Wednesday 8 August 2007

BOTTOM OF THE HUDSON 'FANTASTIC HAWK'

"Eli Simon knows how to write a good song, and on this album he seems to have assembled a band of musicians who are all moving in the same direction." The Philler

"Simon's best songs transcend however they may be recorded. "Pretty Much It" exemplifies his ability for laconic vocal melodies that tug on the ears and pull us in like a familiar scent. "Perfect Distillation" (a phrase you'll likely only read in record reviews) builds slowly and cautiously to its perky, note-perfect chorus, while the ascending guitars on the sneaky coda of "Suffering Time" are cannily constructed and immaculately delivered. So there's tracks that would sound great in any setting, and tracks that meet new sounds halfway, like the woodwinds that pop up in the final moments of "Fantastic Hawk" or the Elvrum-like acoustic scrape of "Rusty Zippers", which puts all the burden on Simon's arresting vocal regardless of the oboes and zithers that garnish it." Pitchfork

Bottom of the Hudson suffered a serious van wreck on Sunday, July 29th, while returning home after the final date of a short East Coast tour to promote their new album, Fantastic Hawk, released just two weeks ago on July 17. While on I-40 near Clinton, NC, a tire blew out sending the van out of control and flipping it multiple times. Bassist Trevor Butler was killed in the accident and drummer Greg Lytle is currently in ICU in Chapel Hill, NC. The other members of the band, Eli Simon, Michael Prince and William Chesterton Chambers, suffered minor injuries and were released from the hospital. Please click on the Absolutely Kosher link below the image and if you enjoy the songs you can contribute, via PayPal, to the medical bills incurred by the band and their families, thank you.

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