RICHMOND FONTAINE: Post to Wire

Richmond Fontaine

Post to Wire

© 2004 Winner's Casino Music (678277061224)

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"Album of the Month" -- Uncut Magazine May 2004 5 out of 5 Stars

notes

Post to wire is a horse racing term describing when a horse holds the lead from the beginning of a race until the end. On Post To Wire, Richmond Fontaine's 5th studio record, the listener is guaranteed winning results from start to finish.

Working again with engineer Larry Crane at his Jackpot! Studios {Quasi, Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith}, the band teamed up with producer JD Foster {Richard Buckner, Marc Ribot, Damnations, Dwight Yokum} to create the most finely distilled album of their 9 year career.

Picking up where 2002's beautiful Winnemucca left off, the acoustic underpinnings of "The Longer You Wait" kicks off Post To Wire with the tale of a couple on a late night car ride through the Nevada desert. From there the album visits the melodic power crunch of "Montgomery Park", the stately rock of "Through", the dark lurch of "Hallway", the grand optimistic folk-rock of "Polaroid", the swampy nightmare of "Willamette", and lastly, the wistful melancholy of the instrumental ballad "Valediction".

Interspersed among these and the other fine songs on the record are the touching 'postcards' of one Walter Denny.

On the title track of Post To Wire, Richmond Fontaine pull off something they have never done before: a duet. Lead vocalist Willy Vlautin exchanges verses with the gutsy voiced Deborah Kelly of the Damnations on an ultra catchy little number reminiscent of the golden days of Motown. Elsewhere on the album, the band is ably assisted by guitarist Ian Moore, keyboardist Rich Landar, and cellist Skip Von Kuske.

One of the country's best songwriters, Willy Vlautin finds new ways to shine nuances into every song. His writing gains new confidence with every verse. His vision is put to life by the other members of Richmond Fontaine: Paul Brainard on pedal steel guitar, Dave Harding on bass and Sean Oldham on drums.

From the laid back pop of "Barely Losing" to the acoustic pull of "Always on the Ride", Post To Wire feels like the culmination of Richmond Fontaine's rootsy past, and with the help of producer JD Foster, a step into an even brighter future. This is a ride you're gonna like. A true winner, from Post To Wire.

reviews

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  • Flawless
    author: Beth

    This album feels like an old friend along for a much needed road trip. Beautiful songwriting and music. And I couldn't imagine it without Walter's postcards. Glad they made it to the final mix.

  • this may be the "alt-country" that saves popular music
    author: Ted

    Smarter than the Old 97's, more listenable than Wilco, this may be the "alt-country" that saves popular music. The title track gets my uninfluential but well intentioned vote for song of the decade. P.S. Walter's a loser

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