Essex Green - Hardly Electronic
by Tommy Gunnarsson
published: 17 / 7 / 2018
Label:
Merge Records
Format: CD
intro
First-rate comeback album from US trio The Essex Green who have returned after a twelve year hiatus with their now classic blend of country/folk/indiepop
If you have read any of my reviews here for the past few years (Well, have you?), you might have noticed that I have left my beloved indiepop more or less behind. But that’s not always the case, and the Essex Green are one of those exceptions that keeps coming back. It’s been twelve years since they released their latest album, ‘Cannibal Sea’, and since then the three core members (Christopher Zither, Sasha Bell and Jeff Baron) have been busy doing other things and moving around the US. I honestly didn’t expect a new album from Essex Green, as I thought they had split up by now. But I’m really happy that they didn’t. If you have listened to any of their previous efforts, you know what you’re in for, as this hardly is a big departure from their sound. You get some country pop, some folk pop, some indiepop – and it’s all very good. The two songs released prior to the album, the opener ‘Sloane Eanger’ and ‘The 710’, are both classic Essex Green tracks, one with Sasha singing and one with Christopher singing. But the album’s highlight is really the third song, ‘Don’t Leave It in Our Hands’, which has a prominent bass line and a war cry chorus to finish it all off. It is something like this album’s ‘The Late Great Cassiopeia’ (a song from their amazing album ‘The Long Goodbye’, released back in 2003). It’s actually one of their best songs ever, if you ask me (and I hope you do). All in all, this is a great comeback from this former Elephant 6 band, and it actually made me dig out their old albums again. Not many indiepop bands do that for me nowadays…
Track Listing:-
1 Sloane Ranger2 The 710
3 Don't Leave It in Our Hands
4 In the Key of Me
5 Modern Rain
6 Catatonic
7 Patsy Desmond
8 Bye Bye Crow
9 Waikiki
10 January Says
11 Slanted by Six
12 Smith & 9th
13 Another Story
14 Bristol Sky
Band Links:-
https://en-gb.facebook.com/theessexgreen/http://www.essexgreen.com/
https://twitter.com/theessexgreen
https://www.instagram.com/essexgreen/
Label Links:-
http://www.mergerecords.com/https://www.facebook.com/Merge-Records-88476979019/timeline/
https://twitter.com/mergerecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/mergerecords
interviews |
A Short Chat with Sasha Bell (2002) |
After hearing the new record by The Essex Green, I was immediately drawn in by the great songwriting and vocal harmonies on all the songs. I recently had the chance to correspond with band member Sas |
bandcamp
soundcloud
reviews |
Everything Is Green (2001) |
Everything is green...again. The latest branch of the Elephant 6 family tree, the Essex Green, have produced an album of soothing psych-pop tunes that will have you breaking out the incense in no tim |
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart