Over the Rhine (these days the husband and wife team of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergqvist, with assorted extras) had 4 releases in 2007, the last one being the "Trumpet Child" studio album, and when that came out, the band toured behind it as never before. Along the way there were some memorable moments and milestones. In May, 2008, the band opened a new venue in Cincinnati (then called the PNC Pavilion) by performing the "Ohio double album in its entirety. In December, 2008, the band celebrated 20 years of music by reuniting the classic line-up for an evening of music of "the first decade" (this was released in 2009 as the "Live from Nowhere. Vol. 4" CD), with the regular line-up playing "the second decade", at the Taft. In June, 2010, the classic line-up reunited one more time in celebration of the 15th anniversary of "Good Dog Bad Dog", perhaps the band's most beloved album (but not by me), playing it in its entirety. And oh yea, along the way the band wrote some new songs, which finally are released on this, the band's 11th studio album.
Produced by Joe Henry, "The Long Surrender" (13 tracks; 56 min.) was recorded in a matter of just one week at Joe Henry's home studio, but you could never tell that from the end result. Opener "The Laugh of Recognition" starts things off gently and to me it's immediately clear that this album falls musically somewhere between "Drunkard's Prayer" and "The Trumpet Child". "Sharpest Blade" is the first highlight of the album, a piano-led ballad featuring Karin's soaring vocals. "Rave On" plays great. THE best track on the album comes towards the end of the first half of the album, when "Undamned" comes on, a dramatic tune (featuring Lucinda Williams on vocals, no less). Now the album is in full throttle: "Infamous Love Song" continues the heavy undertones, and then comes "Only God Can Save Us Now", a live staple for some years and now finally committed to CD (it's Karin's song about characters she's met at her mom's nursing home, heartbreaking and funny at the same time). After this we need a change of pace, which we thankfully get with "Oh Yea, By The Way", a lazy duet between Karin and Linford. After that we are on for the home stretch, with a few more nuggets (the jazzy-sounding "There's a Bluebird in My Head", and the epic, feel-good "All My Favorite People". The album closes with "Unspoken", a short piano instrumental from Linford.
This album is not for anyone in a hurry. Incidentally, the band self-financed the recording and release of this album by asking fans for financial donations, and the rabid OtR fan base responded massively, to Karin's and Linford's surprise but great appreciation. To reward those fans, the band played the new album front to back here in Cincinnati in December (with Joe Henry as a special guest), and as much as I like the new album, I must tell you that the songs live sound even better, some of them just massive. There is a good reason that in the "thank you" notes, Linford again reminds us that a quiet record like this "is designed to be played at magnificent volumes", in other words: PLAY IT LOUD!