Loren Connors
Family Vineyard has issued a complete collection of Connors' "Airs", short pieces inspired by O'Carolan's and other Irish airs. The two disc set, As Roses Bow includes recordings from 1992-2002, many of which originally appeared on albums that are long out of print. Most pieces range from around 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes and still capture Connors' signature sparse ethereal blues even when projected through a specified form such as this. The project in its entirety can be a bit overwhelming, spanning a full 43 tracks, but each piece has its own spatial beauty and delicate sadness that make this really an indispensable picture of Connors as a musician. Connors imbues every song, no matter how short with an emotional depth that some musicians wait a lifetime to express in just one song. The entire collection has been remastered expertly by Jim O'Rourke and has been packaged quite handsomely by Family Vineyard.
Download:
[MP3] Loren Connors - St. Brigid's Air
[MP3] Loren Connors - O'Connor's Last Air
[MP3] Loren Connors - Airs No. 11
[MP3] Loren Connors - Airs No. 18
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3 Comments:
Very contemplative, but the sound is a bit thin and I can hear a pretty loud hiss throughout - I'm not sure this was an expert remaster, but maybe it was based on the originals?
This tape hiss is inherent in the original recordings and is pretty much a constant in any of Connors' work so to remove it would really be to betray the ambience of his style. This is most likely why O'Rourke would not alter this aspect of the recording. Again with the thin sound this is more of a style than a short coming. The Airs are very quiet and purposefully so. Nothing in Connors' catalog could ever be accused of being too loud. These aspects usually add to the delicate nature of his songwriting.
Thanks! Sounds great as always. I wasn't sure whether I should get this so soon after "Hymn of the North Star" already. But it's a no-brainer really after hearing these wonderfully delicate tracks.
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