Balletesque: The Young Republic: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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Audio CD (12 Oct 2009)
Number of Discs: 2
Label: End Of The Road Records
ASIN: B002OHQNLC
Other Editions: Vinyl | MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 209,675 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Album number two from The Young Republic comes hot on the heels of the summer’s Recession Special EP and sees the Tennessee six-piece surviving a change of drummer in late 2008.

Balletesque pirouettes with an almost nonchalant ease through shadow-cast, menace-edged tales of errant salesmen, bootleggers, preachers, outlaws and assorted misfits, all of whom are brought to flesh-and-blood life against a pointedly assembled backdrop of musical references.

Dotted with jazz-like details and classically-accented interludes – the overture-like Introduction; the operatic intensity of Tidal Wave; the razor-edged violin in The Alchemist – it’s an offering of Dickensian dimensions, richly populated, ripely moral and redolently delineated in Julian Saporiti’s lyrical, narrative-driven novellas-in-song.

As skilfully stitched together as 2008’s 12 Tales From Winter City, this new offering is no less smoothly executed although the edges are deliberately rougher – Rose Parade’s stabbing percussion and slicing guitar chords; the take-no-prisoners assault of the title track – and, in the deceptively languid Autumns in the Trees, also noticeably rawer.

Embracing old and new influences – from Dylan and late, Lennon-led Beatles to Pixies and Arcade Fire, with The Wolf conjuring up the sort of combustible commotion you might expect from The Raconteurs – The Young Republic’s subtle borrowings and hidden homages play out against a larger, intricately designed canvas that makes significant claims for a band whose time has come. --Michael Quinn

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CD Description

The subject matter of Balletesque mines the depths of the American historical consciousness, past and present. Characters of salesmen, bootleggers, preachers, outlaws, western poets, actors, all search for theirs in settings of depression era New England, bloody, war-rattled Texas and mid-century Middle America. Trains, oil, blood, snake handlers, boats, loose women. America, black and white, red and blue. To dig beyond the fiction and folk yields personal insight Saporiti. Betrayal and loss are common threads and certainly reflect on the bandmates whose loss defined the previous year. His observances of an unstable country, most visibly through economy, and what it is to be a youth on such shaky ground, loom lyrically large. But perhaps the main theme of Balletesque is the realization and acceptance that sometimes you lose, you don't get it back and life goes on.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Mature Beyond Its Years (7/10) 6 Nov 2009

By Gannon TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

The Young Republic's low-key debut was a pleasing but anonymous retread of the Belle And Sebastian catalogue, until its final track, which introduced a smoky, jazz-club feel to proceedings. Balletesque picks up where "Goodbye Town" left off, Julian Saporiti's vocal now with a much stronger Walkmen vibe than before, the relaxed nod of jazz again making a cameo. New to the mix is the viola, which renders certain tracks contemplatively classical. Gentle washes of fiddled Balkan folk also deviate from the debut.

With irrepressible drive and tempo changes, the indie-rock of "The Alchemist" opens into the very alt-country stomp of "Black Duck Blues". Emotive strings season "Sam Clemens" into a dignified sway. The smooth percussion and toe-tapping of `The Wolf' has a curious Artic-Monkeys-simultaneously-tackling-lounge-jazz-and-blues-rock feel to it, something akin to Jim Bianco's fine solo efforts. The scale of "Tidal Wave" does its subject matter proud in edgy violin and atmospheric drumming before the more sombre "Autumn's In The Trees" helps to draw Balletesque to a close. Closer, "Tough Year (Hard Waltz)" oozes Walkmen-bred optimism against a backdrop of misery, punchy rhythms and life-affirming realism.

Balletesque does seem to tell a story, charting the highs and lows of unknown protagonists and whilst its intent is not laid bare, The Young Republic profit from the mystery.

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A Leaner Meaner Young Republic 15 Feb 2010

By Luann Yetter - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Audio CD

The orchestral introduction announces that the band is taking themselves seriously on this one, and they deliver immediately with "The Alchemist." The song is bold and dramatatic, the story nuanced and detailed. And the violin solo: absolutely the best one ever in rock and roll. Great Americana follows with "Black Duck Blues," the tale of a rum running ship off the coast of New England. Napoleon Roses" takes us to Europe with images of cardinals and towers. "Balletesque" attacks with guitars and strings and takes no prisoners. One of the unique qualities of the Young Republic, especially on this album, is their ability to use violin and viola in unlikely ways, here to add muscle to the guitar assault. "The Wolf" hits a jazzier groove, the sort that would be comfortable for Dylan's touring band. The song is also a perceptive statement on recent economy tailspins, and in fact, serves as a steadying answer to any sort of economic blindside. "Tidal Wave" evokes Armageddon, New Orleans-style, with hints of Jaws menace, a bit of U2 guitar and a Doomsday preacher. On Twelve Tales the Young Republic was at their best when they were at their prettiest. Not so here, where the band burns brightest at their dirtiest, meanest, and most menacing.

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