Jolie Holland
Julie Holland's 2004 album, Escondida.
1. "Sascha" – 3:08
2. "Black Stars" – 4:54
3. "Old Fashioned Morphine" – 4:35
4. "Amen" – 3:32
5. "Mad Tom of Bedlam" – 2:52
6. "Poor Girl's Blues" – 5:26
7. "Goodbye California" – 3:28
8. "Do You?" – 4:49
9. "Darlin Ukelele" – 4:07
10. "Damn Shame" – 4:49
11. "Tiny Idyll/Lil Missy" – 2:41
12. "Faded Coat of Blue" – 3:47
The British music scene is vibrant but somewhat insular at the moment. So eager in the amazingly energetic Indie explosion of the past year or two certain rules have been established, a major one being no damn American country music. They can't even do Indie well, what the hell is this crap? I am a staunch supporter of this rule, country is a god awful ritual to Satan's minor mercenaries. So it is with a hushed voice that I'll sing my praises for Escondida.
To be fair, Jolie Holland is mostly a blues lady. A genre perhaps issolated by the 21st century more than the Atlantic ocean. She has recently been exposed to a wider British audience having been featured on the recent E4 drama series Skins, alongside other American artists, such as The Decemberists that have fairly small followings in the United Kingdom.
This album, overall, despite it's accoustic guitar, piano, brass, violin and saxophone melodies is quite upbeat. Old Fashioned Morphine is a traditional blues song, made for old bent-backed black men that have built too many railroads. Elsewise, like I say, very upbeat and enjoyable. Fantastic background music for being pretentious. Drinking coffee, flirting, etc. Generally acting more sophisticated than a man with no visible carpet for the rotting underwear has any right to be.
Of course, there is the country. Only two tracks have this disgraceful genre evident but these are tracks that may ruin your entire appreciation of the album as a flowing work. But if you forgive the Texan born Holland for inserting this part of her 'culture' into this album then you could far worse than obtaining it.
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