PRICE:
$17.00$14.45
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Leaving Notes
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
TR 146CD TR 146CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
5/12/2009

This is the debut full-length release by The Late Call aka Stockholm singer/songwriter Johannes Mayer (The Cedar). Leaving Notes is definitive proof that a long-distance relationship leaves its mark, and that you don't need much more than some acoustic instruments and simple lyrics to create a staggeringly brilliant pop album. In the time spent waiting for late phone calls from his girlfriend, Mayer appears to have frequently reached for his guitar, producing the tangible and bittersweet emotions contained on this record. From the first notes, you are drawn into a very special, quiet, intimate atmosphere. The feelings on this record are real, and they do not let go of you over the full length of the album, giving you the kind of goosepimples one usually only associates with listening to Nick Drake, Damien Rice or José González. Warm acoustic instrumentation creates The Late Call's distinctive sound. "Thinking What To Say" is carried by a vibraphone, while in the background, an old piano is playing a haunting refrain. Accordions and harmoniums often pave the way for lighter acoustics, and the great string arrangements such as those on "Cards On The Table" and "The Summertime" speak of a musical aesthetic that is grand, without being overwrought or melancholic. Leaving Notes sounds like a manifesto against modern Saturday night partying, and is a rare musical find. The album furthermore contains a wide range of collaborations with Andreas Söderström (Ass, Rubies, Taken By Trees), Elias Åkesson (Elias & The Wizzkids), Björn Kleinhenz and Henrik Roger (Ghost Of Tom Joad). These intimate acoustic songs manage to convey the contemplative spaces between the farewell, the departure and the arrival.