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Enchanted Ape : Three Ring Symphony
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Organic Roots Rock
Genre: Rock: Jam-band
Release Date: 2005
Three Ring Symphony Record Label: Enchanted Ape
  • Download Album (MP3) - $9.99
  • Buy CD - $11.99
Preview Song Name Time Format Price Select
Memphis, Trouble Free 4:50 $0.99
Better Times 7:31 $0.99
Fungi Lullaby 6:24 $0.99
5th Street Station 5:18 $0.99
Carousel 7:58 $0.99
Soulfood 5:08 $0.99
False Flags 7:17 $0.99
Impatience 7:44 $0.99
Mexico Song 6:14 $0.99
Rose Marie 5:34 $0.99
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Album Notes

With its debut album, Three Ring Symphony, Enchanted Ape bridges the gap between jam band and rock band, using equal parts improvisation and orchestration. An array of carefully-crafted songs are set free to develop organically, elevating the music to dramatic peaks that can only be achieved by taking chances.

A prime example of the band's willingness to "let the music go where it needs to go," is the strange recording process that spawned Three Ring Symphony. "We originally intended to record the whole album live in the studio," explains singer/songwriter Chris O'Brien. "However, the band evolved so much during the course of the project, we had to adapt and make sure the final product represented who we were when the ablum came out."

Enchanted Ape started its live-in-studio recording project in September of 2004, but plans changed several months later when drummer Chad Turner moved to Costa Rica on an open-ended hiatus. What began then as a search for a replacement drummer yielded three new band members who each contributed to the album.

Using the original live tracks as a basis for the recording, new layers of percussion, vocals and strings were painstakingly added to each song. The result is a richly-textured album that feels raw and impulsive, like anything could happen.

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REVIEWS

This is a great album.
author: Matt Kelly
This album is great! The tracks on this song have a rustic blues approach mixed with some funk and tribal grooves. These guys are young and I think people should look forward to much more from this cats.
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Enchanting Lyrics, Enchanting Songs, Enchanted Ape
author: Lunch of Champions
Enchanted Ape’s Three Ring Symphony is a foot-stomping good time. The album opens up with “Memphis, Trouble Free”, a song that pits Memphis, Tennessee as a perpetual fountain of youth. Lead singer Chris O’Brien sings: Well I drove my troubles down to Memphis, Tennessee They say that muddy river will keep you young indefinitely Three days later, I was three years younger than the man I used to be Come Sunday I left Memphis, trouble free From the fountain of youth, we are led to roam with the perpetual question of Why worry if fate is out of our control? on “Better Times”, where O’Brien sings: Take this out of my hands Let these strings keep playing, playing through my mind Fate will help me stand No longer must wait, wait for better times The Ape’s sound is defined by O’Brien’s powerful vocals, which, on the album, are often doubled up by Debra G, a singer of formidable and uncompromising talent. Lead guitarist, Alec James Knutson, really doesn’t break out his chops until the album’s fifth track, “Carousel”. Though, from that point on, he raises the bar considerably. One such song where Knutson excels is on the album’s catchiest track, “Soulfood”, in which the lead guitarist’s fretwork compliments the vocals in a pleasurable way. It’s almost as if the guitar is singing at times, which is actually quite beautiful to hear. On “Soulfood”, O’Brien offers advice to those worry-warts among us: So don’t you tell me about livin’ the high life when your heart is sinking low Don’t you know you could never go hungry just as long as you feed your soul Two things stand out on this album - the band’s cohesiveness and the lyrics. Enchanted Ape has crafted an impressive album composed of both live takes and studio overdubs. This is an astonishing feat considering how well the album flows from song to song from extreme happiness to erie sadness without losing it’s “good-times” vibe. This consistency is due largely to O’Brien’s lyrics. He does a fantastic job tackling complex subject matter such as religion, fate, selfishness, and greed. O’Brien is an experienced songwriter, having played coffee shops and open mic’s in Minneapolis for years, and his depth of lifely understanding stands out on this album. Summary: Three Ring Symphony is an album that, because of it’s depth, you can listen to over and over and over again.
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