@mrjinks, I thought you might be interested in some follow up. I've been listening on and off to Ms Gilmore's catalogue since you drew her to my attention. While I can't share your devotion, there's much to like in her work and I've pulled together a play list I thought I'd share. Sugar Pontiac to a Home Girl Into the Blue Rags and Bones Avalanche Mainstream Apparition #13 God Knows Eight Months Dance in New York Icarus Wind Breathe You Spin Me Right Round Midwinter Toast Cold Coming That'll Be Christmas Listen the Snow is Falling December in New York Automatic Blue Coffee and Roses How the Love Gets In Mexico Wondrous Thing Down to Nowhere Tear it All Down I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine And We'll Dance Cover Me Beautiful Day Regardless Love Came Looking For Me Coming Back to Me My Friend Goodbye Thoughts?
Hey, I'm pretty happy to see you've added close to three dozen of her cuts to your collection! Your tastes seem a little more geared towards her slower music - I like the peppier stuff a bit more - but you've definitely grabbed a bunch of my favorites. Very pleased to see you're enjoying some of it! I know she's working on a new album presently, and I hope we'll see it before year-end. You can place a secure bet that I'll start a thread on it here when there's more to report!
I gave that song a listen, and yeah it's pretty good! The lyrics take concepts from all over the place (sort of like Elvis Costello might) and it's a hard-driving rhythmic track that still sounds half acoustic and half rock. Very nice. My only question is, who is it actually by? Two acts joined as one for the purpose?
The track is Thea's. One of her earliest from when she was 20 or so. The version linked above was a remake with the other artist, from a retrospective that was issued about a year ago. Costello is an apt comparison, I think! Glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah, I found some of her "peppier" stuff a bit too forced. That's possibly to do with her accent: it's hard to imagine a posh girl from leafy Oxfordshire as a rock and roll hero. Not a feeling I'm proud of, but it was just something I found it hard to get past. I do think she's better when she gets all thoughtful and moody. In all honesty, there were a lot more songs that were very passable and several albums had enough passable songs that missed "the cut" to have me think about buying on CD.
I was thinking of bumping this thread to keep it alive, but without any real reason. However, my favorite (non-geriatric) songwriter has given me a reason. She sent out an email today that read, in part: My last few records had contained songs about love, relationships, parenthood, personal circumstances - but for the first time in a decade I knew I was making an album of songs which were my take on the tone of the times, the social and dare I say political climate... and by September we were living in a changed world. Having felt that my new batch of songs presented a cohesive statement, suddenly - in amidst shock, numbness and bewilderment about all that had gone down - came a feeling that there was more I needed to say. This gets me very excited to hear what I expect will be a new album in the very near future. But in the meantime, she released a new song today, largely inspired by the UK parliament member gunned down by a right-wing nutjob over there, called "The War". Some nice lyrics in there about trying to persevere in these difficult times: In the tide of hate Throw down the counterweight Tear up that flag and say You’re worthy of more ... You can cut that stem But wild flowers grow again All you can do is just tend to them And know that you tried
The four or five Thea fans on this board might have missed my news about her new song from a few days ago, so I'll bump this thread. Here's a little holiday cheer from Thea's winter album (you can't call it a Christmas album if the artist's a non-believer, right? ). My kind of holiday song. Hot wine and a Christmas tree The Sound of Music and the family Faith, hope and gluttony That'll be Christmas There's a choir of angels A choir of soaks And there's drunk relations telling dirty jokes Oh no
Thea's back. The new single is perhaps a bit "pop" for my tastes on first listen, but if that gets her music to a wider audience, I can only think that's a good thing. Out June 2nd: A few words from her website on the new disc: ...she is back with The Counterweight, an album full of passion and disdain, an album that often muses on the rapid change in the social and political landscape that 2016 engendered. When finishing "The Counterweight" in September, Thea was impelled to look back at the recording period through spring and summer, the tumultuous times that were its backdrop. She reflected on singing ‘Reconcile’ as Britain voted to leave the EU, and recording ‘Johnny Gets A Gun’ three days after the Orlando shooting. That June day was also, most harrowingly of all, the day when the world watched the tragedy of Jo Cox's murder unfold: at the eleventh hour this became the inspiration for the final track ‘The War’, with the first and last verses written about Jo specifically. Thea quotes “I was throwing a cautionary message in a bottle into the shifting tide, but also singing a reminder that acts of kindness and humanity are never in vain: ‘You can cut that stem, but wild flowers grow again, all you can do is just tend to them and know that you tried’” “I’d finished the album pretty much. All the **** that had gone down in 2016, the world changing moments… everything had shifted and this song fell out of me on one of the last mix days. The first and last verses directly reference Jo Cox …and in between I like to think it shines a light on these dark days, but also offers resilience.” The track is also possibly the mission statement of the album, a call-to-arms on the negativity and bleakness of the 2017 social terrain mesmerized by fake news and futility. The Counterweight tries to be exactly that. A redressing of the balance, a tool of pressure, an exertion of opposite force and as such, a flag of hope.
A great favorite of mine! I have nine of her albums. One of the best lyricists out there. The Elvis Costello comparison is apt. A once in a generation talen.
You're missing a few - get cracking! ;-) Nice to discover a fellow admirer... A couple more quotes I like from the press stuff: “I find the best way to ram a point home is to mask what you’re doing by making people sing along,” says Thea. “It’s like subliminal advertising. People don’t realise you’re shouting at them if you’re singing a sunny tune. “There are ballads on the album, but they’re uplifting rather than mournful. A songwriter’s job is to get people thinking, not make them so despondent they don’t act. You may as well stick your head in the oven right now if you can’t see a crack of light in dark times. "My approach to songwriting has changed dramatically. At 23, my aim was to weave in as many words as possible and make them look like they were doing a little jig. Now I’m all about brevity. I think the space tells as much of the story.”
Vinyl is planned according to her posting on Facebook yesterday. I'd love some of her previous albums to be released on vinyl. I think the double-LP compilation was the only vinyl release so far...
Odd that another of my favorite songwriters has now issued a single simply titled "New" (after McCartney a few years ago). The studio version is maybe a little overdone, imo, and I quite dislike the video for the song, but she performed a nice acoustic version on the BBC this week, so I'll bump this thread with that recording...
Four star review in the UK's Independent: Thea Gilmore, The Counterweight ★★★★☆ Download: Reconcile; Fall Together; New; The War On her best album in years, Thea Gilmore darts back and forth between sharp, intelligent pieces on dark themes – depression, loneliness, murder – and more positive songs about love and hope. Though even the latter temper the enthusiasm with doubt, as in her befuddlement at writing “Another Damn Love Song”: “I’m not meant to be this light/I’m sarcasm and dynamite”. “Slow Fade To Black” characterises depression as a sort of occupying force, its arrangement of piano, strings and fatalistic beat embodying the lurking portent, just as the piano rocking back and forth through “Fall Together” evokes the wretched, knee-clutching torment of the emotionally ravaged. At her darkest, Gilmore offers astute reflections on the Orlando club massacre and Jo Cox’s murder in “Johnny Gets A Gun” and “The War”, balanced by the exuberant rebirth of spirit celebrated in “Sounds Good To Me” and “New”. Best of all is “Reconcile”, which presents a sour survey of dubious modern with engaging pop charm: in any decent world, it’d be a summer stadium anthem.
checked out a lot of stuff from this thread, thanks to all the posters. may be preaching to the choir, but i would highly recommend patty griffin to anyone who enjoys thea. if thea is comparable to elvis costello, imo patty is comparable to dylan and prine. she's that good, but doesn't seem to get a lot of love on these forums.
As I alluded to before, the Boss is a fan (from Variety.com): During the course of Variety’s cover-story interview with Bruce Springsteen, we asked who some of his favorite contemporary songwriters are. “Let me get my computer and get it for ya,” he replied, and duly went back to the house and returned with his laptop. He put on an awesome pair of octagonal, Benjamin Franklin-esque reading glasses and began scrolling through his iTunes, commenting or singling out albums for some artists, for others just saying “I like them.” What follows is an edited version of the ensuing comments and conversation. Steve Earle “One of the greatest. I listen to him a lot — he’s always writing songs I wish I’d written.” Brian Fallon [from Gaslight Anthem] Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” soundtrack “An incredible creation, the show was fantastic” Lana Del Rey “I love her, especially the extended version of her first record [“Born to Die: The Paradise Edition”]. Iron & Wine [veteran American indie band led by Sam Beam] Thea Gilmore [British singer-songwriter] Dry the River [British rock band] Jakob Dylan “He’s done some good writing, especially on [‘Women + Country’], the record he made with T Bone Burnett.” Ben Harper [veteran American singer-songwriter] Antony and the Johnsons’ “I Am a Bird Now” album The National “I’m a big fan, and my son [Evan] is a huge fan.” Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo” album “I thought that was an amazing creation, especially the arrangements.” Sufjan Stevens “He’s great.” Frank Turner [British singer-songwriter] Lucinda Williams “She’s fabulous.” Rumer [British singer-songwriter] Sam Amidon [American singer-songwriter] Magnetic Fields’ “69 Love Songs” album “I love a lot of Stephin Merritt’s records, but especially that one.”
