{"id":22887,"date":"2014-12-02T13:15:13","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T21:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=22887"},"modified":"2014-12-02T13:24:26","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T21:24:26","slug":"the-best-album-of-2015-phosphorescents-live-at-the-music-hall-listen-to-track-los-angeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2014-12\/the-best-album-of-2015-phosphorescents-live-at-the-music-hall-listen-to-track-los-angeles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Album of 2015: Phosphorescent’s “Live At The Music Hall”–Listen To Track “Los Angeles”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DOC093\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s high time for our annual wank.\u00a0 It’s only December 2nd (ferheavensake), and the barrage of Best of 2014<\/strong> music lists is raining down like the (rare) storm outside our windows.\u00a0 There remain a month’s worth of albums to be released in 2014, but the gun-jumpers need to rush their lists to you so that…what?\u00a0 They can be first-read?\u00a0 They can assist with your holiday shopping?\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 As usual, we will wait until the year is actually over.\u00a0 But to jump on the band wagon, and get a jump on the gun-jumpers (and based mostly on our repeated listening to Los Angeles<\/strong> <\/em>below), we hereby give you the Best Album of 2015<\/strong>: Phosphorescent’s<\/a> Live At The Music Hall.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In our book, Phosphorescent<\/strong> can do no wrong.\u00a0 We continue to be impressed by Matthew Houck<\/strong> and his crew (guitarist\/pedal steel player Ricky Ray Jackson<\/strong>, pianist Scott Stapleton<\/strong>, drummer Christopher Marine<\/strong>, bassist Rustine Bragaw<\/strong>, percussionist David Torch<\/strong> and organ\/keyboards player Jo Schornikow<\/strong>).\u00a0 The honesty of Houck’s vocals, wedded to great songwriting and inspired playing, always win us over.\u00a0 We also are repeatedly astonished by Houck’s<\/strong> way with cover songs (see HERE<\/strong><\/a>).\u00a0 But we’ve only managed to catch Phosphorescent<\/strong> live just once (outstanding? bien sur!) and continue to have past-conflict regrets.\u00a0 So we were thrilled today when word came down that Phosphorescent<\/strong> will release Live At The Music Hall<\/em> <\/strong>on February 17th<\/strong> on Dead Oceans<\/strong>.\u00a0 The album was culled from the band’s four-night stand at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg<\/strong> in Brooklyn at the end of 2013.\u00a0 Friends of ours attended and raved, and we were sorely jealous.\u00a0 During that stand, Houck<\/strong> fronted his seven-piece band, plus added string trio, and raged on while being recorded (he also performed solo one night).\u00a0 From 10 hours of recording, 19 tracks were carefully culled to make up the three-album set (see the tracklist at bottom).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Houck<\/strong> was evidently inspired by live albums such as Bob Dylan\u2019s Hard Rain<\/em><\/strong> (and we might suggest The Band’s Rock of Ages<\/em><\/strong>, one of the best live albums ever released).<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> Accordingly, Houck<\/strong> elected to present songs from his entire career rather than just a “greatest hits” compendium, and to play them in their evolved (rather than original) state.\u00a0 So the album’s songs range from over 10 years and four Phosphorescent<\/strong> albums.\u00a0 \u201cPlaying those four shows, it was clear something special was going on,\u201d says Houck<\/strong>. \u201cAfter eight months of touring, we\u2019d gotten to a really good point where we weren\u2019t quite exhausted yet with the material, but we\u2019d had enough time to really grow with the songs. So we were in that sweet spot where we were pulling something great out of the songs every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based in part on their incendiary (yet dynamic and nuanced) take below on song Los Angeles<\/strong><\/em> (from Here\u2019s To Taking It Easy<\/em><\/strong>), we have no doubt that Live At The Music Hall<\/em><\/strong> will be one of the best, if not THE Best Albums of 2015.\u00a0 <\/strong>It’s also not a great leap of faith for us given that 2013’s Muchacho<\/strong><\/em> was our No. 4 Best Album<\/strong><\/a> of that incredibly-strong album-year.\u00a0 Listen below to the 10-minute-plus transformation of Los Angeles<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Whatever you do, hang in until the 8:13 mark<\/strong> to hear the band truly take flight with blazing playing (Marine’s<\/strong> drumming is particularly inspired), Houck’s<\/strong> emphatic vocals and yelps, and the band’s burgeoning background vocals.\u00a0 Outstanding work by the ensemble that bodes incredibly well for the album.\u00a0 We can’t wait.<\/p>\n