Album Of The Day: The Long Surrender by Over The Rhine

Album Art of Over The Rhine's The Long Surrender album - A dark, blank-and-white photo of a small, cobbled alleyway or narrow street in some sort of old city. As the dark street rounds a corner, a bike is just propped against the wall. Most of the picture is taken up with the walls on both sides of the alleyway and the stones of the street which are rough and wet. Only far-off down the alley can we get a glimpse of some buildings that are not just a blank wall. Printed in the center on the left side is the band's name in a greenish-gray, handwritten script-like font. And below it printed in a white, all-caps serif font is the album title.

Released 15 years ago yesterday, this the 11th studio album from Over The Rhine. The band started as a four-piece folk rock band in the late '80s, but by the late '90s the remaining band members were Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler, who also married about this time. Over The Rhine is considered a folk band, and that's a good catch-all for their style, I guess. At some points in this album, with Linford's jazzy piano playing and Karin's lackadaisical but somehow still spirited crooning, you might think this a jazz club 100 years ago. On other songs, they lean into the folk/country style with guitars and you might think this is a Nashville country band. "Rave On" and "The King Knows How" get a bit rock 'n' roll and "Undamned" features harmonies by Lucinda Williams. I was a huge fan of their 2003 record Ohio and kinda lost interest in the band's later releases so I haven't listened to this album often, but I really like the simple production and excellent songwriting after today's listen. If you're looking for a quiet, simple listen, give this album a virtual spin.

Release Year: 2011
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Categories: 
Album Of The Day
Music

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