Jon Albrink
Private Moon
© 2006 Jon Albrink (783707391502)
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Acoustic pop with strong lyrics and shimmering orchestration.
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notes
Some of the eleven songs on PRIVATE MOON rose up from the hot sidewalks of Manhattan. Some of them blew in from the humid hills of West Virginia. One arrived like a haunting from the rainy spring of 1968. One lived on a cassette in a drawer for a time - months? years? PRIVATE MOON provides a home for all eleven songs. This is some of what you will hear: moody, acoustic folk-pop with lush arrangements and muted but hopeful lyrics, Beach Boys-style harmonies, Jobim piano, slinky bass conversing with the chattering drums, and lots of acoustic 6 and 12-string guitar.
reviews
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Beautiful. soulful, intelligent music.
author: Ed PalermoI really love this CD. Every song is a gem. The production is very subtle which allows the heart of the music to shine through. My favorite song (at this point) would be "Where the Hell", but I predict that to change because the other ones are quickly growing on me. That's the beauty of this music; it's not something you immediately grasp and quickly forget about. Like all great music, these melodies and harmonies linger on the brain and in the heart forever. Timeless.
Listen to this.
author: Ina May WoolI started to delve deeply into Private Moon after the chorus of “It’s Beautiful” kept leaping into my brain and refused to leap out. Listen to this story about a young hopeful’s first night in New York: “Fifty-four dollars and assorted change No matter they don’t know your name. They will, they will. Styrofoam cup and a cigarette You haven’t found a place just yet But you will you will. It’s beautiful, it’s beautiful back home. It’s beautiful, where you come from But you won’t be going home.” I resisted the message of this one when I first listened. It’s deeply divided, almost cynical, knowing, adult. But the music wouldn’t let me get away, and then the song began to be comforting in its complexity. “Rope Burns” gives us an extended metaphor that Albrink turns over and over, pulling more and more meaning out of the simple image: “Hanging on to something when you know it’s gone It’s not exactly right or wrong. It’s just something you do reflexively… But rope burns give you away You grab at every strand And blisters on your hands are showing everyday.” Of course while I jot down these words, I’m hearing the melody, the subtle, perfect percussion by producer Billy Ward. That’s the frustration of writing about music, but it’s worth a try if anything I say gets you to hear this work. “The River Will Rise” comes from the true story of a friend’s missing brother interwoven with the tumultuous events of that spring of ’68. It’s a perfect song, in my opinion. I recommend this CD for those going through trouble and loss but that’s not to say there is no lightness. There is. There’s wit and levity. Levitation even! “Cynthia Rose just woke up happy… There she goes floating over the river… Looking down chimneys… Keeping her own good company.’ “What Would You Give” is a beautiful song of innocence and memory: the bike ride, the woods. There’s a first kiss. And in the bridge: “Tell me what have you got? Probly less than you think Cause it all falls away It’s gone in a blink” Yes, the songs have bridges. There are gorgeous, sophisticated melodies. The players play with great beauty and with understatement. The lyrics deal with contradictions and loss and love that lasts or doesn’t, with lives going on or falling away into the ether. Listen.
buy it. you'll thank me.
author: Emily BindigerI listened to this CD during a long late-night drive on the New Jersey Turnpike. Tedium turned to joy. This collection of songs takes you to another place. It has beautiful poetry, incredible vocals, and some of the most haunting melodies and arrangements I've ever heard. A gorgeous CD.
Wise & Loving & Observant & Sad (and truly a great CD and one of NYC's best writ
author: Don Rosler--NYCIt's easy to get overwhelmed by the 1,000's of singer songwriters and there's alot of talent out there, but for my money, Jon Albrink is, in his own quiet and modest way, strolling up to the head of the pack. From the subtle, lovely artwork all around, from the song "hope springs" all the way down to (or is it up to!) "private moon", stem to stern, this CD moves you and also has plenty on-the-ball in terms of performance and production. He's got a few years on some of these young whippersnappers and you can truly trust and feel deeply what he has to offer. His lyrics are top shelf, but not just into being clever for clever's sake. He gives you alot of space to read between the lines and bring your own life to the table. And there's no auto-pilot on the compositional end. Much like the Beatles, he slips by some very sophisticated ideas in a way that makes you feel like they he just rolled outta bed with them. Billy Ward is the perfect compliment as a producer---not flashy, stays out of the way but his loving and creative hand, like Jon's lyrics, sneak up on you. Best of all, it's a CD that you want to listen to various times through to take in all the elements (Jon's vocals, bass, the arrangements, melodic surprises, etc.). I love every song, but on the 2nd listen, got the most goosebumps from "rope burns" "where the hell" "the river will rise" "change it all" and especially "What would you give" which was almost too painful and beautiful to get through the first time intact. I could do the ol' "touch of Beatles/Steely Dan/Stevie Wonder/Elvis Costello" comparisons...but in the end, the beauty of this CD is Jon's well-earned triumph of sound & sensibility. It's hard to think of something this quiet and gentle as something that can blow you away, but in it's own unique way, it does.