Elliot BROOD tells poignant stories of war on gorgeous new album
Pianos
158 Ludlow St.
Wednesday, March 14, $8, 11:00
212-505-3733
www.elliottbrood.com
www.pianosnyc.com
Inspired by a five-day trip to military cemeteries and Juno Beach in France while on a 2007 European tour, Toronto trio Elliott BROOD has just released the dazzling Days into Years (Paper Bag, February 28, 2012). The follow-up to 2008’s highly acclaimed Mountain Meadows, the new record tackles issues of life and death during wartime on ten jaunty, rollicking tunes rooted in folk and country, filled with sweet harmonies and expert musicianship from Mark Sasso on guitar, banjo and harmonica, Casey Laforet on guitars, bass, mandolin, banjo, and lap steel, and Stephen Pitkin on percussion and piano. “When we got here we were young men / What we’ve done has made us old / Left to die out in these frozen fields so far away from home / And if I live to see the end / I’m gonna make a brand new start / But I’ll never be the same again without my youthful heart,” they sing on the gorgeous “If I Get Old” over a bouncy, infectious melody. Songs such as “Hold You,” “Will They Bury Us?” and “Northern Air” set the darkness against the light as characters search for home while the grave beckons. “All they sold me was a lie / All they owed me was mine / Still lost in the moonlight,” they sing on “My Mother’s Side,” powered by driving guitars and a fierce beat. A beautiful, poetic tribute to Canadian war veterans and casualties without getting maudlin or preachy, Days into Years is one of the best albums so far of 2012, a stirring collection of roots-based rock that is a must for fans of Neil Young, Railroad Earth, old Wilco, and other country-folk standouts.
TICKET GIVEAWAY: Elliott BROOD will be headlining Pianos on the Lower East Side on Wednesday, March 14, on a bill with Pet Lions and Pack Ad. We have two spots on the guest list to give away for free to see this amazing band. Just send your name, daytime phone number, and favorite war-related song to contest@twi-ny.com by Tuesday, March 13, at 5:00 to be eligible to win. All entrants must be twenty-one years of age or older; four winners will be selected at random.