Thursday, October 1, 2009

Third album from Canadian singer-songwriter Barzin is the best break up record since Sea Change.

Notes To An Absent Lover already acclaimed by Mojo, Uncut, and Q. Album to see US release this month.Watch. Listen. Re-post.

[MP3]Nobody Told Me”: http://tinyurl.com/barzin-nobodytoldme

[VIDEO] “Nobody Told Me”: http://tinyurl.com/barzin-nobodytoldme-video


Reflecting the highs and lows experienced by the human heart in the aftermath of a break-up, Barzin’s third album, Notes To An Absent Lover, balances the introspection of his earlier work with up-tempo orchestral arrangements that provide a richly melodic heartbeat to these glowing confessionals.

“Four Stars. Rarely does sorrow get to sound quite so entrancing or cathartic.” – Q

Personal but never indulgent, the raw honesty of the lyrics details universal themes of sorrow, regret and anger, evoking all the vulnerability and shifting emotions of a failed relationship. From the gentle, grieving steel guitar of “Soft Summer Girls” to the defiant drumbeats of “Look What Love Has Turned Us Into,” Notes To An Absent Lover brings new textures and colours to Barzin’s palette.

“…an intimate, chillingly beautiful reflection on a lost love and its aftermath.” - Mojo

In addition to Karen Graves’ string arrangements, splashes of vibraphone, pedal steel and banjo surface amid the traditional guitars, bass and drums. In harmony with the sentiment guiding them, the musicians display a graceful empathy while Barzin’s voice and words take centre stage. Just as the lyrics eschew symbolism in favour of candour, gone too is the sonic experimentation employed in 2006’s My Life In Rooms, replaced with a more direct style of music and a greater ‘pop’ sensibility.

Notes To An Absent Lover was recorded by Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith) and Jeremy Darby (Pink Floyd, Lou Reed), and mixed by Chad Irschick and Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, New Pornographers).

Artist: Barzin
Title: Notes To An Absent Lover
Label: Monotreme Records
Release: October 13, 2009

Nobody Told Me”: mp3 video

Barzin Links:
EPK
Website

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