the desert, edward abbey, leonard cohen, magnolia electric co., neutral milk hotel, elliott smith, gillian welch and david rawlings, old blues-old jazz-old country, lorca, william carlos williams, the beatles, joseph campbell, ennio morricone, carlos montoya, wallace stevens, ac/dc, glade, will oldham, paul davis, will barclay, mark baysinger, the bolivian coffee bean, the plums.
Sounds Like
Slowtrain's Best Of 2009!
1. DAVID WILLIAMS - WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY (SELF RELEASED)
Music just seems to flood out of David Williams, and if you're lucky enough, you'll be standing within earshot of him when it starts. In these moments you'll wish you had the foresight to record the event so you can share it with everyone you know so you didn't have to try to find the words to explain just how magical it was. Western Interior Seaway is what happens when the one person who happens to be in the same room with David and his guitar is an amazing producer, and the room happens to be his professional recording studio. Recorded at Type Foundry Studios in Portalnd, OR with Adam Selzer (The Decemberists, M. Ward, Mirah, Laura Gibson), this album is more of a time capsule than anything. It's not an album of songs slaved over by a perfectionist that's been sitting on them for years waiting for the chance to record them, but rather just a glimpse at how these songs felt to David at the moment they were committed to tape. Adam Selzer has an arsenal of equipment at his disposal and has a tasteful way of shaping the songs he hears into a finished product that makes me feel so fortunate that it was him who was there at the birth of Western Interior Seaway and not just a cassette recorder in an empty room. I don't expect his music to move everyone the way it has moved me, and by no means is this going to be the best recording by David Williams, but it's definitely the best album I've heard this year and will be a favorite for years to come.
Chris Brozek
2. DAVID WILLIAMS - WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY (SELF RELEASED)
I know Chris and I both have this album ranking really high for 2009 – and it is especially surprising considering David is a Utah musician and dear friend. And it is slightly awkward knowing that David and his pals will be reading this and know just how much I really love him (I try to hide it with sass when he’s around). But here it is, all laid out on the table, I can’t deny that this is the 2nd best record made this year and it pains me (PAINS ME!) that David Williams isn’t widely known and wildly successful. I can’t even go into the details of why this particular CD is so damn good – it just can’t be captured. All I can say is that future generations will think upon the intimate David Williams shows at Slowtrain or Eva with the same fondness as we think of Jeff Mangum at Jittery Joes or Elliott Smith at Stinkweeds. Western Interior Seaway more than proves that David Williams is a legend in the making.
Anna Brozek
SLUG Review
Western Interior Seaway
David Williams = Bob Dylan + Jeff Mangum
It sometimes amazes me what can come from one man and his guitar. Beyond that, it makes me proud when that man lives in the great state of Utah. Portland Sessions (Western Interior Seaway) showcases Williams’ fragile voice remarkably well. All of it was recorded in Portland with Adam Selzer, who has recorded with such recent greats as The Decemberists and M. Ward. The increase in quality highlights subtle details that help elevate the feeling of this album, giving detail to backup vocals, double bass backdrops and even an electric guitar. The end product is a truly beautiful album that consistently emanates with sublime emotion. David Williams truly deserves more fame than he might even want.
–Ross Solomon
Cd Baby Editor's Pick
5 star review!
So, this is what happens when vultures and the desert wind of
Southern Utah pick away at the bones of Pop music! "Summer" is no romp
through green pastures or idyllic meadows. It’s a straight shot
through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But DAMN, does that hot air
feel good! Though thoroughly lo-fi, Summer has the immediate intimacy
of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. Lonely songs with catchy melodies
are haunted by the presence of David Williams’ emotive, fragile
voice. It’s both hurried and hushed, whispering warnings from
somewhere out there in the bleak remoteness. Williams’ heartbreaking
vocals are displayed most beautifully on the sad-bastard folk tune
“Shame”. Architecturally, his songs are sturdy enough to hold up
Brill Building ornamentation, yet he shows brave restraint. Instead of
crowding the sonic space with horns, strings, and trickery, he opts to
strip the structure bare, leaving only guitar and voice. Occasionally,
fragmented drums and keyboards will sound in the distance, but the
music always remains skeletal, ghostly, and sparse. The vastness of
the desert has clearly taught Williams about the beauty of openness
and contrast. And when a song is good enough, the human voice can
sound as grand as an orchestra.
Chrisr at CD Baby
"an engaging splice between Dylan and Elliott Smith"
Salt Lake City Weekly
"One of my favorite CDs in my vast collection."
I have A LOT of CDs-- probably more than I can ever listen to again in my lifetime, so I have to pick and choose from them. This is one CD that I keep on the top of my piles of CDs so I can always get at it when I want to hear it again.
Jeff Kleinman CD Baby
David Williams, Summer = Will Oldham+ Richmond Fontaine
Initially released as a limited-edition, hand painted cardboard-box CD package, Summer is now available for mass consumption, courtesy of local label/booking company, BearTalk. Minimal and intimate, this release captures the essence of Southern Utah—an area where Mr. Williams often resides. "Echo" is a soundscape for the desolate while "Duluth" is the meatiest, musically and content-wise. Summer is yet another great effort from the thriving, local singer/songwriter scene.
happy to have shared stages with MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY, THE BAND OF ANNUALS, LAURA GIBSON, BLITZEN TRAPPER, WYE OAK, DAVID DONDERO, JOSHUA JAMES, NORFOLK AND WESTERN, NICK JAINA, THE HORSEFEATHERS, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, PSYCHIC TV, HEADLIGHTS, EVANGELICALS, EDITH FROST, RICHMOND FONTAINE, SOUTHERLY, JEFFREY RICHARDS (Vic Chesnutt, Neutral Milk Hotel, Hazeldine, Nels Andrews), WHITE DENIM, EX MODELS
Hear "Ask Your Money" on NPR's All Songs Considered Inspired Music episode fearturing
David Dondero, Beastie Boys and John Mellencamp
Hi there! We've got a new EP that we're especially proud of called Summer which is the second in our series of seasonal EPs this year. We'd love for you to listen to the EP online, and to do so, just click on the graphic below. If you like what you hear, we'd be very grateful if you'd support our efforts by buying the EP for €2.50 (around $3.20).
Hope all is going great for you. Thanks for being our friend!
David,
Thank you for accepting the friendship. I believe I saw one of your acts at Kilby Court with BOA, and I really enjoyed it. It is bands like yours that make me feel proud to live in Utah.
Regards,
Chris
I would like to inform you that after last night, I am now the proud owner of the G, D, E-, C back to G transition. G is no longer my demon. Just so you know.
