|
| |
The Autumn Defense
The Autumn Defense
(Broadmoor)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2007, Volume 14, #1
Written by John Metzger
Jeff Tweedy may be the dominant force in Wilco,
but the triumphs that The Autumn Defense achieved with its sophomore set Circles
certainly lends a lot of credence to the idea that there is at least one other force at work within the
Chicago-based outfit. The 13 tracks that fill The Autumn Defense’s
astonishingly beautiful, self-titled third album firmly reinforce this notion.
Once again, The Autumn Defense, which was born from a collaboration between
John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, didn't make an attempt to mask its affinity for
the kind of stylistically tranquil pop to which AM radio DJs typically
gravitated during the 1960s and early 1970s. Where Circles occasionally
suffered from an approach that was too insular and lightweight for its own good,
The Autumn Defense gave the material on its eponymous effort more
room to breathe. As a result, the ensemble strikes a better balance
between Southern California's eternal sunshine and the dreary
winters of the Midwest.
Even so, there’s still no escaping The Autumn Defense’s influences: This
Will Fall Away bears hints of Steely Dan’s sophisticated jazz-pop, while
bits of The Byrds are sprinkled throughout We Would Never Die. Elsewhere,
City Bells affixes David Crosby’s airy, folk-infused flights to a bossa
nova groove that is plucked straight from Antonio Carlos Jobim’s endeavors;
Where You Are takes root in the gentle yearning of Graham Nash’s soft
balladry; Wintertight is a direct descendant of The Beach Boys’ Good
Vibrations; and Estate Remains, one of the finest songs on the
self-titled affair, adopts a cheerful, Paul McCartney-esque stride that is
reminiscent of a subdued version of XTC’s You’re the Wish You Are I Had.
In other words, much like Circles, The Autumn Defense’s self-titled
outing is more a triumph of its arrangements and its production than it is of
the band’s ability to pen a song. Nevertheless, this time, there are more
moments to be found when Stirratt and Sansone’s increasingly melodic intonations
collide in a rather wonderful fashion with their wide-sweeping ambitions. In the
end, the ensemble definitely stands as one of the better side projects on
record, and considering the growth and maturity that the group has shown over
the course of its three releases, The Autumn Defense clearly is on the verge of
matching the brilliance of Wilco’s work, note for note.  ½
The Autumn Defense is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
|
