Album: If the Past Seems So Bright [Digipak]

Song Title

Time

Sad Eyes

New Dress

Stone Free

Bethel

Hammer

Thomas

Film

Bovina

Leland

10)

Pause at a Lake

11)

[CD-ROM Track]

Album: If the Past Seems So Bright [Digipak]

Song Title

Time

Sad Eyes

New Dress

Stone Free

Bethel

Hammer

Thomas

Film

Bovina

Leland

10)

Pause at a Lake

11)

[CD-ROM Track]

Performer Notes

Personnel: Jeremy Udden (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Brandon Seabrook (guitar, 12-string guitar, banjo); Pete Rende (Fender Rhodes piano, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ); Eivind Opsvik (acoustic bass); R.J. Miller (drums).
Audio Mixer: Pete Rende.
Recording information: Exile Recording Studios, Long Island City, NY.
Photographer: Jeremy Udden.
Brooklyn-based saxophonist Jeremy Udden leads an ensemble that's equal parts jazz and rock on this CD. The rhythms are rock-steady, rarely swinging, and there's a lot of stinging electric guitar and reverb that recalls blues-based indie acts like the Black Keys, though guitarist Brandon Seabrook is much more of a shredder than most indie rock players -- his soloing on "Stone Free" (not a Jimi Hendrix cover) is harsh and energized (and double-tracked; at various points, he's playing with and against himself). Udden himself, despite being the leader, doesn't often seize the spotlight; his saxophone provides melodies, but other group members take plenty of solos. Two tracks, "Bethel" and "Pause at a Lake," feature vocals, but only the latter has lyrics. The wordless crooning on "Bethel" adds to the feeling of nostalgia Udden clearly intends -- in the liner notes, he indicates that the band, Plainville, is named after the Massachusetts town he grew up in, and the music was initially inspired by his upbringing there. The quieter tracks have a pastoral feeling, combining banjo and/or acoustic guitar with pump organ drones, that seems ideally designed for sitting on a sunlit porch and relaxing. But the louder tracks are thoroughly urban music of the modern New York school, partly indebted to jazz but just as much to rock and the sounds of city life. This is a multifaceted record that succeeds at almost everything it attempts. ~ Phil Freeman

Professional Reviews

Down Beat (p.56) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Udden's music opts for a more gentle, almost pastoral quality -- although it retains a muscle and grit to balance the lyric softness."

JazzTimes (p.62) - "Udden wrote this set while thinking about returning to his hometown, and even titled one track 'Film' due to its cinematic implications."