Search - Moviola :: East of Eager

Keep comming back to this one

A guy from Philly | Philadelphia, PA United States | 10/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"reminded me at first of the more listenable red house painters stuff but it's not as dopey. they don't put on airs the way other laid-back americana-type groups do. i mean, i like iron and wine and all, but this is just more honest. good solid songwriting. seems i'm always in the mood for this record. it gives me that wistful lookin' back feeling. maybe the ghost of sherwood anderson lives in their rehearsal space.



"faire thee well boys, it's back to ohio. to see the prettiest pair of eyes in town""

Perfect Summer Morning Music

Sleepy a/k/a | Washington, DC United States | 04/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this disc up after reading a glowing review on americana-uk.com. Although americana-uk has a bit of reputation for grade inflation, they were dead on here. This band from Columbus, Ohio plays a mellow, laid-back style of alt-country. You could say that they have a Pavement-esque approach to making music -- a song should not feel too rehearsed or feel like it has been overly produced ("Love Is Hell, Part 1" -- Are you listening?!). The approach reminds me of a term I learned in college "sprezzatura," Italian for "practiced naturalness, i.e., it's okay to practice like hell but when you perform make it look like it comes effortlessly. To this end, further listening of "East of Eager" reveals the skill and effort that went into making each song feel so easy going (e.g., the violin and pedal steel overlays are pitch perfect). Wheras Pavement's approach results in a nice looseness and a tinge of anarchy, Moviola's results in an outdoor-smile crispness that is tough to resist even for the most jaded alt-country fan. With five song writers/singers, the album sounds nicely varied but still comes across as a cohesive whole. Bottom line -- it is flat-out fantastic."