Josh Rouse - "Subtitulo"
(Nettwerk, 2006)
Josh Rouse has been recording stunningly elemental roots albums since 1998's Dressed Up Like Nebraska, and just when it seems he can't top himself he finds a way. Following up 2004's Nashville would be a tough task for any artist, but having spent the last year in Spain, Rouse has absorbed that nation's culture and music completely. Blending it with his American roots country sound on Subtitulo, Rouse has recorded the best album I've heard this year hands down.
Call him the perfect compliment to artists like Sufjan Stevens. While Rouse's albums are filled with his distinctive arrangements, he prefers to keep things relaxed and intimate, contrary to Stevens' penchant for over-the-top concept arrangements. On Subtitulo, Rouse has crafted the perfect album to listen to straight through. Clocking in at less than forty minutes, it features ten intimate songs that put his newly acquired spanish influences at the forefront. The results are impressive, to say the least.
The album opens with "Quiet Town," an ode to Altea, the Spanish village Rouse first lived in upon arriving in Spain. It is the kind of song Wes Anderson would kill to feature in one of his films, a simple melody that hooks you and won't let go. "It Looks Like Love," the album's third track, gets a bit more funky, setting aside for a moment the sounds of Spain to create a pop number worthy of some serious radio play. Then "La Costa Blanca" provides an instrumental interlude, a laid-back country-rocker that features some well placed steel guitar.
The constant in all of this is Rouse's strong sense of style. He never lets any one part of the music become overpowering. "Jersey Clowns," for example, features a bare-bones acoustic backing, which gives room for Rouse's gentle vocals. Both work together, which gives the song more impact and resonance.
But Rouse keeps one-upping himself. As the album progresses, so does the music. "His Majesty Rides" is a swinging bossa-nova with funk-tinged keyboards providing the backdrop -- until the chorus hits, the drums come in, the bass starts popping and the song kicks into overdrive. The effect is that, by this point, Rouse has taken your mind over completely. The album has done its job. You are his.
He has a few more surprises up his sleeve -- including the disco-pop Sergio Mendes and the Brasil '77-inspired "Givin It Up," and another sultry bossa-nova in "The Man Who" -- then it's time to hit repeat and hear the album again.
In the process of writing this review I heard the album straight through three times, and that doesn't count how many times I heard it this week while thinking about writing. That's the mark of a great album. In the end, Subtitulo stands up as a brilliantly executed album that showcases Rouse's talents fully without ever overpowering the listener. The entire album is worth hearing over and over; each song is multi-layered, deserving more time to fully sink in.
Last year March brought me Regina Spektor's brilliantly conceived Soviet Kitsch, which held my top spot through the rest of 2005. I fully expect Subtitulo to do the same for 2006.
Links
http://www.joshrouse.com/
http://www.myspace.com/joshrouse
Josh will be playing Park West in Chicago on April 13.
Josh Rouse has been recording stunningly elemental roots albums since 1998's Dressed Up Like Nebraska, and just when it seems he can't top himself he finds a way. Following up 2004's Nashville would be a tough task for any artist, but having spent the last year in Spain, Rouse has absorbed that nation's culture and music completely. Blending it with his American roots country sound on Subtitulo, Rouse has recorded the best album I've heard this year hands down.
Call him the perfect compliment to artists like Sufjan Stevens. While Rouse's albums are filled with his distinctive arrangements, he prefers to keep things relaxed and intimate, contrary to Stevens' penchant for over-the-top concept arrangements. On Subtitulo, Rouse has crafted the perfect album to listen to straight through. Clocking in at less than forty minutes, it features ten intimate songs that put his newly acquired spanish influences at the forefront. The results are impressive, to say the least.
The album opens with "Quiet Town," an ode to Altea, the Spanish village Rouse first lived in upon arriving in Spain. It is the kind of song Wes Anderson would kill to feature in one of his films, a simple melody that hooks you and won't let go. "It Looks Like Love," the album's third track, gets a bit more funky, setting aside for a moment the sounds of Spain to create a pop number worthy of some serious radio play. Then "La Costa Blanca" provides an instrumental interlude, a laid-back country-rocker that features some well placed steel guitar.
The constant in all of this is Rouse's strong sense of style. He never lets any one part of the music become overpowering. "Jersey Clowns," for example, features a bare-bones acoustic backing, which gives room for Rouse's gentle vocals. Both work together, which gives the song more impact and resonance.
But Rouse keeps one-upping himself. As the album progresses, so does the music. "His Majesty Rides" is a swinging bossa-nova with funk-tinged keyboards providing the backdrop -- until the chorus hits, the drums come in, the bass starts popping and the song kicks into overdrive. The effect is that, by this point, Rouse has taken your mind over completely. The album has done its job. You are his.
He has a few more surprises up his sleeve -- including the disco-pop Sergio Mendes and the Brasil '77-inspired "Givin It Up," and another sultry bossa-nova in "The Man Who" -- then it's time to hit repeat and hear the album again.
In the process of writing this review I heard the album straight through three times, and that doesn't count how many times I heard it this week while thinking about writing. That's the mark of a great album. In the end, Subtitulo stands up as a brilliantly executed album that showcases Rouse's talents fully without ever overpowering the listener. The entire album is worth hearing over and over; each song is multi-layered, deserving more time to fully sink in.
Last year March brought me Regina Spektor's brilliantly conceived Soviet Kitsch, which held my top spot through the rest of 2005. I fully expect Subtitulo to do the same for 2006.
Links
http://www.joshrouse.com/
http://www.myspace.com/joshrouse
Josh will be playing Park West in Chicago on April 13.
posted by Jonathan Sanders @ 10:21 PM
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