Punch Brothers (Chris Thile)-Punch (2008-VBR-Bluegrass)

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-=AMG Review=- by James Christopher Monger



Chris Thile's first post-Nickel Creek band project (the ultra-prolific, former child prodigy has been releasing solo albums since 1994) builds upon the darker, more challenging moments of 2005's Why Should the Fire Die?, drifting further into the ultra-progressive bluegrass that has become his forté since expanding his repertoire from young mandolin virtuoso to genre-bending, new acoustic trailblazer. The Punch Brothers consist of Thile at the wheel, fiddler Gabe Witcher, guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjo player Noam Pikelny, and bassist Greg Garrison, all of whom share their bandleader's impeccable chops and unpredictability. The group's heady debut begins innocently enough with the serpentine yet reasonably catchy "Punch Bowl," a song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Strength in Numbers' Telluride Sessions, but from there, things take a left turn (this is a band that routinely works covers of Radiohead and the Strokes into their live set), and a rewarding one at that. Thile's four movement/forty-minute "Blind Leading the Blind" suite is heavy (as in divorce, loss, love, and redemption heavy), but it's also exhilarating. It ebbs and flows with little concern for conventional structure or traditional narrative, bursting into frenetic picking and dissolving into gentle harmonics whenever it chooses, layering even-handed, vibrato-free sections of close harmony singing over increasingly dissonant chord progressions that warrant repeated listens even as they unfold. It's a bold move, and one that straddles pretense all the way through without ever succumbing. Traditional bluegrass fans will no doubt require multiple mugs of Punch, and even then they may never quite get it, but if you relish the idea of Béla Fleck, Turtle Island String Quartet, and Jim O'Rourke getting together for a friendly meal of reconstruction and catharsis, then your dinner is most certainly ready.



-=Product Description=-



The Punch Brothers are nothing less than a youthful band comprising the most prodigious and sought-after musicians from the cutting edge of bluegrass and folk music. The quintet was brought together by former Nickel Creek star Chris Thile, who, the critic Geoffrey Himes of Washington Post declared, "may well be the most virtuosic American ever to play the mandolin "â?? adding, not insignificantly, that "he has the flirtatious charisma of a major pop star." Joining him are Chris Eldridge, who Acoustic Guitar has called "the most-talked-about guitarist in the bluegrass world," a member of The Infamous Stringdusters and occasional guest star with dad Benâ??s legendary combo, The Seldom Scene; bassist Greg Garrison, who has recorded with John Scofield and Vasser Clements, among many others, and regularly sits in with Leftover Salmon; banjo player Noam Pikelny, an alumnus of Leftover Salmon and the John Cowan Band who also appears on label-mate K.D. Langâ??s new disc, Watershed; and fiddle player Gabe Witcher, "a first-call studio player with a big sound and immaculate intonation," according to String magazine, who has been featured, on the Oscar-winning soundtracks of Babel and Brokeback Mountain, among countless other films.



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Punch Brothers - Punch



Artist ....: Punch Brothers

Album .....: Punch

Genre .....: Bluegrass

Label .....: Nonesuch Records

Catalog # .: 181732

Language ..: English



Source ....: CDDA

Grabber ...: EAC v0.95b4

Encoder ...: LAME v3.97 -V2

Bitrate ...: VBRkbps

Size ......: 73,6 MB



Rel. date .: Mar-02-2008

Str. date .:

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[ TRACK LiST ]





THIS IS *NOT* A SUBSTITUDE OF THE ORIGINAL.

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NB TRACKNAMES: LENGHT:



01. Punch Bowl 03:33

02. The Blind Leaving The Blind First Movement 12:15

03. The Blind Leaving The Blind Second Movement 09:24

04. The Blind Leaving The Blind Third Movement 12:00

05. The Blind Leaving The Blind Fourth Movement 08:34

06. Sometimes 04:43

07. Nothing Then 03:05

08. Itll Happen 03:08

56:42 min



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TO THE INVOLVED ARTIST(S): CONSIDER THIS AS A FREE WORLDWIDE PROMO

CAMPAIGN. TO THE END USER, SUPPORT ARTIST(S) OR DEL!

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[ RELEASE NOTES ]



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Album Notes:



Not your granddaddy's bluegrass band, or anyone else's for that

matter.



With Chris Thile fronting the Punch Brothers, expect a recording

drawing inspiration from a wide variety of genres, including the

classical inspired cut The Blind Leaving the Blind, a 40-minute,

four-movement suite.



In addition to Thile, the Punch Brothers includes Chris Eldridge

on guitar, Greg Garrison on bass, Noam Pikelny on banjo and Gabe

Witcher on fiddle.



Selections:

Punch Bowl

The Blind Leaving the Blind Mvt. 1

The Blind Leaving the Blind Mvt. 2

The Blind Leaving the Blind Mvt. 3

The Blind Leaving the Blind Mvt. 4

Sometimes

Nothing, Then

It'll Happen



The band will be on an extended tour as this brief article is

published. Check the Punch Brothers web site below for tour

information.



Genre: bluegrass, newgrass, etc.

Label: Nonesuch Records

Release date: February 26, 2008

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