Punch
by: Punch Brothers
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Sales Rank: 3392
Sales Rank: 3392
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Music : Punch |
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Rating:  - * Brain Grass ... Breathing life into the acoustic landscape, Chris Thile shows his compositional talent through a collaboration of fine musicians that are climbing towards the top of their game. Gabe Witcher's violin is an equivalent and bold partner to Thile's mandolin. Noam "Pickles" Pikelny's banjo is beyond professional and may be the heartbeat of this new sound. Chris "Critter" Eldrige has a steady and understated hand on the guitar, a favorite in his genuiness and press for accuracy. Greg Garrison's bass adds it's solo voice as well (though recently replaced by equally competent youngster, Paul Cowan). Clearly, the four-part suite "The Blind Leaving the Blind" is unlike anything this reviewer has ever heard and explores new trails. Though dancing with an atonality at times, that might leave the less adventurous behind, the music never drifts into confusion and remains satisfying. The autobiographical lyrics along with pinnacles and perigees of contrasting music, communicate at a visceral level. With the competence to embrace the minimalism of the single note then to fly into harmonized tapestry, this quintet is making history. The only thing better than probing the depths of this CD is seeing them live. They believe in what they are doing. So do I. Rating:  - * punch drunk? ... This is a relatively awful piece of work. The band mostly plays discordant, nonmelodic music that can possibly only be enjoyed by the sophisticated listeners who like avant garde classical music (i.e., not me). Worst of all is the half-hour, four part monstrosity titled "The Blind Leading the Blind." Chris Thile composed it, and he sings sweetly, but his vocals usually seem to have nothing to do with the backing music. It would be as if you sang "Amazing Grace" while a band played "Devil Went Down To Georgia" at the same time. Even within the instrumental passages, the banjo, fiddle and other instruments are often working against eachother rather than playing together. I admire people who can get anything out of this collection of loosely strung together bits and bops. My reaction was more like the way a Jackson Pollock painting strikes me. Sorry, not my cup o' tea. Rating: - * The Best Album I've Heard in Years ... Copied from here: http://moultano.blogspot.com/2008/03/best-album-ive-heard-in-years.html "Punch" is the second album from the newly renamed "Punch Brothers," their first being "How To Grow a Woman From the Ground." It's unclassifiable music, which clearly springs from bluegrass but with influences too numerous to count. It mixes the idioms and instruments of bluegrass with the complex harmonies of contemporary classical and jazz. I guarantee you've never heard anything like it. It makes Bela Fleck sound tame and traditional. Chris Thile, the frontman for the group has been called "the most virtuosic American ever to play the mandolin," and the other members of the group receive less effusive praise only because their instruments are more common. Here they are put to good use playing things that have never before been played on these instruments. The meat of the album is contained in a bewildering, four movement, forty minute piece entitled "The Blind Leaving the Blind." Despite the length and the stretches of dissonance, it's never inaccessible for long; the lyrics and melodies stay rooted in telling the emotional story of Chris's recent divorce. Every so often they break into an old-fashioned bluegrass jam, but then change keys in a few measures to remind you what you are listening to. On my first pass through it was exhausting to listen to, and it was a stretch for the band as well. "For me, when I first received the score and saw what Chris was asking me to play on my instrument, that had to have been just as traumatic as him getting his divorce papers," Pikelny says. "He figured, 'Hey, if you have the notes there, you'll figure out a way to play it.'" Chris Thile's voice, though adequate, doesn't match the quality of the playing and composition, and the album suffers from what I call "Great Album Syndrome." (Every truly great album must have one unbearable song, i.e. "The Crunge" or "Fitter Happier." On this album it's the first track, "Punch Bowl.") However, if hearing a banjo in a song doesn't immediately turn you off, (I understand that excludes a fair number of people) then give this a listen. Rating: - * Spellbinding ... I am attracted to artists who cross musical genres and create a unique sound. Bluegrass meets classical meets folk meets blues. The Punch Brothers forge ahead into new musical territory with the same fearlessness as supreme artists Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. Chris Thile's 4 part piece "The Blind Leaving the Blind" is spellbinding and beautifully lush with complex themes. Chris has brought together a group of fabulous musicians who can match his high level of precision performance and artistry. Punch is a groundbreaking piece of work. The entire CD presents a cohesive landscape of ideas and feelings that delights from beginning to end. Rating: - * About time for a longer work from a mature composer. ... If you'd like to hear what happens when a (primarily) progressive folk composer, a man used to shooting off five-to-ten minute pieces, tries his hand at a mature work of 40 minutes, give this album a listen. I've seen the tour supporting the show and I love the album. It's interesting to see how a multi-movement work will translate into a tradition full of short, repetitive tunes, but I really admire the guts here. He really achieves a mood here, and if you're really floundering for something to latch onto, try to focus on how he moves from section to section within the piece. I'm sorry not everyone here enjoyed it, though I've learned not to waste my breath when it comes to defending music of the avant-garde persuasion. ("Trying too hard to be different"? Whatever that means. They made an experimental album, end of story.) Not that Chris has ever exactly courted the traditional bluegrass community--I mean, let's be realistic here. |
Where the NBA Dynasty series (the other initial entry is the slightly meatier Los Angeles Lakers: The Complete History) outdoes Ultimate Jordan is in the six playoff games--one for each year--as they were originally broadcast, minus halftime and commercials. Having the nearly complete game (usually running 90-100 minutes, from the TV introductions to post-game interviews) means you can skip straight to John Paxson's clutch basket or what was expected to be the final shot of Jordan's career. Or you can savor each game in its entirety, all the better to appreciate the artistry of Jordan in his three-pointer barrage against Portland or his "flu game" against Utah. You can see other great players too, of course, including Jordan's teammates--Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman--and those opponents unfortunate enough to face the Bulls--Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, and others. Because these are all NBA Finals games, you won't see Jordan's shot over Craig Ehlo or his 63-point coming-out party against Boston, but the 1990s Chicago Bulls were a team for the ages, and merely having their games--some of them all-time classics--available for home viewing is a major milestone in archived sports. --David Horiuchi
While last-minute heroics tend to be the standard by which we define excellence, there are many other moments that have left an indelible impression, many of them highlighted here. The video clips fall into 10 categories: Dunks, Alley-oops, Assists, Steals, Blocks, Teamwork, the Clutch Shot, Moves, Hustle, and Buzzer-Beaters. At the beginning of each section is a brief introduction. Before showing the top 10 dunks of all time, for example, we learn about the evolution of the dunk--from the first slam to the man who could fly, Michael Jordan--and we hear background commentary from NBA legends such as Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Dr. J, and Bill Russell. This video recalls familiar moments of NBA lore that you will want to own for countless repeat viewings. --Jeremy Storey
