Album Notes

Northern's debut, Your House and Mine, is the latest impressive album to emerge from a scene so rich, Pitchfork Media was compelled to write about it. Portsmouth, NH, is home to the scene and to Chris Greiner, who started Northern in 2004 to explore his own music after years of playing sideman to others. Northern is a study in plainspoken simplicity and quiet resonance. The ten songs on Your House and Mine proceed with patient force, taking shape around Greiner's understated vocals and the fluid arrangements that support them. For the album Greiner layered violin, cello, vibraphone, Rhodes, organ, and pedal steel guitar over fundamental guitar, bass, and drums to provide texture and embellishment. Musicians involved in the project include his brother, John Greiner (drums), Jason Probert (bass), Nate Groth and Sidney Alexis of The Hotel Alexis (guitar), Marc McElroy of Elroy (keyboards), and Say ZuZu frontman Jon Nolan (pedal steel). Your House and Mine is the musical culmination of Greiner's personal history. In 2001 a chance road trip to New Hampshire from his home on Long Island extended into relocation when he fell in love with the area. Not long after arriving, he began playing bass for the Kimchee Records band Torrez, recording and touring behind their critically acclaimed 2002 album The Evening Drag. Greiner is a contributing music writer for Jam Magazine, the statewide music publication, and The Wire, a Seacoast arts weekly. Pursuing his interest in engineering, he interned with Jim Tierney at The Electric Cave recording studio, where Josh Ritter's Golden Age of Radio was put to tape during his tenure. Northern has performed with Chris Brokaw, Unbunny, and John Vanderslice, among others. from Allmusic.com (four out of five stars): Chris Greiner makes Northern come off much more Southern than its moniker would suggest. Slow and in no hurry to complete several songs, the group exude a quiet confidence on the fluid "These Walls" that brings to mind a happy-go-lucky version of Knife in the Water or Wilco as Andy Happel adds touches of violin and cello. Only during the chorus does the tempo pick up mildly, but not enough to lose the rather world-weary, jaded effect. The slow, downtrodden Americana or alt-country tracks are extremely pleasing with "Daniel August" resembling a duet between Cowboy Junkies and Blue Rodeo as Greiner and Elizabeth Antalek offer fine harmonies. Northern also hit a home run with the gorgeous, piano-tinted "Plum Island," but they seem to miss the mark, albeit slightly, on the dirge-like "Across the Turnpike," slowing things down perhaps just a tad too much. However, the organ gives it a hymnal or gospel touch that makes it squeak over the bar as Greiner sings about feeling lonely. The first quasi-pop song is "Better Days," which is still quite sparse but contains an infectious melody and swampy arrangement. The band revisits a similar idea to "These Walls" for the adorable, bittersweet "If." The title track grows on the listener, beginning somewhat awkwardly but finding its comfort zone soon thereafter thanks to drummer John Greiner's waltz-like percussion. The highlight of the consistently strong record has to be "Toledo, Ohio," which crawls along before using a distant guitar and toy xylophone during the chorus, sounding like a close cousin of Dolorean.