Ala.Cali.Tucky

Brightblack Morning Light | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Galaxia Records
• ASIN: B0001LJB2Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,774 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Just prior to this album, Brightblack were known as Rainywood, and under that name they released a split single with Bonny Prince Billy (aka Will Oldham) and an excellent -- though critically ignored -- self-released full-length CD. Soon after this release on Galaxia, they changed (or extended) their name to Brightblack Morning Light and signed to Matador Records. Named for the locations they called home and where they recorded the album (Alabama, California, and Kentucky [they recorded at Paul Oldham's studio in Louisville]) Ala.Cali.Tucky is, perhaps understandably, the sound of a band in flux and still finding its voice. The music is almost uniformly slow-paced -- frustratingly so at times. You find yourself wishing they would break out of their languor from time to time and really cut loose. But instead, acoustic and slide guitars lazily interweave in a drunken sway with sparse drums. And while Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes (the two principle members of Brightblack) harmonize beautifully, the lyrics seem half formed and tossed off. But, occasionally, as on "True Bright Blossom" and "Own Time," this unhurried, ambling style rises above its merely laid-back hippy-vibe aspirations to create a kind of hazy, dreamy majesty that brings to mind the best work of that ultimate slow-poke band, Low. In fact, Brightblack could maybe be best described as Low with a Southern accent, as if Low were from Alabama instead of Minnesota, and instead of Mormons they were members of the Rainbow Tribe and Greenpeace. Remember, both oppressive heat and bitter cold can make you want to move at a snail's pace. ~ Jason Nickey, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut Album, August 4, 2004

By 

Joe Smith (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ala.Cali.Tucky (Audio CD)

This is the perfect album to put on at 3 AM and lay in an open field. I highly recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of Bonnie Prince Billy or Magnolia Electric Co. Very spaced out southern rock. My favorite album of the summer.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ala.Cali.Tucky (Audio CD)

Beautiful, relaxed music that invokes a country-inspired Mazzy Star or Chan Marshall. 4 stars because it sounds a lot like one long song, but the whole thing is beautiful.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weirdos, September 21, 2004

By 

alexander laurence (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ala.Cali.Tucky (Audio CD)

This is a weird band from Northern California. Long roads and the desert are their main influences. Dead animals that you see while driving down that road. Plenty of yelling. Maybe we all have mass murderers in our family history if you go back a few generations. I used to smoke cigarettes too. All the time. It was an occupation. Brightblack has garnered some favor with the neo-folk movement. They have won over the fans of the new hippie generation. They are voting for John Kerry, or maybe Nadar. It's all good. It's all pure. It's all real.