[Baby’s All Right photos by Jamie Langley]
If you somehow missed out on Elisa Ambrogio’s sleeper-hit solo record, The Immoralist, last year, it’s time to rectify that. Besides the standout single “Superstitious” garnering a Best Tracks of 2014 slot from Pitchfork, the entire album is superb front-to-back. And fear not Magik Markers fans, Ambrogio’s signature guitar work is all over this record. It’s a quieter album that you might have expected from the Markers front-woman, but also one any fan of that band will find satisfying. The songwriting will feel familiar but for this solo record the subject matter is more personal and the vocals are upfront so that you can hear every word. If you got in on the two records from the tragically under appreciated 200 Years (the duo of Ambrogio with Six Organs of Admittance mastermind Ben Chasny), you’ll have a good idea what to expect from her solo outing.
I’ve been lucky enough to catch Elisa Ambrogio’s solo tour twice this year, each time with different supporting musicians and each lending a slightly different perspective to the songs. Back in January, she stopped by Silent Barn on the tail end of a tour with banjo-player and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Bowles on drums (his set posted here). Then, on the second leg of a tour with Six Organs of Admittance this past week at Baby’s All Right, Ambrogio played a few solo songs followed by some full band songs with Ben Chasny on guitar and drummer Adam Payne (also of Residual Echoes). Ambrogio and Chasny even dust off one of their 200 Years tunes, “West Hartford.” Perhaps due to the late hour or the DIY venue, the Silent Barn set is the looser of the two, with Ambrogio coming nearly unhinged in her solo finale of “Kylie.” In contrast, the Baby’s set is slightly more polished, with Chasny’s subtle guitar work adding some interesting texture to the songs, particularly on “Far From Home.”
The Silent Barn set was recorded with the AKGs set up in front of the soundboard combined with a board feed. There’s a little more ambient crowd noise on this one (particularly the first minute or two of “Comers”), but Ambrogio’s powerful songs soon quell the crowd and the set is quite enjoyable. The Baby’s All Right set was recorded by FOH Harrison Fore, combining the house mics with a stereo board feed. The respectful and attentive crowd is reflected in the clarity of the recording. Overall, the two sets present varying but complementary takes on Ambrogio’s live sets. I think you’ll enjoy them!
Elisa Ambrogio is still on tour with Six Organs of Admittance. Check the dates here.
Download the complete April 30 Baby’s All Right show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Download the complete January 31 Silent Barn show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Stream the complete April 30 Baby’s All Right show:
Stream “Clarinet Queen” from Silent Barn:
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Elisa Ambrogio
2015-04-30
Baby’s All Right
Brooklyn, NY
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by Harrison Fore
Produced by Eric PH
Soundboard (engineer: Harrison) + Audio Technica 4051 > 4x Mono WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter) > Audacity 2.0.5 (amplify, fades, downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)
Tracks [37:43]
01. Comers
02. Arkansas
03. West Hartford [200 Years]
04. Clarinet Queen
05. Superstitious
06. Stopped Clocks
07. Far From Home
08. Kylie
Elisa Ambrogio
2015-01-31
Silent Barn
Brooklyn, NY
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by Eric PH
Produced by acidjack
Soundboard (engineer: Mike) + AKG C480B/CK61 (FOB, PAS) > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV(24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, compression) > iZotope Ozone 5 (EQ, Exciter) > Audacity 2.0.5 (amplify, fades, downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (level 8)
Tracks [30:53]
01. Comers
02. Superstitious
03. Clarinet Queen
04. Stopped Clocks
05. Arkansas
06. Kylie
Support Elisa Ambrogio: Buy The Immoralist from Drag City
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