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Product Description
Review
It’s been three years since the release of Sweet Billy Pilgrim’s Mercury Prize-nominated album, Twice Born Men, an eclectic mix of folkish tropes and indie-rock-orientated musing. Yet appropriately enough for a band whose name is taken from a character in a Kurt Vonnegut novel who became “unstuck in time”, the group have unhooked themselves from any particular genre, presenting instead a captivating mix that moves freely between supposed boundaries or categories.
Although the product of many hours in the writing and production process, Crown and Treaty avoids sounding overworked or belaboured, creating instead a soundworld of dazzling vitality. Much of this invigorating freshness emanates from the numerous layers of musical information that’s been lovingly threaded into each of these nine tracks.
The density of instrumental colour and dynamic ambition contained in every song makes them akin to symphonies in miniature. Joyful Reunion is typical of this approach, bristling with tooting Michael Nyman-like horns, sumptuous chorales, sonar pings, growling bass, and Tim Elsenburg’s gently unfurling vocals. He is joined once again by drummer Alistair Hamer and bassist Anthony Bishop, alongside recent recruit Jana Carpenter on guitar and vocals, whose presence is most obviously felt in the plaintive break-out vocal of Shadow Captain. Here, a tripping, rippling melody is powered by the churchy burr of a harmonium and sunny harmonies that Fleet Foxes would envy.
A witty, instinctual songwriter, Elsenburg creates intriguing portraits taken from life’s bigger picture, smartly using happenstance and the intersections of people and places as his subject matter. Such abstract notions find surprisingly accessible expression on tracks like Arrived at Upside Down. Complete with glistening celesta embellishments, Elsenburg marvels at what comes our way if we pay attention. Without compromising their artistic vision one iota, Sweet Billy Pilgrim have gone from black-and-white art-house to breathtaking widescreen, and the results are quite simply glorious.
--Sid Smith
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Product Description
CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By ChilliHodge
Format:Audio CD
Crown and Treaty, the third offering from Sweet Billy Pilgrim, takes all of the best of them -- the narrative craft and the mournful beauty -- adds a massive shot of confidence, and opens the sound out into a far greater space. And the result is nothing short of staggering.
From the opening woodwind bursts -- like revellers being corralled into a wedding photo -- this is a looser, more open album than its predecessor, the Mercury nominated Twice Born Men. The band sounds bigger and bolder. There is a greater range of ambition, and a vitality and joy that floods the record with energy. These songs are adventures. The band, secure in its essence, happily doffing its collective cap to folk, soul and indie rock -- and delivering a wonderfully coherent set of songs with a confidence and level of accomplishment that is unapologetically brilliant.
With this album, Sweet Billy Pilgrim strides as well as shuffles.
Tim Elsenburg is fast establishing himself as a songwriter of rare ability. This is exquisite craftsmanship. Though drawing from a wider palette, there is still nothing extraneous here. Not a word is wasted, or easy, and the same is true for the arrangements. There is a beautiful new female vocal that benefits the whole -- and is not overplayed -and a lightness of touch that belies the level of detail and musicianship at work, as the listener is time and again moved effortlessly up into magnificent sweeps that are just breathtaking.
Rightly given `instant classic' status by Mojo magazine, Sweet Billy Pilgrim have pulled off the feat of creating an album of songs that people will sing, without sacrificing their identity or artistic integrity in the process. With any justice, this will give them the audience they deserve; Crown and Treaty is a triumph.
From the opening woodwind bursts -- like revellers being corralled into a wedding photo -- this is a looser, more open album than its predecessor, the Mercury nominated Twice Born Men. The band sounds bigger and bolder. There is a greater range of ambition, and a vitality and joy that floods the record with energy. These songs are adventures. The band, secure in its essence, happily doffing its collective cap to folk, soul and indie rock -- and delivering a wonderfully coherent set of songs with a confidence and level of accomplishment that is unapologetically brilliant.
With this album, Sweet Billy Pilgrim strides as well as shuffles.
Tim Elsenburg is fast establishing himself as a songwriter of rare ability. This is exquisite craftsmanship. Though drawing from a wider palette, there is still nothing extraneous here. Not a word is wasted, or easy, and the same is true for the arrangements. There is a beautiful new female vocal that benefits the whole -- and is not overplayed -and a lightness of touch that belies the level of detail and musicianship at work, as the listener is time and again moved effortlessly up into magnificent sweeps that are just breathtaking.
Rightly given `instant classic' status by Mojo magazine, Sweet Billy Pilgrim have pulled off the feat of creating an album of songs that people will sing, without sacrificing their identity or artistic integrity in the process. With any justice, this will give them the audience they deserve; Crown and Treaty is a triumph.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Graham Birch
Format:Audio CD
Quite simply astounding. This album is incredible from start to finish. It is full of songs you will be singing to yourself after listening to it and ends on a great note.
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wasn't sure at first whether I concurred with all the good things I had heard and read about this album. I had seen the album featured in several publications but was put off slightly by the album cover and band name specifically because it gave me an erroneous impression of the type of artist and music it may contain (a bit shallow I know). Even on listening to tracks off of this and Twice born men I was initially intrigued but not fully sold. I was not really sure that I particularly liked Tim Elsenburg's voice either which is very distinctive. I am so glad I persevered and took heed of the various reviews I had read because the music is all engrossing and the vocal is a perfect fit. It is an album that needs to be listened to with no distractions and contains plenty of high points. It is a real grower and the songs do stick in your mind so don't give it up on first impressions. The music is quite moving in places and the songs are well constructed - you can tell that a lot of work has gone into them to achieve the perfect end result. Certainly more accessible than Twice born men but strangely I love the undulating variety (and I suppose strangeness) of that album too. You could do worse than buy them both. Incidentally saw them recently (just prior to Christmas) as a threesome performing an acoustic set. They were engaging, vocally brilliant and possess a real talent.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grinning Like An Insane Idiot
I hadn't heard of SBP until May this year and stumbled across them when I was doing my weekly troll of Amazon, ITunes etc. Read more
Published 8 months ago by P. WALKER
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genius
Can't really add much to ChilliHodge's review, but can totally commend it as a review of this record. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Graeme
5.0 out of 5 stars
On form again
Had to edit this review 3 times as this album has just got better and better. Bl**dy brilliant, buy it.
NB: Alistair Hamer on drums is excellent. Read more
NB: Alistair Hamer on drums is excellent. Read more
Published 12 months ago by captured saint
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just perfect...
As has been stated in every review so far, this new offering from SBP is practically faultless. Emotional, melodic, catchy yet breathtakingly sophisticated and complex. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. J. D. Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!!
I have not heard about 'Sweet Billy Pilgrim' before and only stumbled across the album after reading a review on Spotify (get me). Read more
Published 12 months ago by matthew money
5.0 out of 5 stars
BELIEVE THE HYPE - THIS TIME IT'S TRUE!!!!
Yeah to all the five star reviews, I've played this album 5-6 times straight today and can't get enough of it - this band are very special. Read more
Published 12 months ago by KenniPod
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Crown and anchor me'
Every now and again an album release shatters all my expectations and re-sets the bar. Here's one.
Although a regular on my players, I think I was intrigued more than... Read more
Although a regular on my players, I think I was intrigued more than... Read more
Published 12 months ago by P. Cottom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb.
Set aside two hours of your busy life, pour yourself a glass of something, put your headphones on and listen to this wonderful cd two or three times through. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Rp Knights
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