III

Espers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drag City
• ASIN: B002PHI26K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 release from the Neo-Psychedelic Folk trio. After what seems to be an interminably long gap and born into an inextricably changed world, Espers III walks among us, finally and finely. It's not as if Espers completely disappeared following their acclaimed first and second albums and tours. They played the odd show here and there but with time and focus given to Meg Baird's solo album Dear Companion, The Valerie Project project and Helena Espvall's collaborations with Masaki Batoh and others, not to mention the launching and flight of Greg Weeks' Language of Stone label, three years passed like a day or two in the life of Espers. Picking up the threads with ease, Espers III was intended to be an aural reversal of the layered sound of II. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Espers expands its musical horizon, November 5, 2009

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: III (Audio CD)

First things first: I found out about Espers back in the day because of my daughter, who somehow (I have no idea how wxactly) became aware of them and she introduced me to their fantastic 2004 self-titled debut album, a throwback to the 1960s psychedelia. In 2006 the band came back with an equally enthralling "II" album. Now comes the next chapter.

"III" (10 tracks; 47 min.) is somewhat of a departure of the first two albums, in that it is clearly less psychedelic-oriented, with the band expanding its musical horizon. The albums kicks off with a joyous folk-rock "I Can't See Clear", which sets the tone for the album. There is plenty of vocal interplay between Meg Baird and Greg Weeks throughout the album (check out the beautiful "Caroline" as just one example). "That Which Darkly Thrives" is (as the title implies) quite dark, but with enthralling musical interplay from the band's instruments, it's my favorite tune of the album. Great tracks follow one after another, each of them taking their time to gently develop and mesmorize you. The album's closer, the 6 min. epic "Trollslända" merits special attention, as is summarizes the album perfectly.

In all, "III" is quite a nice addition to and evolution of the Espers' musical output. Can't wait to see where Espers will go from here. I am an avid concert-goer but I still haven't had an opportunity to see these guys live in concert, and I can only hope to have an opportunity to do so sometime (are you reading this, Coachella organizers?).

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ho-Hum, November 19, 2010

By 

Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: III (Audio CD)

Compared to their previous output, this album presents more direct and straightforward songs that are rather banal by comparison. Those that like their music with simpler melodies and musical scores may well prefer this to their previous discography, but I am not among them.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Level?, April 21, 2010

By 

William J. Walker "Billyjay" (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: III (Audio CD)

Much as I enjoyed their previous albums I hesitated before buying this, ultimately, I suppose, because I wondered if there was any room for improvement on those albums but also I had been worn down waiting(3+ years)for this instalment to arrive.

Well I should have had a little more faith, as this comfortably surpasses their previous albums, indeed, this sees them reach a new level and claim a sound that is truly their own. In the past the band have, naturally, been compared to Fairport/Incredible String Band, amongst others, but here they reign in some of the multilayered production trickery and this tilts the balance away from the latter and towards the former. Some may be disappointed but this, it seems to me, concentrates the attention on the songs more, which are revealed to be very good indeed. The immediate standouts tend to be the Meg Baird sung songs but this is hardly surprising and you soon find the others to be excellent too, in particular the instrumental support seems stronger and less prone to eccentric wandering than on previous recordings.

In summary I think this their best to date and, probably, their most accessible too. So for old fans or the inquisitive I recommend it wholeheartedly.