stereophile.com n August2019 121
RECORD REVIEWSTHE DOVE & THE WOLF
Conversations
Dave Hartley and the Dove & the Wolf, prods.;
Nick Krill, eng. DDD. TT: 39:51
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
The Dove & the Wolf declare that they
are here to help: “To discuss your bad
habits. To consider emotional starva-
tion. To examine the intricacies of
falling in love.” They’ve been honing
their self-described “therapeutic” col-
laboration for several years, stemming
from a deep French-American friend-
ship that goes back a decade. Though
they’ve tested the waters with a few
EPs on Bandcamp, duo Louise Hayat
and Paloma Gil describe Conversations
as their debut album.
The results of this salutary mind-
meld are soothing layers of dreamy
and comforting vocal harmonies.
Opening track “Queens” quickly
establishes a rich, caramel mood as the
fretless bass and acoustic drums slowly
propel interlocking electric guitars.
And then we receive our first dose
of those purring voices, perpetually
placid as they purposely slide the notes
up and down.
Their cover of 10cc’s “I’m Not in
Love” (released as a one-off, not on
Conversations, regrettably) is also worth
seeking out on Bandcamp.com. If
you’re familiar with that 1970s clas-
sic, you’ll quickly orient to the Dove
& the Wolf’s alternative sensibility.
Other tracks on Conversations, such as
my personal favorite, “Orion,” recall
the narcotic flow of French down-
tempo duo Air, no doubt an influence
absorbed during Hayat and Gil’s time
living in Paris.
The album was recorded live in a
week during a cold winter in Phila-
delphia and co-produced with Dave
Hartley (The War On Drugs, Carter
Burwell). Still, they’ve managed to lay
down an incredibly warm and susur-
rate soundscape, one that begs the
listener to get close and cuddly. I feel
better already.— Jon IversonJAMESTOWN REVIVAL
San Isabel
Jamestown Revival Recordings JRR-047 (FLAC).
2019.
Jamestown Revival and Jamie Mefford, prods.
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
A note to readers who fondly remem-
ber the days of soaring folk/country
vocal harmonies—the Everlys, the
Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young—
but don’t know where to turn for
fresh music: There’s currently a crop
of young’uns doing great work: Band
of Horses, Milk Carton Kids, Kings
of Convenience, First Aid Kit. All are
easy to find on Tidal or YouTube. Add
Jamestown Revival to that list.
This is their third long player.
Compared to their previous album,
The Education of a Wandering Man, JR
has turned down the “raucous” two
notches and the “country twang”
three (which leaves quite a bit still
intact, however), making all the
difference to my West Coast ears.
Their move from Magnolia, Texas, to
California was apparently both musi-
cal as well as corporeal. Left behind
are the electric guitars and two-step
formula country, replaced on the new
album with woody acoustic instru-
ments, resonant harmonies, and subtle
ambient touches.
Their new home state gets name-
checked here and there, most sig-
nificantly in the cover of the Mamas
and the Papas’ “California Dream-
ing.” Jamestown Revival invoke the
desaturated gray feeling this timeless
composition needs, with a cold, dry
wind blowing through the arrange-
ment, in contrast to the shimmering
dayglo orange original. Brrrrr.
The vocals are mixed front and
center and are a bit compressed at
times when the singers project, lending
a midrange-forward quality. Apart
from that, the production is clean and
perfunctory. You’ll want this for the
stellar harmonies and arrangements,
not transcendent sound.— Jon IversonANDERS OSBORNE
Buddha and the Blues
Back on Dumaine Records BODR012 (CD). 2019.
Chad Cromwell, prod.; Niko Bolas, eng. TT: 38:28
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
Back in the 1970s, American rock
was dominated by two production
styles. One approach, typified by the
southern California sound, was the
result of meticulous studio craft in
which multiple tracks were recorded
discretely, burnished to perfection,
and assembled with the precision of a
luxury automobile. The other, punkier
aesthetic championed DIY production
values and lent a rattling, hard-edged
immediacy to recordings.
For 30 years, Anders Osborne has
produced his own albums in something
closer to the latter style, his confessional
songs recorded with plenty of distortion
and lengthy, emotional instrumental
exposition, suggesting the sound of a
live band. After a three-year hiatus, Os-
borne decided to make what he calls his
California album, Buddha and the Blues,
produced by Chad Cromwell (who
also plays drums). The band features
California studio ace Waddy Wachtel
on guitar, Bob Glaub on bass, Ben-
mont Tench on keyboards, and Windy
Wagner on backing vocals. Cromwell’s
sound evokes the Neil Young aes-
thetic—rough-edged on “Alone,” then
smooth as silk on “Fields of Honey.”
Cromwell builds tracks around his
meticulous drum sound, making sure
all parts are well placed in the sonic
picture and solos are kept terse. Tex-
tures are created by layers of contrast-
ing guitar parts—Wachtel’s tasteful,
no-effects electric licks on one channel,
Osborne’s acoustic on the other, with
leads, fills, and slide parts added in
support of Osborne’s close-miked
high tenor vocals, lending to songs like
“Traveling With Friends” a decidedly
Joe Walsh feel.— John Swenson
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