14 replies to this topic

[Overstreet]

The day after I discover that Anais Mitchell is bringing the Hadestown folk opera to a local club, I see this on Amazon: Young Man in America.

Edited by Overstreet, 14 February 2012 - 10:39 AM.

[Josh Hurst]

I've been meaning to start a thread for this one. I have heard the album but haven't quite taken it all in yet; suffice to say that while it is not a full-blown "folk opera," and it doesn't have the same strong narrative thread, the album strikes me as every bit as thematically rich and complex as Hadestown. Anyone who liked the last album will surely like this one too.

Incidentally, it's not due in the States for another couple of weeks, but it's out in Europe today, and the reviews from the UK press are all raves.

[Overstreet]

Excellent! Glad to hear it!

I'm still dismayed that my epic interview with her about Hadestown went unpublished. Someday I'll write it up and post it to my blog.

Edited by Overstreet, 14 February 2012 - 02:19 PM.

[Christian]

$5 MP3 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co...1PFK6BGP2H1K6PV

[Christian]

Josh, Jeffrey: How's the album settling for you? I'm still thinking I might buy the MP3. I don't see much discussion about the CD here or elsewhere, and I always worry that the silence means such albums don't offer as much as hoped.

[Christian]

The deafening silence here means I'll be saving my $5.

[Josh Hurst]

Sorry, Christian-- I'm just now seeing this. My short answer is that I think the album is very good, and almost (but not quite) on the level of Hadestown. So if you're only going to buy one Anais record, Hadestown is the one I'd recommend, but if you have it and like it, you will surely enjoy the new one too.

[Andy Whitman]

Josh Hurst, on 23 May 2012 - 12:22 PM, said:

Sorry, Christian-- I'm just now seeing this. My short answer is that I think the album is very good, and almost (but not quite) on the level of Hadestown. So if you're only going to buy one Anais record, Hadestown is the one I'd recommend, but if you have it and like it, you will surely enjoy the new one too.

I agree. It doesn't have the narrative continuity of Hadestown, but the songs are very well written. It's a very fine album.

[Christian]

Sorry, but I already spent my $5 on a venti Frappuccino.

[Andy Whitman]

Christian, on 23 May 2012 - 02:07 PM, said:

Sorry, but I already spent my $5 on a venti Frappuccino.

A Venti Frappuccino (Mocha Cookie Crumble) is better than 99.9% of all recorded music. Anais' album is perfectly fine, but not that fine. Good call.

[Christian]

Wishing I'd bought this one now that I've heard a song from it.

[Overstreet]

It's so good. I may end up picking it as my #1 this year.

[Overstreet]

[Christian]

Thanks for the link! I'll be sure to watch now that I didn't buy the CD. Because the bookstore didn't have this one in stock but had some others, and because I made a special trip to spend my gift card money at the bricks-and-mortar store that had some other options from my list, I now own three new CDs, none of which are Mitchell's. But if this is still a $5 MP3 at Amazon, I might go that route.

[Christian]

So that's what she looks like.

I would've linked that in our more recent Anais threads, but the concert, which was posted a week ago, refers to Young Man in America as her latest CD. I'm listening now, and am guessing the music is mostly from Young Man and earlier, not from the newer projects

Edited by Christian, 08 February 2013 - 01:44 PM.