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Josh Rouse 19724/16/2021
From his first album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, in 1998, he has won critical acclaim.Rouse lived in various places in Midwest America during his childhood due to his fathers military career.Following his time at Austin Peay State University, he eventually settled down in Tennessee, where he met some local musicians and began recording.Signing to the Rykodisc subsidiary Slow River, in 1998, Rouse issued his debut album, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, to widespread critical acclaim; upon settling read more.
![]() Great sound, no crack, no pop(only at the end of last song of lp, its often normal). A great pressing. Josh Rouse 1972 Series Because IYou may have come across a bad series because i have no problem. I thought i had a bad setting at the time on my device since it was one of the first vinyl i purchased. Unlistenable. Which is unfortunate, because I adore this album. ![]() His last effort, 2002s Under Cold Blue Stars, made a flailing attempt to paste together the story of a Midwestern couples liaisons, circa 1950s, within the context of his straightforward, warm-blooded pop and permissive sensibilities. His latest is twice as cohesive and markedly easier on the intake. Despite a few aberrant wince-worthy moments, which Ill generously chalk up as acceptable losses given that hes chosen throwback 70s strains as this albums vehicle of assault, 1972 finds Rouse winding a tight ball of earnest, insouciant pop balladry. It just may be the most obvious-- even contemporarily fatuous-- listen Ive encountered all year. Most akin to his early, late-90s material, the song tosses off a dreamy narrative of utopian imperfection about life in its titular year: marooned, unemployed, getting high, and shooting pool. Comfortably sprinkled with subtle percussion and light strings, its the most acoustic-based track on the record-- and though it might be aimed at a generation three or four removed from his own, it speaks in timeless divulgence. The single, Love Vibration, bounces a nostalgic eight-track beat with some synth work and light horn arrangements before giving way to a sax solo (). Which speaks to one of the records best traits; In each song, 70s-tinged red flags (flute solos, vibraphones, background singers, disco string loops, etc) find a place to settle in, but Rouse minimizes any potential damage by using them sparingly, squeezing highly effective hints of earnestness and atmosphere from them before sending them hurtling back into whatever vintage hellhole spat them out. James, meanwhile, is a veritable lost 70s soft-rock relic, and one of the only tracks to showcase Rouses mercurial falsetto. Although not utilized to its fullest here, his voice transforms to fill the needs of the song, showing that, while sometimes the least compelling aspect of his songs, it can be made the centerpiece when necessary. He ends the album on a fine note, though, with the symphonic Rise, calling to mind early Damien Jurado (if he could sing) and some of the Pernice Brothers more lightly conceptualized moments. ![]()
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