Red Cities (album)

Red Cities
Studio album by Chris Brokaw
Released 2002
Recorded January–March 2001
Genre Alternative rock, Post-rock
Label 12xu
Kimchee Records
Producer Peter Weiss
Chris Brokaw chronology
Red Cities
(2002)		 Wandering As Water
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Hot PressPositive[2]
Exclaim!Positive[3]

Red Cities is Chris Brokaw's debut solo album, following the demise of Come.

Background

Released in 2002 by 12xu and Kimchee Records, the album was recorded by Peter Weiss at Zippah Recording, in Brookline, MA, during January and March 2001. The idea for the album was originally conceived in 1998, the centerpiece of the entire project being "The Fields (Part II)".[4] As Brokaw himself has stated, "[t]he record just came to [him] as a whole" before the demise of his previous band, and Brokaw "didn’t want them to become Come songs — which is what most of [his] songs would have been at the time."[5] After producing the first demos on an 8-track cassette recorder, Brokaw decided to attempt to undertake the project on his own.[6]

"The Look of Love" is a cover of Burt Bacharach's 1967 single.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Gauntlet"  Chris Brokaw 1:14
2. "The Fields, Pt. II"  Chris Brokaw 10:40
3. "Calimoxcho"  Chris Brokaw 2:31
4. "Even as We Speak"  Chris Brokaw 1:15
5. "The Fields"  Chris Brokaw 3:58
6. "King Ferdinand"  Chris Brokaw 3:46
7. "Tournament"  Chris Brokaw 3:44
8. "Bath House"  Chris Brokaw 1:57
9. "Topsfield State Fair"  Chris Brokaw 2:46
10. "Wallet Corner"  Chris Brokaw 0:50
11. "Dresden Promenade"  Chris Brokaw 5:27
12. "The Look of Love"  Burt Bacharach/Hal David 3:39
13. "Shadows"  Chris Brokaw/Dr. John/Jerome Doc Pomus 2:40
14. "At the Crossroads"  Chris Brokaw/Doug Sahm 0:50

Personnel

Additional personnel

Critical Reception

Time Out New York referred to Red Cities as "an evocative set of instrumentals,"[7] and elsewhere, "an enthralling spread of guitar-and-percussion instrumentals that have as much emotional power as -and greater range than- any of his previous outings."[8] Pitchfork's praiseful review of Red Cities' follow-up Wandering as Water referred to both albums as "largely vocal offering[s] creep[ing] along an unadorned path towards anachronistic purity."[9] In his positive review of the album for Hot Press magazine, Colin Carberry stated that "some of the tracks on Red Cities are so vividly redolent of a sense of place, it could almost be the soundtrack for a series of imaginary J.G Ballard travelogues."[10] Likewise, Roman Sokal, writing for Exclaim! magazine, asserts that "[t]here is absolutely no hint of pretension within the album, just a stepped back assault of thoughtful and clever 'soundtrack' music for your aching soul."[11]

References

  1. ↑ Red Cities - Chris Brokaw | AllMusic
  2. ↑ Colin Carberry (31 Jul 2002). "Red Cities". Hot Press. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  3. ↑ Roman Sokal (September 2002). "Chris Brokaw Red Cities". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  4. ↑ Jon Langmead (February 26, 2007). "Interview with Chris Brokaw". DOA - For the Love of Music. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  5. ↑ Carly Carioli (July 4–11, 2002). "New beginnings Chris Brokaw’s Red Cities, Rick Barton’s An American Rock Song". Cellars by Starlight, The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  6. ↑ Jon Langmead (February 26, 2007). "Interview with Chris Brokaw". DOA - For the Love of Music. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  7. ↑ Mike Wolf (November 10–16, 2005). "On a role: After years as a team player, Chris Brokaw moves into the spotlight to reveal his Incredible Love". Time Out New York, No. 528. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
  8. ↑ Mike Wolf (July 4, 2002). "Reviews - Chris Brokaw's Red Cities + Curtis Harvey Band". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  9. ↑ Brandon Stosuy (December 8, 2003). "Review of Chris Brokaw's Wandering as Water (Return to Sender, 2003)". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  10. ↑ Colin Carberry (31 Jul 2002). "Red Cities". Hot Press. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  11. ↑ Roman Sokal (September 2002). "Chris Brokaw Red Cities". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2013-05-05.

External links

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