to shift units means it will probably be an album largely ignored by the masses.
But the fashionista's loss is your gain if you love the sound of people making music for the sheer love of making music.
'The Western Lands' moulds the folk classicism of Fairport Convention with the sweeping grandeur of My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless', creating a distinctive and melodic contrast between the tender folk of songs like 'Song Among The Pine' and the crashing, invading guitars that inject a rush of tornado like intensity into songs like'She Dances' and the title track. They then pick up the majestic grace of Fairport's'Farewell, Farewell' and lift it skywards with soaring guitars and a yearning, heartbreaking vocal that turns the Fairport classic into a shimmering dream pop gem that vastly improves on the original in my opinion. 'The Western Lands' conjures beautifully bleak images throughout and has the feel of one of those classic albums where you hear something new every time you play it and a new track reveals itself in a way you never heard it before.
I previously mentioned My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless' and in many ways Gravenhurst's 'The Western Lands' reminds me very much of that classic album. Not that I'm talking imitation, any influences are subtle and as other reviews have stated there are many more influences beside. No, the similarity I'm talking about lies in the noble, mysterious modesty that shines through this album in a genuinely affecting way, leaving you talking about the music once you've listened to the album rather than the hairstyle or self indulgent pretensions of the creators of it. And you get the feeling that Nick Talbot, like Kevin Shields before him, prefers it that way.