Grace and Julian

Tonight @ the Milwaukee Ale House

Jul. 09, 2008

midnight

Grace and Julian, a collaboration between two New York University students, vocalist Grace Weber and pianist Julian Pollack, divide their time between up-tempo jazz pop and sultry adult-contemporary jazz ballads on their self-titled 2007 album. After a slew of shows around the area this summerincluding a high-profile slot headlining Jazz in the Park last weekthey do an 8 p.m. show at the Milwaukee Ale House tonight.

Comments (31)

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i liked the previous album, it was a nice synthesi...

i liked the previous album, it was a nice synthesis of humble westerners, obersts colliqual awakening from sadness, and south american spirituality culture clash. it is subtly inspirational, commonsensically on time. i think milk thistle is one of the best songs written in the last ten years. and the sequel to first day of my life. i havent heard the new album except a few songs. one thing im worried about is drugs taking a toll on oberst's mental plane. personally, i would of taken the country pyschedelic cassadega further lyrically and into complex pop instead.

Anonymous more than 14 years ago

i mean breezy was brilliant. hes gotten more like ...

i mean breezy was brilliant. hes gotten more like down to earth, paternal, physical

Anonymous more than 14 years ago

This article is garbage, I didn't like Outer South...

This article is garbage, I didn't like Outer South at first, and then fell in love with it. Musicians are allowed to grow, and personally I think that this is up there with "I'm wide awake" and "Lifted" as some of his best stuff.

Anonymous more than 14 years ago

i agree with everything in this article...

i agree with everything in this article

daniel more than 15 years ago

yea i agree, this guy shouldnt be writing reviews,...

yea i agree, this guy shouldnt be writing reviews, its a great record

mike more than 15 years ago

This is what happens when people who listen to Nic...

This is what happens when people who listen to Nickleback write reviews for great music. Do this for me, look past the fact that you can't cry your sad little self to sleep to this one and see how great the musicianship is on this album. The guitar is great. The organ is killer. The songwriting is top notch(on all the songs). There are some solid bass lines, and good drums. But I'm sure you didn't take any of that into account when you wrote this review:) There isn't any less oberst on this album than any other one. He's got 10 songs, and Nik, Jason, and Taylor(who are all very good and very accomplished musicians mind you) wrote 2 a piece. This is a great band playing REAL music, and that alone puts this album over anything out on the radio or on MTV.

to misquote Pink Floyd:

Hate on you crazy assholes

JacobBurman more than 15 years ago

This is Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band no...

This is Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band not Bright Eyes. You can't expect the same sound as Bright Eyes its not even the same record company producing the album. I think this is a great album. Conor Oberst is grown up. You can't compare Bright Eyes to Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.. they are completely different sounds and music style. It's like comparing Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley... just because it's the same lead singer doesn't mean shit. Its a different band!!!

Denisse more than 15 years ago

A couple things. Fair enough, it's not a Bright Ey...

A couple things. Fair enough, it's not a Bright Eyes album. With the exception of Snake Hill, the other members' songs could have been skipped. But, Oberst isn't a kid anymore. The heartfelt tunes of high school are replaced with soulful tunes of general life experience. Sorry but the Oberst who contemplated suicide after losing a girl is now almost 30 and to expect 'The Calener Hung Itself' is simply not fair.
I agree, not the flagship line of the Oberst fleet but this was a shit review written in the form of a hack. Name drops and an overly thought out opinion of a record is not a substitute for good writing and a respectable opinion. Neither is typing a bunch of names into google and using allmusic.com as the cornerstone of your opinion. I can relate to the overall review but don't write like a high school paper that doesn't even know how to pronounce, "Oberst."

Spencer more than 15 years ago

Evan, I couldn't agree more. I'm a huge fan of Con...

Evan, I couldn't agree more. I'm a huge fan of Conor Oberst, but everyone seems to follow him blindly, no matter what he does, which not the way it's supposed to be.
This album is not BAD, but like you say, "not so good". I wished people learned how to express themselves a nicer way than they did in those comments. (I'm French, sorry for the awkwardEnglish)

Angie more than 15 years ago

its one of those albums that just lets us know not...

its one of those albums that just lets us know not everything remains the same
he can not be an angry emotional teen for ever
and although his song writing in his mid twenties was just the next natural step
he could have evolved into something more
if he not choosen that country vibe
now im just seein where hes gonna lead us

i just soakin it all in-
good job conor

vagabond more than 15 years ago

I am so tired of people complaining about how Cono...

I am so tired of people complaining about how Conor needs to put out more stuff like desaparecidos and lifted. Give it a rest, he is no longer the angry, emotionally-charged early twenty something that put out those albums. If you listen to Outer South with an open mind you can hear that this is the same great songwriter that put out "let's not shit ourselves" at the age of 21. For any fans of Conor, this is a must have album. Like I said, listen to this with an open mind the music is more of a rock and roll sound but the great lyrics are still there.

Matthew more than 15 years ago

I couldn't agree with you more....

I couldn't agree with you more.

Anonymous more than 15 years ago

Conor Oberst doesn't care what you say.
"I do no...

Conor Oberst doesn't care what you say.
"I do not read the reviews.
No, I am not singing for you."

emily more than 15 years ago

I don't think that you have the slightest clue as ...

I don't think that you have the slightest clue as to what you are talking about; the new album is just to put it simply, amazing. I really don’t think that you fully grasp what Conor is trying to do throughout his music, he has given this generation something to be proud of amongst all the garbage that is on the radio, I saw him perform last November at the royal oak music theater and it was the best concert expericane that I have ever been a part of. Perhaps you should change the way that you look at music because what Conor does is completely revolutionary and inspiring, and if you can’t understand that then that is your loss.

Drew Hill more than 15 years ago

Evan,
Your comments on last year's C.O. self-title...

Evan,
Your comments on last year's C.O. self-titled, make me wonder if we were listening to the same record. I see C.O. only growing in his song writing skills. This coming from a guy that is nearly 40 years old, been listening to Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, etc. tsince I was 15, and this kid, so to speak, is heading if not already in that category. Anyway, no hard feelings, buddy, just disagree. I will buy the new record next week, and perhaps eat some of these words.

James Blessington more than 15 years ago

Regardless of whether Conor has lost his 'directio...

Regardless of whether Conor has lost his 'direction' or not post digital ash/wide awake, I still believe 'Cape Canaveral' to be one of the finest songs written within this decade, if not longer. I'm just happy that his output remains at this level, it's no fun waiting five years for your favourite artists' work.

Clockwork more than 15 years ago

I agree Clockwork, "Cape Canaveral" is an amzing s...

I agree Clockwork, "Cape Canaveral" is an amzing song. Outer South is beginning to grow on me a little more but I still think that the songs where Conor is not singing lead vocals should have been bonus material or cut from the album all together. Witht the exception of "Eagle on a Pole" and maybe even "Worldwide."

Feels more like a compilation of record label artists than a completed album from one band. BUT I criticize because I love Conor's music and will always support. Just my opinion

Anonymous more than 15 years ago

I loved the first album Conor cut with the Mystic ...

I loved the first album Conor cut with the Mystic Valley band. Great direction filled with acoustic folk rock twang. Cassadaga left a sour taste in my mouth, though it was filled with beautiful strings and great production, it was those same strings and production that left the arrangement of the songs very hollow. Conor's vocals were too low and you never quite heard his guitar. But where The Mystic Valley Bands self titled effort picked a more straight forward and lyrical path than Cassadaga, I believe that Outer South just dragged it on a little too much. There are too many tracks on this album, the ones that should be cut are the ones that don't feature Conor as lead vocals with the exception of Eagle on a Pole which I do enjoy. I am a long time Oberst fan and will listen and love as long as he continues to make music. As a matter of fact I just saw them in concert this past wednesday and the show was great so for everyone who holds Oberst close to the heart please don't take emo offense to me writing a critique of the album based on my opinions and observations. I do believe his lyrics are much weaker on this album, listen to ten woman....very speratic lyrics which don't make much sense. Though I downloaded the album for free, I will still go out and buy a copy just because I support what he does as a musician and appreciate every thing he has given to me musically. I do believe this will be his last effort with The Mystic Valley Band. I would love to see him do something with Tim Kasher or even with M.Ward....not just an ep but a full length album.

Waste of Paint more than 15 years ago

Reading this blog post I sense that he's definitel...

Reading this blog post I sense that he's definitely onto something. I think I enjoyed last year's self-titled the most immediately after buying it. Now 8 months later, whenever my ears are craving some Oberst sounds (which is often) it's always without fail the least compelling choice. I'll always love this guy but there's a hard truth to face here: his songwriting of the past few years has been pretty average (and as someone noted up above, seemed to level off somewhere shortly after the pinnacle Wide Awake/Digital Ash era). There is absolutely nothing to distinguish it from the other hordes of songwriters churning out this similar style of music (a style that, let's face it, does said lyrics zero favors). His songs are rarely ABOUT anything anymore, just fragments pieced together w/ the occasional spot of brilliance, brilliance that used to characterize all of his work. But of course we know that all good things must come to an end.

Paul more than 15 years ago

I feel bad for the dull minded if you don't get th...

I feel bad for the dull minded if you don't get the underling message of Oberst's lyrics if dont' now you never will.... oh not losing sleep over it at least not over you... to whoever wrote that crap

Stacy Flinn more than 15 years ago

The underling message? Like he has subordinates di...

The underling message? Like he has subordinates distributing his messages for him? Interesting.

Anonymous more than 15 years ago

Ha, brave! Of course you are entitled to your opin...

Ha, brave! Of course you are entitled to your opinion, and of course, Conor-lovers all around the world are going to bash you for it. But yeah, idk, you just miss old Bright Eyes. We all do. And new Conor dont top old Bright Eyes. But I think he is still in the game. His writing is still damn good, its just not drawn from the deep dark places of his angst-ridden soul. But if you ask me, he is being as real as he can with himself. Because people are not depressed forever, and its those who are that we worry about. In Conor's case, I think we are all happy he's not a ticking bomb. For a lot of fans we feel an intimacy toward the boy himself as well as his music, and I personally would not like him to martyr himself for it. It may be true that he will never revert to the style that made Bright Eyes hit so close to home, but I think it's too soon to call it the beginning of the end.

Robyn more than 15 years ago

Yeah, this review really doesn't tell me all that ...

Yeah, this review really doesn't tell me all that much about the album. It can basically be summarized as "I hate Conor Oberst's new direction and wish he would just rerecord Fevers and Mirrors and Lifted over and over again for the rest of his career." If you feel that way, fine, but if you're going to review the album, at least try to actually say something about it.

Frankly, I'm glad he's chosen to take his music in new directions. 30 years from now, the reactionaries who would prefer him to stick with his old direction are going to be about as relevant as those who criticized Dylan for going electric back in '64.

Sam more than 15 years ago

whatever, that last Oberst album WAS boring. this...

whatever, that last Oberst album WAS boring. this isn't one of those Bends-to-OK Computer transitions that he's doing, he's just getting soft and boring and slow. The Evens are The Evens, but some of us would still like another Fugazi album. If Oberst wants to explore his Ryan Adams, that's fine, but if a blog post liked his old, faster stuff more and would like to see him just get over this plain, stale phase, frankly, I agree.

Andy more than 15 years ago

yeah, terrible review, would love more journalism ...

yeah, terrible review, would love more journalism and less opinion. The last album with the mystic valley band showed a great deal of maturity in oberst as a songwriter. I can't wait for Outer South.

nathan more than 15 years ago

Perhaps Mr. Oberst is just having a good time play...

Perhaps Mr. Oberst is just having a good time playing and hanging out with dear friends.
Just because it's not the gut punch, brooding Bright Eyes that you might be used to, that doesn't mean it's awful.
I loved the record with the Mystic Valley Band, and I am really excited for Outer South.

Caroline more than 15 years ago

ya this guy doesnt seem to know what hes talking a...

ya this guy doesnt seem to know what hes talking about. the last album was great. i saw him in boston he played some stuff that will be on outer south and it all sounded good to me.

nick more than 15 years ago

well i'll tell you this much...at the last conor s...

well i'll tell you this much...at the last conor show i saw the new material really got me excited for the new album. they did nikorette, ten women, spoiled, slowly, and i got the reason and from all that i was expecting a pretty fantastic album.

unfortunately having listened to it in its entirety multiple times i have to say that i'm really disappointed. it's simply not a cohesive effort but merely a couple standouts and a whole lot of fluff (as the reviewer mentioned the other band members' tracks are definately the weakest). and i'm saying this actually having been a pretty big fan of the last record so i mean i dont know what else to say.

Anonymous more than 15 years ago

this entire review is based off of your opinion. ...

this entire review is based off of your opinion. who said all of these things? "Of all the complaints leveled at Oberst's last album..." "just isn't cutting it, yet Oberst doesn't seem to be getting the message" no one wants to read this arrogant trash. and maybe you should do some research - people love his new music. It has made him more popular than he ever was in Bright Eyes and it has introduced him to a whole new genre of fans. This fails to be a legitimate review because of your total ignorance and idiocy.

and you're also apparently misinformed. while jason is not the official drummer for bright eyes, he's been drumming for them consistently for like 5 years, so dont call him the drummer for rilo kiley - because he spends more time with conor's music.

And even starting to compare this to Mama, I'm Swollen is ridiculous. "rich with reoccurring lyrical themes and musical motifs and, most importantly, driven by a real sense of purpose". You, my friend, have absolutely no idea what real music is about. Mama I'm Swollen, while it had Tim's clever and some catchy lyrics, along with some awkward and failed ones, and some similar themes, - was not up to par with his usual music, and had only a few good songs. And if you weigh music by what "purpose" it is arranged in, you are missing the whole point of listening to music. Is The Beatles' White Album not an album because it is just a collection of random songs?

No wonder the average reader rating is 1 star. Next time you think about writing a review on something, just shoot yourself instead. People will give that 5 stars.

xxx more than 15 years ago

the best thing I´ve ever read! you are SOOOO right...

the best thing I´ve ever read! you are SOOOO right! thank you!

Anonymous more than 15 years ago

hell yeah...

hell yeah

Anonymous more than 15 years ago