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MICHAEL NAU

Michael Nau

Accompany

    RIYL: Holy Hive, Dream Sitch, Reverend Baron, Whitney, Damien Jurado, Kevin Morby, Cotton Jones, Cut Worms. Michael Nau is set to release his fifth full length record under Karma Chief Records on Dec 8th. All 11 tracks come together to paint a beautiful picture. The lyrics invoke the listener’s imagination throughout. They’re introspective, but vague and open-ended. The indie rock backdrop shows signs of psych-soul influence with dry and punchy drums, lush synth lines, and tastefully verb-soaked vocal production. Nau’s vocal delivery falls somewhere between crooning to a crowd, telling stories to a loved one, and musing to himself. The singer-songwriter’s relaxed attitude toward making records is discernible in the sound. A while back, veteran producer and engineer Adrien Olsen (The Killers, Lucy Dacus, Fruit Bats), approached him about recording in his Richmond, Virginia-based studio. He called a few old friends that consisted of several long-time collaborators and musicians who had participated in Nau’s various recording and touring efforts over the years. Nau and the band spent five days at Montrose Recording and left with a plan to return and finish up a few months later.

    “After the first session, I took a copy of the recordings with me to overdub a few things at my spot,” Michael shared. “Then, I dumped the whole thing onto a cassette as one long stream of songs.” With the record mostly complete ,the final session at Montrose would consist of some simple overdubs and finishing touches. But somehow, in the months between, he lost the overdubs. “Going into the second session, all I had was the cassette,” Michael explained. The band got back together and performed another batch of songs. At the end of their second session, they had enough music to pick and choose from for the new full-length. “The songs, as they appear on the album, are basically how they were recorded as a live band.”

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: Brittle ballads that are both tenderly delivered and unerringly emotive, with Nau's perfectly reverb-laiden vocal covering it all like a blanket. Mournful in points but always a joy to listen to.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Sharp Diamonds
    2. Painting A Wall
    3. Tiny Flakes
    4. Shiftshaping
    5. And So On
    6. One Morning In Vibrato
    7. Relearn To Boogie
    8. Accompaniment
    9. Comes To Pour
    10. Long Distance Driver

    ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ is the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed album ‘Some Twist’ and its extension ‘The Load’ EP (feat. Natalie Prass).

    The sprawling new album was recorded in guitarist Benny Yurco’s one-bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington, Vermont. Nau and his collaborators had a cool little set up going in Yurco’s spot — drums and bass took over the bedroom, the guitar amp in the bathroom, Nau’s vocals and piano in the living room, and a vibraphone in the kitchen. It’s the first time one of Nau’s records happened all in one place, and “it feels most like a band record than ever before”. Nau and this particular group of musicians held it down together as a true team, which is why Nau named the record in their honour. The songs on this layered record sound sunny and familiar, like sharing stories and worries with a close friend on a late summer day. In a gorgeous and natural way, he contemplates his own process, those feelings of uncertainty. “Making it too hard just comes easier,” Nau croons on ‘Funny In Real Life,’ an exquisite meditation on creation and self. “Truth is such a beautiful force/And every time we find the chorus/There’s no second-guessing the real/I don’t ever know how I feel.” 


    STAFF COMMENTS

    Andy says: The Richard Hawley of Americana returns with another swoonsome collection of mellow classics-in-waiting. Superb, as ever.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Less Than Positive
    2. Shadow On
    3. When
    4. What's A Loon
    5. Far The Far
    6. No Faraway Star
    7. Funny In Real Life
    8. On Ice
    9. Funny Wind
    10. Can't Take One
    11. Smudge

    Michael Nau returns with his new album, Some Twist, on Full Time Hobby. Some Twist is the follow up to 2016’s Mowing and its announcement comes amidst a flurry of recent activity. Two weeks ago, Nau debuted songs from Some Twist on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and headlined two sold out shows on back-to-back nights in Los Angeles. He has received extensive BBC radio play and been selected as a “6 Music Recommends” pick. Oneoff single “Love Survive” cracked the top 50 on Spotify's Global Viral Chart and Elton John has played Nau on his Beats1 show.

    The first single from Some Twist is “Good Thing”. Bright piano and fingerpicked guitar weave together throughout the song with a chorus that swells with feedback fuzz and crashing percussion. Nau’s ever-present sense of humor, one of the hallmarks of his songwriting, gives the song a wry sense of purpose amidst its reflection.

    “His masterful instinct for arrangement, along with his reedy voice, earns Nau a place in the rock’n’roll underdogs’ Hall of Fame.” - Pitchfork

    "A beguiling debut - a warm bath of baroque pop, country and Hazlewood-like balladry" - Uncut

    “Recalls cadences of 1970s Ned Doheny and solo David Byrne, with a hint of Brian Wilson” - The Fader

    "A breezy, laid-back union between country, folk, and classic pop" The Line of Best Fit

    "Intimate and inviting" Q

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Andy says: This gorgeous LP was made in the heat, to be listened to in the heat. Michael Nau is an American singer-songwriter who’s previously been in a couple of bands, but went solo in 2016 with his lovely debut record, ‘Mowing’. It was all good and garnered decent praise, but ‘Some Twist’ is a brilliant progression and something you absolutely need in your life! Conjuring warm, 70s, analogue sounds in a country, folky, gently psychy style, these are supremely melodic songs, beautifully sung. Nau has the sweetest voice which glides between the fruity, deep croon of a more wistful Fred Neil and the light, flutey flightiness of a star-sailing Harry Nilson. Not bad, eh? But it's the texture of the album with its FX laden guitars, beat box grooves, echoes, horns, fuzz and static, which really entrances. You'll think you've stumbled upon a long-lost West Coast, classic LP. You have. But it's Nau!

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Good Thing
    2. I Root
    3. Wonder
    4. How You're So For Real
    5. Scumways
    6. Oh, You Wanna Bet?
    7. Waiting, Too
    8. Scatter
    9. Twelve
    10. The Load
    11. Done Wonder
    12. Light That Ever


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