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When evoking a husband-wife duo artists from Ohio, you may think Over The Rhine, but there is another music gem you should probably consider after this presentation:
Ellery, formerly known as Dividing the Plunder, founded by married couple Tasha and Justin Golden began work in 2005 and hitted the road with their debut release Lying Awake in 2006. Even they are normally described as a duo, Tasha and Justin are accompanied by Ric Hordonski (formerly of Over the Rhine), Amos Heller and Josh Seurkamp. Touring nonstop in support of such acts as Hem, Vienna Teng, Teddy Thompson, Dar Williams, Kyler England and Over the Rhine, they accumulated awards and acclaim and began building a large fan base outside Cincinnati and Ohio.
REVIEW BY http://irritablereaching.blogspot.com/ (December 2008)
Ellery’s latest offering, You Did Everything Right (December 2008), is something of a provisional work, a demo-cum-EP that was not originally conceived as a stand-alone product. In that sense it is less a coherent project than a collection of songs but also their most ambitious project to date: a new album helmed by Grammy-winning producer Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams) due out for an early 2010 release.
The new songs conjure an eclectic and skillful admixture of melodic pop-folk piano. Dreamy, romantic and flawlessly executed, there’s a little Sarah McLachlan here and Over The Rhine too, the sound is familiar but it’s undeniable there are some freshness to these songs, this is probably Ellery’s most mature work to date, which might go without saying but not all of us are graced by Time in the same dignified way. There is a grown-up sensuality here, more caress than climax, more subtly than outright seduction. These songs come to us unfolding slowly, languid and bittersweet, like old friends. We’ve moved beyond the fresh earnestness of “Song for Lovers” or the precocious wide-eyed wonder of “Long Coat On,” which is not to diminish where those earlier offerings found us — or left us.
But there is something almost approaching angst here, something more self-aware and less innocent. What we haven’t left, and never want to leave, is Ellery’s uncanny ability to conjure a whole life in a four-minute pop song, or weave a melody out of what would for others would be just an ostinato. Ellery’s songs have never been pretentious but these are more relaxed and surefooted. They have nothing to prove, and much to offer. They are generous, like lovers.
Of course, there are things that give me pause: the curiously lo-fi toms and guitar sounds on “After”, or the constant dangerous negotiation between distinctiveness and diction in Tasha’s vocals. Any use of chimes skirts the edge of cliche, and it’s hard not to fall on the other side.
But there are other moments that make any liabilities utterly forgiveable. These are small touches — the delightfully jangly tambourine on “What I Need.” And the Rhodes. Dear Lord, the Rhodes — is that real? (Don’t tell me.) The consistently artful and understated drumming. The use of ambience, of space, of delicate textures and evocative soundscapes. “After”’s plaintive harmonies (and it’s good to hear Justin’s voice). Proof that the electric guitar can sound good clean (or mostly so).
Or this:
Darling, don’t be frightened
There are skies under your skin
In a wide array of white and gray
On wild winter winds.
There’s a moment in the title track where the bottom drops out and Tasha is left suspended over almost nothing, vulnerable and naked, which she faces without flinching. And as the song unfolds from that moment, do we actually hear Tasha let her voice crack?
God, that’s fetching.
See and feel the thrill:
* Ellery’s songs have been heard on TV dramas, in Starbucks, and on AAA radio around the country and in the UK.
* Winners of the 2007 Mountain Stage NewSong International Songwriting Contest
* Ellery was nominated for three 2006 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Folk/Americana Band of the Year
* Selected by Paste Magazine in 07 and 08 among 20 up & coming artists, to compete in their RockNReel Contest
* Featured track on 2008’s PBS Road Trip Nation
About the author : Alias is a French self-made-man, multi-talented artist, he is also a music-producer, screen writer and artistic director for films. Read more from this author
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