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 A few days ago, the Punch Brothers released their fourth full-length album "The Phosphorescent Blues," marking, yet again, a new direction in their sound; if you were basing your expectations on their previous work, then prepare for them to be subverted. There are two classical pieces on the album (not Bach!) and the instrumentation on most of the tracks includes drums. Many reactions are that if it has drums, then it's not bluegrass music, but the Punch Brothers stopped playing bluegrass a long time ago... But first, let's back up a little.  The Punch Brothers are a project headed by Chris Thile, of Nickel Creek fame. After they went on indefinite hiatus (until recently when they briefly toured again after releasing their album "A Dotted Line"), Thile formed The Punch Brothers with fiddler Gabe Witcher, Noam Pikelny on banjo, guitarist Chris Eldridge, and Greg Garrison on bass, to be replaced by Paul Kowert. Their first album, Punch, contains a 40 minute classical/improvised/composed chamber music suite for bluegrass instruments, initially met with mixed reviews, as seen in the documentary "How To Grow A Band," which followed the band on their first tour from the British Isles to Carnegie Hall. Punch is dark and uncomfortable, coming from Thile's dark place (his divorce, which he was quick to remind us of at every turn). If Punch was inaccessible as a bluegrass record, their sophomore release certainly didn't do anyone any favors. Antifogmatic is very Avant Garde by any means. Even the band, in hindsight, admits that giving everyone full reigns of the compositional aspect of the record might have been a little much. The idea was that a member would play an idea he had and then the band would build a song around it. The result is a record that meanders... a lot. But there are some gems on it, still. "Who's Feeling Young Now?" was their most mainstream effort to date. Poppy songs with great hooks and a cohesiveness that was missing in their previous album. WFYN still has that anxious, fidgety feeling to it, but is way more accessible than their previous efforts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1XkZiwU7yk  Somewhere around this time, Chris Thile wrote a mandolin concerto, became a MacArthur Fellow and received a $500,000 MacArthur Genius Grant for playing the mandolin awesome, released some side projects from traditional bluegrass songs, Bach sonatas arranged for solo mandolin, recorded with Edgar Meyer and played in The Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo-Yo Ma. He's also remarried, which might explain the tone of his new record. The Phosphorescent Blues is melancholy, sad, and content at the same time. "Julep" is about a man looking back at a happy life from above. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppn7eQSBdJQ Even if their songs don't always hit the mark, the Punch Brothers are so drat atmospheric, I always find something new each listen. I'm so in awe of them being able to will the music from their instruments, I see them every time they come to town. "The Blind Leaving The Blind" is a brilliant piece of 21st century classical music and the players that realized it are really, really good. Anyway, if you want to, or ever heard of them, talk about Punch Brothers and their sphere of influence, like Aoife O'Donovan, Sarah Jarosz, Mike Marshall, Hunger Games OST etc etc...
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Jan 30, 2015 07:06
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So glad to see this thread. Punch Brothers have always been that band I listen to and love every album they make. Then I "forget" about them and when I check them out again there's a new album out already to digest. I found out about TPB the day before it came out. Every album they have made has been a wonderful mix of relaxing/studying/sleeping/chilling music. It's always calm and cool  Which I know is a little weird considering the themes of the albums sometimes.e. I missed that you mentioned the Julep thing already. Guess I was right lol Skeezy fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Jan 30, 2015 |
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Jan 30, 2015 15:44
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The Punch Brothers are having a listening party/Q&A on Facebook starting at 6pm, if you really want to get involved with the new album. I guess everybody presses play at the same time and the boys will Answer your Questions. My Classes tonight are cancelled again because of more snow in the Northeast, so I'll get to listen along!
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Jan 30, 2015 23:29
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Your post doesn't mention the first real punch brothers album, even though they weren't calling themselves Punch Brothers yet. Chris Thile's solo album "How To Grow a Woman From the Ground" was recorded with the same roster of musicians from "Punch." At the time they were alternately calling themselves "The How to Grow a Band" and "The Tensions Mountain Boys." In some ways more accessible than their subsequent stuff. Really digging TPB. I was trying to describe it to my dad in terms of a new direction for them, and the closest thing I could compare it to is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco.
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Jan 31, 2015 05:22
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An entire live show and interviews. The musicianship is as stunning as I remember. https://youtu.be/tsfZ_C4PrkQ
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May 2, 2015 08:39
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