Album Features
UPC:	723724640320
Artist:	Willard Grant Conspiracy
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2005
Record Label:	Kimchee Records
Genre:	Country

Track Listing
1. River in the Pines
2. Trials of Harrison Hayes, The
3. Beyond the Shore
4. Ghost of the Girl in the Well
5. Twistification
6. Another Man Is Gone
7. Soft Hand
8. Rosalee
9. Fare Thee Well
10. Day Is Past and Gone
11. Suffering Song, The

Details
Playing Time:	48 min.
Contributing Artists:	Kristin Hersh
Producer:	Robert Fisher, Simon Alpin
Distributor:	Redeye Music Distribution
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Willard Grant Conspiracy includes: Simon Alpin (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin); Robert Fisher (vocals, acoustic guitar); Drew O'Doherty (electric guitar); Chris Eckman (guitar, piano); Pete Sutton (bass); Nathan Logus (drums, percussion).Additional personnel: Kristin Hersh, Jess Klein Blake Hazard.Recorded at Studio Metro, Ljubljana, Slovenia.Personnel: Simon Alpin (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); Robert Fisher (vocals, acoustic guitar); David Michael Curry (vocals, viola, musical saw); Jess Klein, Kristin Hersh, Blake Hazard (vocals); Chris Eckman (guitar, grand piano); Paul Austin (acoustic guitar); Drew ODoherty (electric guitar); Josh Hillman (violin); Dennis Cronin (trumpet); Peter Linnane (organ); T.W. Walsh (keyboards); Pete Sutton (bass guitar); Nathan Logus (drums, percussion); Gary Johnston (percussion).Audio Mixers: Simon Alpin; Nick Hunt.Recording information: Medford, MA; Studio Metro, Ljubljana, Slovenia.Robert Fisher, the literate, somber, and compelling mouthpiece for Gothic Americana ensemble Willard Grant Conspiracy, sings and speaks in an elegant -- perhaps a bit fabricated -- drawl that calls to mind Junior Brown doing Leon Redbone impersonating Nick Cave on a Tindersticks tribute record. His conversational demeanor and snowy imagery are the driving force behind the 11 tales of loss and redemption that constitute the band's latest collection, the ominously titled Regard the End. Beginning with the traditional "River in the Pines," the group establishes the last log in the fireplace warmth that has fueled their previous outings, creating an alternate universe of sepia-toned dread like an Andrew Wyeth painting come to life. Vocals are layered like steps on an old staircase on the beautiful "Trials of Harrison Hayes," an emotional tale of regret that features the soulful harmonies of Jess Klein. "The Ghost of the Girl in the Well" is a definite highlight, lent added weight by string players Josh Hillman and David Michael Curry, who wrap their bows around Kristin Hersh's reedy voice, eventually giving way to Fisher's mournful crooning. "Soft Hand" begins with a drum loop that, strangely enough, resembles the intro to Hall and Oates' "I Can't Go for That," before evolving into one of the record's lighter moments, with Fisher telling an upset significant other "There, I made you smile." Willard Grant Conspiracy are a chamber group. Like an ambitious version of the Scud Mountain Boys, they manage to appear out of nowhere in your living room, play an intimate set, and invoke every ghost from a 20-mile radius through your front door before leaving as quickly as they came. Regard the End may not be the opus they're bound to create, but it's their closest yet. ~ James Christopher Monger

Editorial Reviews
Ranked #4 in Uncut's Albums Of The Year 2003 - Uplifting and revelatory.
Uncut (20040101)

[I]t's historically rooted music fired by present-tense passion. - Rating: B+
Entertainment Weekly (20040220)

3 stars out of 5 - [Fisher] sings in a deep drawl that splits the difference between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave...
Rolling Stone (20040304)