Our new album, titled In A Cave out worldwide on Rykodisc AVAILABLE NOW!
Available at Insound on vinyl and
CD
or at
Elf Power formed in 1994 and have spent the last 14 years releasing nine albums, two eps, a handful of singles, and touring America, Europe,and Japan.
Elf Power’s ninth album blasts them past the familiar
territories of beautiful records past – landing them
on exciting new terrain. Granted, the Elves’ sound is
still founded on the bedrock attributes that make them
memorable: leader Andrew Rieger’s otherworldly lyrical
stances and his easy way with the rare and amazing
melody, their instrumentally-eclectic reappraisal of
classic rock, and a propulsive rhythm section that’s
tight as ever. In A Cave , though, finds them
filtering their powerful live approach through a
varied, experimental series of recording processes and
approaches; the new album plays like a spirited,
exploratory series of treatments on the tried-and-true
Elf Power sound.
Derek Almstead’s production balances the elements
perfectly: lean and muscular with a layer of warmth
overtop, he opens ample windows for the band to expand
and explore all available spaces.
Drummer/multi-instrumentalist Eric Harris returns to
the fold for this record, and his rhythmic interaction
with bassist Almstead provides the supportive spine
for each tune; notice how the two bury a chugging
Krautrock underpinning in the sing-song pop of
“Paralyzed†and provide the swagger inherent to the
marching fuzz-boogie of “Spiral Stairsâ€. Harris’
homemade “tape-organ†-- a Thriftstore Mellotron, of
sorts -- assumes a starring role on several of these
songs, enveloping the driving jams and
harmonically-dense balladry in a loopy, warbly aura.
Truly, this is one of the most psychedelic Elf Power
records in years; droned-out, interstitial songs like
“Window to Mars†and the Eno-esque “Heads of Dust,
Hearts of Lust†lend a sense of wholeness to this
diverse album, and glue the longer tracks together
perfectly.
Elf Power has been busy this year, touring steadily,
and recording an album with folk rock legend Vic
Chesnutt that will be released this coming Fall, and
the resultant instrumental cohesion shows; the
interplay between Rieger’s twelve-string and Jimmy
Hughes’ overdriven lead guitar is as subtle and
important as ever. Present, too, are those strange
sonic touches that have long made the band
distinctive: that edifying layer of melody that comes
courtesy of Heather Macintosh’s virtuoso cello-playing
and Laura Carter’s accordion and Moog Synthesizer.
Members of Elf Power also own and operate Orange Twin Records , an
independent record label focused squarely on the local
community; besides earlier Elf Power albums, Orange
Twin has also released records by Neutral Milk Hotel,
The Gerbils, Madeline and many other stalwarts of the
vibrant Athens scene. A percentage of proceeds
generated by the label helps fund The Orange Twin
Conservation Community, which owns 155 acres of
beautiful land on the outskirts of Athens and has
initiated the development of a highly progressive,
self-sustainable and ecologically-minded cluster
village and nature preserve.
This sort of thoughtful, perpetual motion through the
years has sharpened the band’s instincts powerfully
and all-inclusively, and the results are joyously
evident here; with In A Cave , Elf Power finds a
perfect synthesis of their solid, instinctual ensemble
playing and open-hearted experimentation, and the
result is one of the best, most assured records to
come soaring out of Athens in a long, long time.
-Bio written by Jim McHugh
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