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| The eleven songs that fill After She Left are ballads, or near-ballads.
What connects them more than tempo is their relative calm. The quiet
that pervades this set invites a listener in to a small, private space.
This music is for looking inwards, not just for the narratives in the
lyrics, but for the myriad sonic moments that are strewn along the way.
From slowly decaying piano notes to an inhalation of breath, this album
is full of richly articulated quietude.
The doorway to this album starts at the front cover, both literally and figuratively. Candles are usually associated with celebrations, but the tone on this image asserts a darker reality. Even the photo is dark, as if lit mainly from that one candle and whatever available light is seeping in from outside the frame. What happens when we look at things in low light? Our eyes adjust. While this is not billed as a Chandler Travis Philharmonic album, many of the same robust players are on hand (most prominently keyboardist Keith Spring, bassist John Clark, saxophonist Ken Field, and multi-instrumentalist Dinty Child), rendering these thoughtful miniatures in full detail. There's also a cameo by Chandler's former partner, Steve Shook, who contributes his first new song in decades, the moody "Ask Too Much." Conventional drums and electric and acoustic guitars are largely missing, frequently replaced by paint cans or high-strung (Nashville tuned) guitars, the latter a recent passion. In short, new turf! -David Greenberger (occasional C.T. lyricist and author of The Duplex Planet) |
Track Listing
(all songs written by Chandler Travis, except where noted)1. Last Thing I Needed
2. By Now You Know
3. Two Cents Tops
4. She Told Me To Try
5. Ticky Don't Do That
6. Ask To Much (Shook)
7. My Bonnie (traditional)
8. Tonight
9. Calling Me Back Home (Travis-Greenberger)
10. I Want My Heart Back
11. Goodbye
Outtakes from "After She Left" are currently available on our "Song of the Weak!!!" page.
We're trying to post one a week.
Be sure to check them out soon, because they'll only be available for a limited time.
Rikki Bates: drums, paint cans, cowbell
Pierre Beauregarde: harmonica (6)
Fred Boak: vocals
Mark Chenevert: clarinet (9)
Dinty Child: mandocello, mandolin, violin, accordon, pump organ, vocals
John Clark: strng bass (except 1 & 5)
Phil Clements: piano (9)
Ken Field: alto saxophone
Berke McKelvey: baritone saxophone
Keith Spring: keyboard
John Styklunas: string bass (1 & 5)
Chandler Travis: the remainder
Recorded by Chandler Travis and Chris Blood at Trout Towers Casino and Kelp Manor
except #9 by Ducky Carlisle at Ice Station Zebra
Photos by Rachel & Cambridge Jarvis
Mastered by Dr. Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital
