Is All Over the Map

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Their most focused work to date. Ringleader Howe Gelb leads a new cast of Sandmen through the proverbial song desert. From the somber "Classico" to the rocking "Flying Around The Sun..." to the desert sand sound of "Les Forcats Innocents", there's simply no denying the force of a Giant Sand recording. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Is All Over the Map, Music, Giant Sand, Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Bass, Drums, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Piano, Pop, Rock, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Average customer rating:

A Little Underwhelmed but Good Stuff

Simmers of summer

Howie Gelb gets better with age......

NYC of Time

Inferior to OP8, but Gelb continues to be brilliant

Is All Over the Map
Giant Sand
Manufacturer: Thrill Jockey
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0002HV67C
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Classico
NYC of Time
Remote
Flying Around the Sun with Remarkable Speed
Cracklin' Water
Rag
Muss
Drag
Fool
Les Forcats Innocents
Napoli
Hood (View From A Heidelburg Hotel)
Classo Reprise, A
Anarchistic Bolshevistic Cowboy Bundle
Ploy

Album Description

Their most focused work to date. Ringleader Howe Gelb leads a new cast of Sandmen through the proverbial song desert. From the somber "Classico" to the rocking "Flying Around The Sun..." to the desert sand sound of "Les Forcats Innocents", there's simply no denying the force of a Giant Sand recording.

Customer Reviews:

A Little Underwhelmed but Good Stuff.......2007-03-01

I've heard a lot of Howie Gelb so this album is my introduction to Giant Sand. First off, this ain't country, but more of an amalgam of Lou Reed (vocals) and Tom Waits without the histrionics (Muss) and maybe a touch of Greg Brown (Fool of a Girl). I do love the open space melancholy that pervades most of these songs and the low key singing style adds to all of this. This album is certainly eclectic, as the title states, but I'm not sure it serves the album as a whole. Maybe I picked the wrong album to start with.

Simmers of summer.......2007-01-13

Previously I've felt unsure how to approach the various albums by Giant Sand. From what I've read, the harshest critique I can think of the band is that from record to record, the music is uneven, ranging from astonishingly good to just so-so and over-reaching. That's true for any band, and like Gelb sings in the song `Muss': paradise don't come without mistakes. My experience from the sandmen's `Chore of Enchantment' to `Is All Over the Map' has been nothing short of epic, or should I say.... Classico. To me, the progression of this record from `Chore' is no less solid, yet the pace of many of the songs is welcoming. `Chore' dealt with the dirtiness of the "ever-present", especially the pain associated with the loss of the band's co-founder, Rainer Ptacek. This album is the aftermath, the rising sun simmering in a clear sky. For the most part, this album is louder, faster, yet no less a catch. Album to album, Howe Gelb always seems to know how to infuse just the right amount of cool, humor, and emotion in combination with a talented group of contributors. That combination comes through in the music as a sound unclassifiable, simply because of all the styles mixed within. It's not just country, southwestern, nor is it jazz, internationally tinted (French and Latin/Caribbean), nor is it funk. I think this album epitomizes rock & roll because it destroys all boundaries. Whatever the genre, it's always an ongoing experiment, and it's clear that the Sandmen have fun defining it. It truly is all over the map. Rather than a hazy evening, to me the feel of this album is as a sunrise, promising the simmer of summer, which as the Sandmen would say, has a similar hold on me. Great album.

Howie Gelb gets better with age.............2006-12-13

Along with Nancy McCallion of The Mollys and The Last Call Girls, Howie Gelb is one of the reasons why Tucson, AZ remains a distinctive, cutting-edge center for contemporary country/folk music with a strong undercurrent of rock and roll and Mexican Norteno music thrown in. This may be his most satisfying album yet, blending his unique, still intriguing, Southwestern melodies with some more accessible pop-oriented ones. Without question, this album is a far cry from what I have heard which passes for "good music" in the over-hyped Brooklyn, NY country music scene led by two songwriters, Alex Battles and "Dock Oscar" Stern, whose mediocre country songwriting abilities greatly pale in comparison with those from the likes of distinguished, critically acclaimed, country songwriters Howie Gelb, Nancy McCallion, fellow Brunonian Mary Chapin Carpenter and Lucinda Williams. Indeed the Brooklyn, NY country music scene should be regarded as minor league in stature, consisting only of a small fringe community of local country music bands and their fans, of which the most talented musician is my erstwhile friend - and fellow Brunonian - Dotty Moore, a brilliant bluegrass/country/folk violinist, who should be performing instead with the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Elton John, making a lucrative career from her own splendid musicianship (And yet, in fairness to Brooklyn, I am aware of two good bands, the Doc Marshalls and the M Shanghai String Band, who may be poised soon for some artistic and commercial success, but it's too early to say whether these bands will be as successful as Tucson's best, including The Mollys and Howie Gelb's Giant Sand.).

Gelb has always been an intriguing songwriter, composing quirky, yet often mesmerizing, songs and giving live performances that are more performance art than concert performances. Here he is joined with the latest lineup of Giant Sand, featuring a splendid group of excellent musicians, like drummer and mellotron keyboardist John Parish and guitarist Anders Pedersen, whose elegant guitar playing is a fine accompaniment to Gelb's. My two favorites on this album are the beguiling "Classico" and the hard-rocking "Flying Around the Sun with Remarkable Speed". Without a doubt, Howie Gelb is getting better as he gets older, crafting yet another intriguing mix of songs and offering fine singing on this, his latest, album.

NYC of Time.......2006-11-10

Some music resonates inside you the instant you hear it. It's the lovely, honest stuff that becomes a part of you at some crucial point in your life -- after a breakup or during a rite of passage -- and never leaves that little compartment that it forged in your soul. Or maybe the music hits you at the right time of day, breathing alongside whatever sunset, toe-pointing kiss or first cup of organic espresso makes you most receptive. And then you have music that fills your whole being with these feelings, even if you're sitting in your miserable cubicle for nine hours a day.

Howe Gelb's work does that.

In case you're unfamiliar with Gelb's work as Giant Sand (featuring previous collaborations with Neko Case, Victoria Williams, members of Grandaddy, Joey Burns and John Convertino, who went on to form Calexico), he has enjoyed a twenty year, twenty-seven release career, touring with everyone from the Cramps to PJ Harvey. Is All Over...the Map features a supergroup made up of legends such as John Parish on drums, mellotron and producing duties, newish guy Anders Pedersen on lap steel, guitar and "electric slide mandolin", and guest vocals by the likes of Vic Chesnutt. The ensemble creates a rich texture of elegant trash, conjuring images of tumbleweeds and ghost towns whose thousand stories are just waiting to be told -- that's Gelb's Tucson roots and home studio showing through. Drums clack and thump into vintage mics (enough to make Steve Albini blush); Gelb's 1888 piano shakes and creaks under the master's gentle hand (eerily sounding Henry Cowellesque on "Drab"); frets and strings buzz, and howling tube amp feedback rattles the studio windows like a passing ghost train.

The band's dynamic resembles the greats: Crazyhorse, classic Heartbreakers, vintage Eagles and The Flying Burrito Brothers ain't got nothin' on Giant Sand. Gelb and Pederson's guitar work often spices the folksy Americana/stoner California songs with doses of Kevin Shields and Hendrix at their noisiest, soothing the deal with Gelb's wife Sofie's innocent vocals (see "NYC of Time" and the Frenchtangoflamenco of "Les forcats innocents"). They work the gamut, from the heart-wrenching weeper "Classico" to a grizzled medley of "Anarchy in the UK" and Willie Nelson ("Anarchistic Bolshevistic Cowboy Bundle"), with daughter Patsy Gelb swinging the Lydon side 'til dad laments, "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be Tolstoys". Ha!

However, as perfect a brew as this is, it's Gelb's voice and lyrics that push the music into otherworldly territories. His shaky timbre -- channelling Tom Waits, Lou Reed in his later days, Neil Young and Nick Drake -- has its way with you, whether it calms your nerves, sweeps over you with euphoric afterglow or simply reduces you to tears. "You find a girl, and she means all the world / and you lose your heart and it's back to the start / that's just the way it goes / when it's so...classico," Gelb offers. His voice is carefully restrained; he and the band are whispering to lure you in -- and once you're hooked, squealing feedback deadens your left ear ("Classico"). On "Crackling Water", he whispers his message into the wind (from his porch?), sounding desperate, spiteful, shamanic and prophetic as he pivots, comparing the "crackling water, crackling light and the cracking clouds, and the crackling night" to the strain of a rocky relationship. He plays the role of sensitive mountain man: "When the weather turns warm / and the wind's fully formed / I return with all the grey I've earned / and my heart not fully formed / I hate you now, this is not love." Bonus points for his use of the word "over-underestimate". Gelb's 47 years of tough living are exposed by his cautionary moral on "Miss", something we should all be taught at age five: "Paradise don't come without mistakes."

In an interview, Gelb once talked about purchasing the town of Rice, a deserted two-building shanty next to Joshua Tree that was going for a few grand. His idea was to name it Giant Sand, "Because bands are like little towns. You just gotta pick the spot where it feels right." This is a fitting metaphor for the group: Is All Over...the Map serves as the town hall, with Gelb and Parrish as mayor and deputy, respectively. Howe, if you're a little short on cash but you promise to continue your lovely art, I'll start the pledge drive with the first $100.

Inferior to OP8, but Gelb continues to be brilliant.......2005-02-22

Howie Gelb is one of the more under-known of American guitarists and songwriters. In recent years he's really managed to weave his whimsy and dead-seriousness into a very distinct rattlesnake-in-the-desert-sun Southwest moody sound, and it works. That said, his previous cd, OP8, is one of his best, a crowning achievement, and this cd includes a few tracks from that collaboration re-arranged. Except for intellectual curiosity, even a fan like me must acknowledge they aren't as good as the same tracks on OP8. Just don't expect them to be better. If you like Howie Gelb, and don't own OP8, you're missing out.

Average customer rating:

Adam Frey is amazing!
An interesting change

Listen to This
Adam Frey , and Damon Denton
Manufacturer: Eroica Classical
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000075A2H
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Tracks:

Pantomime
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Fantasy Variations
Nessun Dorma
Euphonium Concerto: Allegro assai
Andantino
Finale-Giocoso
Elegin C Minor
Flight of the Bumblebee
Estrellita
Fantaisie Originale

Customer Reviews:

Adam Frey is amazing!.......2004-02-17

I play tuba and I recently had a workshop and a private lesson with Adam where he played Flight of the Bumblebee at top speed, all 12 major scales in less than 30 seconds, and a song using multiphonics (playing and humming a different note at the same time) that sounded impossible! I'd never imagined someone could be this amazing at a low brass instrument but he is. He's really amazing and he deserves all the fame and recognition that he gets.

An interesting change.......2003-03-18

This is different from most classical and instrumental cd's I have. It is neat to hear the euphonium showcased. You can tell that Adam Frey has a great sense of humor, the album art is fabulous! The album has a great variety, Flight of the Bumblebee is fantastic! I highly recommend this cd for anyone who wants a little something different in their classical collection.

Average customer rating:

Rock N Roll Aint Easy

Manufacturer: Earthling Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAGIN6
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

drivin'
trippin
25 to life
alone
loco
lies
state of confusion
oh jah

Average customer rating:

This & That

Manufacturer: Grand Scale
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CADIFM
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Tracks:

Wicked
The Bad Boys Get The Bad Girls
I'm With You
I Don't Mind
City Life
I Never Did Ever Once Look Back
Count On Me
Listen
Everybody Needs Somebody
After The Lights Go Down
Got You
Move A Little Closer
Shake It Up
I Called To Tell Ya
Love Me Now
That's The One I Wamt
I've Got The Notion
Why?
Do You Feel It In The Air?
Together We Can Change The World

Average customer rating:

I'm Betta Than You
Mad Man
Manufacturer: Ton Of Soul Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAEH98
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Tracks:

Intro
In My Life (Feat) Coo Coo Cal and Doo Rag
414
Love Will (Feat) Godxilla
I Knocked Yo B_&#'
Leave Reggie Alone (Feat) Reggie Smooth as Butta Brown and T-Rel
Y'all Don't Want No Drama (Feat) M.C. Ron Skii and Doo Rag
Watch the Way He Moves (Feat) Eddie Nygma
Make It Snow (Feat) Godxilla and Killa Joe
Conversations
Public Service Announcement from Doctor B
VD All in Yo D_#&
She Sees Stars (Feat) Reggie Smooth as Butta Brown
We Gangsta (Feat) Young Twan and Ice Mone
Nation Wide Pimpin (Feat) Pimp Snooky
Pimp Tight (Feat) Baby Drew
She's So Ugly (Feat) Godxilla
Coach of the Year (Feat) B. J.
I'm Hollerin Pimpin'
Drop Loads (Feat) Nel from the W8 Haulers
Mystery
Outtro
TC Outtro

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