The Phosphorescent Blues

by Punch Brothers

Overview

Never ones to shy away from complexity, the Punch Brothers throw all caution to the wind on The Phosphorescent Blues. Aided by producer T-Bone Burnett -- that auteur of Americana acoustica, who previously worked with the band on his soundtrack for the Coen brothers' folkie saga Inside Llewyn Davis -- the Punch Brothers indulge themselves in impressionism on their fourth full-length, having the guts to open with a ten-minute suite that plays a bit like the fourth side of a double-vinyl from 1971. It also performs a nifty trick of sorting out the true believers. If "Familiarity" -- the coziness of the title feels like a knowing joke, as it certainly doesn't follow conventional contours -- grabs a listener's attention with its elliptical ebb and flow, chances are the rest of the record will play smoothly as it dips into Debussy and scrapes by Scriabin, taking longer to linger on sunshine harmonies lifted from the Beach Boys than it does to revive an old string stomp like "Boll Weevil." Backwoods and front-porch picking never were the Punch Brothers' thing, though. They're happily urban sophisticates, making leader Chris Thile's second group Nickel Creek appear to be purists, and the success of The Phosphorescent Blues lies in how they cheerfully embrace the well-manicured sophistication that comes with the territory where the air is rarefied. The Punch Brothers sound as comfortable nimbly skipping through classical pieces as they do creating oddly shaped bluegrass-prog -- and as they do creating sparkling pop miniatures like "Magnet" and "Between 1st and A." By both capturing and fusing these two sides, The Phosphorescent Blues stands as a defining record for an admittedly restless band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2015
Label:	Nonesuch
UPC:	0075597952704

Tracks

1. Familiarity
2. Julep
3. Suite Bergamasque: Passepied
4. I Blew It Off
5. Magnet
6. My Oh My
7. Boll Weevil
8. Pr¿¿lude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 22: No. 2
9. Forgotten
10. Between 1st and A
11. Little Lights

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Punch Brothers   Primary Artist
Noam Pikelny   Banjo,Vocal Harmony
T-Bone Burnett   Guitar (Electric)
Jay Bellerose   Drums
Chris Thile   Vocals,Mandola,Bouzouki,Mandolin,Vocal Harmony
Gabe Witcher   Vocal Harmony,Fiddle
Chris Eldridge   Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic)
Paul Kowert   Bass,Vocal Harmony

Technical Credits

Jason Worner   Engineer
Dave Sinko   Engineer
T-Bone Burnett   Producer
Kevin Ratterman   Assistant Engineer
Claude Debussy   Composer
Jay Bellerose   Drum Arrangements
Chris Thile   Group Member
Scriabin   Composer
Vanessa Parr   Assistant Engineer
Gabe Witcher   Drum Arrangements,Group Member
Gavin Lurssen   Mastering
Tucker Martine   Engineer
Mike Piersante   Mixing,Engineer
Alexander Scriabin   Composer
Punch Brothers   Arranger,Composer
Traditional   Composer
Chris Eldridge   Group Member
Paul Kowert   Group Member
Rene Magritte   Cover Art
Brantley Gutierrez   Photography
Alejandro Venguer   Engineer
Rouble Kapoor   Assistant Engineer
Evan Gaffney   Design
Mike Finn   Assistant Engineer
Chris Owens   Assistant Engineer
Noam Pikelny   Group Member