Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (21/8)

[Sydneyfan]

From Pitchfork:


Like Genghis Khan and Bill S. Preston Esq. before him, Josh Ritter is primed to embark on an epic journey where no wrongdoer shall be spared. Sure, Ritter's odyssey comes in the form of a singer/songwriter record, but the metaphor still applies.

The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, the 14-track follow up to Ritter's 2006 album The Animal Years, will burn and pillage August 21 courtesy of Sony BMG/Victor.

Ritter, who recently worked a track into the formula of the curmudgeonly medical dramedy House, has a few scattered skirmishes scheduled in the run up to his epic journey. Who knows what manner of beasts there are to fell in the heart of Jacksonville, OR?

Historical Conquests:

01 To the Dogs or Whoever
02 Mind's Eye
03 Right Moves
04 The Temptation of Adam
05 Open Doors
06 Rumors
07 Edge of the World
08 Wait for Love
09 Real Long Distance
10 Next to the Last Romantic
11 Moons
12 Still Beating
13 Empty Heats
14 Wait for Love (You Know You Will)

Not sure about the album title, but he could call it Armpit and I'd still be excited.

[blueone]

Eh, it's funkadelic! :rock

Am looking forward to this record, I am. :upyours

[Starlite]

Great news! I'm looking forward to this too.

[Faded Rose]

What an odd review. Still as a new fan of his (just the Animal Years so far) I shall put it on my "to buy" list.

[foggy]

Exciting.:banana

[Sydneyfan]

Just a heads up from the Josh Ritter fansite for those who are interested in following this album and hearing some early snippets:

But what even Pitchfork doesn't know is this: thanks to Josh, your's truly of the Josh Ritter Fansite was invited along for the entire making of the album, including the recording of it in a remote Maine farmhouse. And it's been documented with not just photographs, but video.
THE JOSH RITTER FANSITE will be the place for Josh's loyal fan community to get sneak peaks, information, and the first listens...
Stay Tuned!

You can find that site here:

http://www.dougrice.net/joshritter.html

[Sydneyfan]

JOSH'S BLOG: Vol. 19 - "New Record!!" -

Hey All!

I am proud to announce the upcoming release of my new record, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, on August 21, 2007! In North America I'm putting the record out with the help of the strong, capable hands of Sony/Victor. Come mid-September, my good friends at Independent Records will roll it out in Ireland and V2 will sick it upon the rest of the unsuspecting world. It's only a little over two months away and it's gonna get busy. Ok, that's the business-y bit.

This record was made in the woods of interior Maine and produced by Sam Kassirer. Lyrically, musically, and in terms of production it's the most adventurous record I've made yet and I think when you hear it you're going to be surprised. Seriously, repeatedly, and in a good way.

So be forewarned! August 21st!

All the Best,
Josh

[Starlite]

So not till September for us then?

[Sydneyfan]

So not till September for us then?

Apparently not. I might just order it from the States anyhow - with our currency so strong at the moment, its tempting.

[Sydneyfan]

Sneak preview of a track from the new album (legal) on YouTube. :banana


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrWL6e1sAJs


I can't listen at the moment, no speakers at work. :downyours

[Rob]

Sounds good, I'm looking forward to this.

[Sydneyfan]

I'm not waiting until "the World" gets its October release. I'm ordering this from the US. :rock

[foggy]

I'm not waiting until "the World" gets its October release. I'm ordering this from the US. :rock

I wouldn't wait either, it's annoying when an album you're looking forward to gets released much earlier somewhere else. I just listened to the clip, very nice. I'm looking forward to the album.

[Sydneyfan]

I wouldn't wait either, it's annoying when an album you're looking forward to gets released much earlier somewhere else. I just listened to the clip, very nice. I'm looking forward to the album.

He normally releases first in Europe (usually Ireland) so the early US release date is a bit unusual. I generally get his albums from Rock Records in Dublin (they often have signed copies and I am a nerd) but this time I'll just go Amazon US I think.

[Quincy]

Looking good. Cheers C.

[Quincy]

BrWL6e1sAJs

[Quincy]

"My orchestra is gigantic"


Show off

[Starlite]

"My orchestra is gigantic"


Show off

He is claiming to having accomplished historical conquests too.

[mango]

this leaked. pig.

[Sydneyfan]

I'm going to wait for the official release, but I'd be interested in hearing any early reviews.

I really like the cover art.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a312/cindydowling/rittercover.jpg

[maleneee]

Anyone know where the best place to order this from the US would be?

[Rob]

I could make that cover in Photoshop :lol

[Faded Rose]

Anyone know where the best place to order this from the US would be?

Maybe Amazon - one thing's for sure I don't want to go with Newbury Comics again - I was very unimpressed.

[Sydneyfan]

I was just went with Amazon this time. It seemed the easiest option.

[maleneee]

I think I'll order it from Amazon then. Once I get paid I will at least.

[Sydneyfan]

Anyone who has heard this have any thoughts/reviews on it?

[trappss1]

Anyone who has heard this have any thoughts/reviews on it?

Just got it...Haven't had a chance to listen...will report back.

[Sydneyfan]

Just got it...Haven't had a chance to listen...will report back.

Thanks. :upyours

[Sydneyfan]

With his, self proclaimed, most adventurous album to date being released next month Josh Ritter must have a slight amount of anxiety after promising such a bold statement. Ritter's previous full lengths have followed folk traditions and rules almost religiously to the rulebook. While 'The Animal Years' captivated many hearts, including my own, its roots and influences were more clear than a solider returning from war.

Ritter promises with his August released LP The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter surprise at his development as a song writer and the album generally. Change is certainly apparent, from the electric guitar begun To the Dogs or Whoever throughout all the highs and lows, change is evident. In the aforementioned album opener Ritter seems to lend less to the folk legends that we had previously seen, and more to the indie-folk stylings of Ray LaMontagne or Josh Rouse. In general the pace has picked up on this record, and the songs fire through with much more direction than they previously had done before.

The Ritter we know and love, is still here, this is still a Josh Ritter album, but its expansion does provide a difference. The old Ritter can be seen throughout tracks such as The Temptation of Adam and one minute forty one instrumental Edge of the World, but these are by no means the tracks you'll skip straight to. Next To The Last Romantic seems to me a logical high point, if not aching a little too much of Bright Eyes in places.

The Historical Conquests... certainly does as Ritter promised show himself at his most adventurous. Whether it will shock or surprise however seems a slight false claim. Yes there is change, clear change between his previous albums and EPs and this outting, but that change isn't hugely significant; it certainly isn't like Dylan's choice to include a full band, which undoubtedly shocked and surprised the world, instead its just perhaps some nice relief. We've seen that Ritter is capable of producing and writing in this much broader way, and while this album is a great album, there is still more that is to come from this singer/songwriter. Musically, this is certainly one of Josh Ritter's conquests, what's next? The edge of the world.

Review from turnthepage blog. I can't post the link because there may or may not be evil MP3s lurking there.

[hildegoat]

Some tour dates have just been announced. Sadly, no Australian or Canadian dates (yet):

http://www.joshritter.com/tour.php

[raisemyglass]

Thanks for the info!!

Just ordered 2 GA tickets for the the October 17th Minneapolis show at the Cedar Cultural Center.:banana

(I had much better luck this time getting tickets than I did trying to get tickets to Ryan's show at the Cedar).:P

[Sydneyfan]

Thanks for the info!!

Just ordered 2 GA tickets for the the October 17th Minneapolis show at the Cedar Cultural Center.:banana

(I had much better luck this time getting tickets than I did trying to get tickets to Ryan's show at the Cedar).:P

Oh, so jealous! I'm sure it will be a great show. Fingers crossed for some Oz and Canadian dates as well. I suspect we will get them eventually.

[Sydneyfan]

Amazon is offering a limited edition 4 track bonus CD with pre-orders. I don't know whether other retailers have a similar offer though.

[clewis]

http://www.joshritter.com/historical/

[Sydneyfan]

To the Dogs or Whoever is outstanding.

[Sydneyfan]

The Amazon editorial review:

You're presently reading about what may be the best album of 2007, hands down, by the most under-accorded American musical genius. Real murmurs, believable ones, came with Josh Ritter's 2006 album, Animal Year, suggesting that the Idahoan is today's Bruce Springsteen, today's Bob Dylan. He's never sounded more the part than on Historical Conquests, the follow-up to Animal. Ritter's tripping over his syllables and allusions on the opener, "To the Dogs or Whoever," dropping biblical and historical images like a fresh-faced Dylan. Except here, Ritter throws in an organ-fueled, ride-cymbal-crashing, drum-hefty clatter. It's majestic, and it's only the first three minutes. Recorded between stints on a never-ending tour, Historical reflects Ritter on the road, quick witted, a master of phraseology and of imagery. Horns show up as color, giving Ritter a soulful vibe on "Right Moves," a raucous funkiness on "Rumors," and a doleful cloudiness on "The Temptation of Adam." More than anything, Ritter here lays claim to absolute singularity--yes, colored by Dylan and Bruce but simultaneously enlivened by something magical and simple and gorgeous. --Andrew Bartlett

[blueone]

I guess it sounds alright....

:P

[Starlite]

AoTY? Sounds very promising :upyours

[Faded Rose]

Newbury Comics has a signed CD cover if you pre-order. It didn't mention any bonus disc.

[60watt]

The bonus disc appears to be with the first pressing...all other stores should have it. Kinda like the Spoon bonus disc...

Gotta love Newbury Comics though...damn...they just keep it coming.

[Sydneyfan]

Just realised Road Records in Dublin also offer the bonus EP, plus "other free stuff" that they haven't finalised yet.

They are very efficient and might possibly be a better bet than Amazon for Euro TBYers.

http://www.roadrecs.com/

Also, it seems that the Amazon bonus EP deal only applies if you order through Amazon US. Its not available through Amazon UK or Canada apparently.

[Sydneyfan]

And the positive reviews just keep on coming....


Josh Ritter
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Sony BMG/Victor

You're looking at the best album of the year. Already a critical darling for the song 'Wings' and last year's Iraq War-tinged The Animal Years, Ritter decided this time out to craft something less serious, lest he wind up America's answer to David Grey. So he hauled up to Maine, put down the guitar and created a piano centric album recorded in the kitchen of his trumpeter. So what happens when you deliberately aim for the unpolished? Well, if you're Josh Ritter, you go supernova. Listening to Historical Conquests must be like what it felt for people who liked Springsteen and then heard Born to Run. It's that moment where you stop thinking of an artist as a "cool singer" and say, "This guy is the voice of something. Something I want in on."

If The Animal Years was out on the plains, Conquests has the feel of an impromptu concert thrown at a roadside stand on some forgotten stretch of Rockies highway. It opens with To the Dogs or Whoever, a Whitmanesque yawlp of a reel that's part ska, part sea shanty and references Joan of Ark, Christ, The Maid of Orleans, Jonah's whale, Casey Jones and a pair of underwear. Mind's Eye is one of those songs you stumble home drunk to, with purpose, right before you decide to set it on fire. Right Moves is very likely to be the single that will turn Josh Ritter into a superstar. It's an upbeat tune about being broken-up and wanting to get back, that's a declarative fanfare. Sample lyric: "I said that we are like the Northern sky/ There are things that come between us that we can't take back and we can't make right/ And you said, I don't know darling, but I'm here with you and we're coming to the chorus now".

This song segues into a piece called The Temptation of Adam, a ballad about a guy and a girl trapped in a nuclear missile fallout shelter that implies the end of the world and also the beginning. It's also a wonderful love song. Open Doors has a great bass and drum line. Rumours is a full out synth and piano that basically renders a large part of the Billy Joel oeuvre irrelevant (in so much as it's styled as the music of angry working folk-- which, you know, it was--once upon a time). It's as driving as a Jack White tune, but where White sings with swagger, Ritter's style is coolly menacing.

Wait For Love takes Ritter back out onto the Plains with his guitar, just to remind you he can. Real Long Distance is the one really goofy song on the album and really the sleeper of the piece. I ignored it the first dozen or so times I heard it, till one day, on the 12 billionth refrain of "It's the real long distance call", I started grinning like crazy. Next to the Last True Romantic is basically going to be the the theme song of The Modern Romantic. Sample lyric: "He's stolen hearts like they're horses and horses when hearts can't be found." It's probably the coolest Western Swing song you will ever hear.

The album nears the end with Empty Hearts, which is really just a plain ol' country song, only by this point it's obvious that Ritter has rediscovered/ saved country from itself. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is cowboy music, to be sure, but it's more than that: It's the sound of America. Out Aug. 21.

http://www.themodernromantic.com/2007/08/snark-week-josh-ritter.html

Apparently Paste has given it a 4.5 out of 5 too. I haven't seen the review yet though.

[Starlite]

And the positive reviews just keep on coming....
Apparently Paste has given it a 4.5 out of 5 too. I haven't seen the review yet though.

So many fantastic reviews :upyours
I really must order it.

[Sydneyfan]

To The Dogs or Whoever video:

Z4aBD0z0iaY

and Minds Eye:

KOx_DrxHVHI

[Sydneyfan]

from joshritter.com

Many of you heard about - and some of you got tickets for - a special show Josh and the band will be doing in New York City this Wednesday (August 22).

Well, now EVERYONE can experience the show when WFUV radio broadcasts it over the airwaves and internet the next day, Thursday August 23rd!

To hear the concert, listen in at 8 pm (eastern) by tuning your radio in the NYC area to 90.7 FM - or from anywhere in the world by streaming it at www.wfuv.org. Stream here: www.wfuv.org/audio/stream.html.

[Quincy]

Nice

[Sydneyfan]

This album is out today in the US. :guitarsolo

[hildegoat]

I'm on my way out to pick it up. :guitarsolo

[Sydneyfan]

Mine is coming from Amazon US so it'll probably be a day or two yet. :downyours

[Rob]

Yahoo Music doesn't have it available for download yet :downyours

[hildegoat]

And my local record store doesn't have it yet, either. They were gonna get it on order, so I'll hopefully get it soon.

[Sydneyfan]

What a miserable bunch of failures we are really.

[Faded Rose]

Mine hasn't arrived yet. Maybe soon. There was a card from the PO thru my letter box today but when I rushed down thinking it was this album it was something entirely different. Was I disappointed or what?

[Sydneyfan]

For those who have heard this, what are your thoughts? I absolutely love it and think it might even surpass The Animal Years.

[foggy]

I think the variation is giving it the edge over The Animal Years for me. I've only listened to it about 3 times so far, but I like it a lot. :upyours

[trappss1]

I need to give it some more listens before putting it ahead of the Animal Years.

[hildegoat]

Aquarium Drunkard has a great little interview with Josh Ritter:
http://aquariumdrunkard.com/2007/08/23/off-the-record-josh-ritter-moscow-id

[foggy]

Aquarium Drunkard has a great little interview with Josh Ritter:
http://aquariumdrunkard.com/2007/08/23/off-the-record-josh-ritter-moscow-id

Thank you! :)

[Faded Rose]

I've just received this today but can't play it until I'm driving tomorrow. No-one lets me play music at home (I have to be on my own). Looking forward to hearing it though - I have the extra disc as well so that's 18 tracks to look forward to.

[maleneee]

Faded Rose, did you order it from Newbury Comics? Because I did, but I havn't got my copy yet, but if you got yours today I suppose mine should be here soon too.

[Faded Rose]

Faded Rose, did you order it from Newbury Comics? Because I did, but I havn't got my copy yet, but if you got yours today I suppose mine should be here soon too.

Yes I did. It arrived quite promptly together with the bonus EP and the signed sheet. I was pleased with their service this time. To be fair to them I think they sometimes have customs problems which Amazon don't have.

I really like it now I've gotten over the disappointed of the first 2 tracks which I think are absolutely horrid. The rest is growing on me with each play but I don't think it's in the same league as Animal Years or even Hello Starling. But there are some very good tracks on there.

[Sydneyfan]

How beautiful is Naked As A Window, from the bonus disc? Love it.

[foggy]

How beautiful is Naked As A Window, from the bonus disc? Love it.

Oh, me too, it's just lovely, reminds me of LC's Chelsea Hotel #2. I like Wildfires even more though, it's my favorite. In fact, I think some of the songs on the bonus disc top the album tracks for me.

[Sydneyfan]

Oh, me too, it's just lovely, reminds me of LC's Chelsea Hotel #2. I like Wildfires even more though, it's my favorite. In fact, I think some of the songs on the bonus disc top the album tracks for me.

Wildfires is wonderful as well - both would have been fully at home on the album.

[Starlite]

Josh is playing at the 9.30 Club for NPR Music on October 9.
The concert will be streamed from ~10 pm ET and will hopefully be available as a podcast afterwards.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14939797

[Sydneyfan]

I thought this was a nice article and a good insight into his writing process and his approach to his fans.

Josh Ritter's last record delved sensitively into the national psyche in an age of war; it was a critical smash and his biggest commercial success to date.

So on the breathless opening track of his follow-up record, the Idaho-based singer-songwriter announces, "I love the way you look in your underwear" - then repeats it in case anyone missed the point.

"If I made another record like 'The Animal Years,' I would end up with three hours' worth of material that was a bit too acerbic, too moody" Ritter says. "Take a look around - the last thing this music world needs now is another moody songwriter."

Instead, he and his friends bashed out a mostly rollicking batch of tunes that became "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," his fifth album and his first for Sony. Ritter and his band perform tonight at Bimbo's in San Francisco.

His former label, V2, went belly up last year on the day he was slated to perform on "The Late Show with David Letterman." When it came time to record again, Ritter was on his own dime and his own schedule. So he and his band headed to a drafty farmhouse in the wintertime in Maine.

"There are all these great places you can go to make records, places to go that are beautiful, but in a way they're like operating rooms," Ritter says. "It feels surgical."

Distractions were few - the place had no phone, no TV, no Internet. And the recreational amenities were as simple as can be: beer and BB guns.

I just think when you have a huge movie catalog and video games and a hot tub, who wants to make records?" Ritter asks.

Ritter, 31, says the early, unexpected success overseas has given him a valuable perspective on his slower build to notoriety in his native land.

"You know, it was fun to see your face on a bus. It kicks ass," Ritter says. "But after a while you see the reason why that is is not because you're so great, it's because someone paid money to have your face put on a bus. That's an important thing to know, and it keeps your feet on the ground."

Ritter says he steers away from singing about himself, preferring to use humor, metaphor and oblique stories.

"I feel like at a certain point if you start writing autobiographically, it's death," Ritter says. "You already have a microphone and guitar in your hand and people came to see you. It becomes a trap - you feel like you're the center of the Copernican Universe."

Worst of all, it's limiting.

"You can't be a gunfighter or a missile silo operator if you're writing from experience," Ritter says.

Anyone who has seen Ritter perform knows the man positively glows with joy while he plays.

"He really, really loves it," says Olsen, whose label also helped launch the careers of acclaimed singer-songwriters Mary Gauthier and Lori McKenna. "That was part of the fun of working with him. He just had a great attitude, he was really smart, and he was really driven, in a way that didn't feel creepy."

Ritter says his joy in performing is perfectly logical.

"People have taken time out of their lives to come and see you play, and that makes it pretty easy to be happy on stage," he says. "I don't believe the world revolves around my music, and I am amazed people take time out of their week with all the stuff they have going on to see me. It seems like a minor miracle to me."

http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_7265622?nclick_check=1

[clewis]

:upyours

Great article, thanks!

[blueone]

I love him. He's so humble. :)

[Sydneyfan]

Yep, me too. Someone on another board went to a Ritter show recently and they were saying that not did he spend over an hour greeting fans after the show, he took the time to ask them questions about themselves, what they did for a living, where they lived....etc. I can't think of too many performers that do that.

[raisemyglass]

"People have taken time out of their lives to come and see you play, and that makes it pretty easy to be happy on stage," he says. "I don't believe the world revolves around my music, and I am amazed people take time out of their week with all the stuff they have going on to see me. It seems like a minor miracle to me."

If only they were all this humble. He is certainly a breath of fresh air to what most musicians have become.

[littleamen]

If only they were all this humble. He is certainly a breath of fresh air to what most musicians have become.

True that. I saw him for the first time about a month ago and it was one of my favorite shows ever. Especially coming on the heals of that turd of a performance that RyRy turned in here.