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Michael Nau – Accompany (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 45:19 minutes | 531 MB | Genre: Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Karma Chief Records
Since the mid 2000’s, he’s crafted a catalog of thoughtful, reflective songs as the frontman of indie-rock mainstays Cotton Jones, Page France, and Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread. All 11 tracks come together to paint a beautiful picture. The lyrics invoke the listener’s imagination throughout. They’re introspective, but vague and open-ended. The indie rock backdrop shows signs of psych-soul influence with dry and punchy drums, lush synth lines, and tastefully verb-soaked vocal production. Sweeping string arrangements and French horn runs add cinematic motion to the waltz-y “Shiftshaping” (track 4). Slide guitar and a shuffling snare drum add some get-up-and-go to “Painting a Wall” (track 2). Nau’s vocal delivery falls somewhere between crooning to a crowd, telling stories to a loved one, and musing to himself. The singer-songwriter’s relaxed attitude toward making records is discernible in the sound. A while back, veteran producer and engineer Adrien Olsen (The Killers, Lucy Dacus, Fruit Bats), approached him about recording in his Richmond, Virginia-based studio. For the first time in a while, Michael had some sessions on the calendar. He called a few old friends and put together a band. “I didn’t have much of a plan before Adrien reached out, so I wrote some songs specifically for the session,” Michael explained. “I was thinking about what would be fun to play with this specific group of guys.”The band consisted of several long-time collaborators and musicians who had participated in Nau’s various recording and touring efforts over the years. “It had been a while since I’d made music in a room with other people,” Michael shared. “We just sort of started playing and didn’t really talk about what was happening.” The combo’s newfound chemistry was a primary source of inspiration and, with the help of Olsen, ultimately led to an album’s-worth of music.
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Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread – Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 40:48 minutes | 436 MB | Genre: Indie Folk, Folk Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Full Time Hobby
Michael Nau has well and truly taken off since his departure from Page France and Cotton Jones. His path has taken him to more folksy music. With his romantic crooner voice, he distinguishes himself in this mid-tempo alternative country with groovy tones. A melancholic poet, he juggles with emotions in the room of guitarist Benny Yurco, in Vermont, where Michael Nau & the Mighty Thread was recorded. No doubt, it is truly the sequel to Some Twist, his solo album from 2017. The guitars perform in a humpback song with distortions that get lost into echos ( Can’t Take One). Nau mixes with the worlds of Fred Neil, Tim Hardin or Richard Hawley. There’s no temporal marker here, but a blend of past, present and future. This songwriter with poetic phrasings even tries his hand at Southern soul for his last title Smudge. Is there anything better when you talk about love, memories and loneliness? – Clara Bismuth
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