Customer Reviews

The Palace At 4am (Part I)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I could not submit a review without giving it a rating, so I randomly went with 4 stars.

Jay Bennett did not simply "have a hand" in writing "My Darlin'.'' Rather he WROTE the song. Our version (the one which appears on P4AM) is the original, and Summerteeth's is the cover, in spite of their flip-flopped order of release.

As for "Shakin' Sugar" and "Venus," we have always been very clear right from the start that these songs were Tweedy/Bennett collaborations ("check your fileshares" suggests cloak-and-dagger antics). If "Sugar" sounds like Wilco's "Alone," it shouldn't be surprising because the basic tracks are the same. WHY are they the same? Because Jay Bennett played EVERY instrument on the Wilco version. We simply added some more stuff to it and put it on our record.

As to whether people like our record better or Wilco's records better, I do not really care. I make records because I enjoy it. I just wanted to clarify a mis-informed opinion.

Thanks,
Edward Burch

With all the praise and adoration being heaped upon Jay Bennett's former band Wilco's new release "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" it seems ironic that Jay's new recorded collaboration with Edward Burch is an overlooked gem. It's obvious that in Bennett's recent departure from Wilco that he took a lot with him. I received this disc at the same time as Wilco's YHF and I find myself reaching for this one over YHF. While not as original sounding or experimental as YHF, "The Palace at 4am (Part 1)" evokes 60s and 70s pop sounds. The songwriting here is stellar. At times a little too Elvis Costello sounding but this is no knock against the album. The production and layering are almost over-the-top but beautifully done with all kinds of instruments and sounds popping up out of the blue. I highly recommend this CD and look forward to Bennett and Burch's next release.

Teaming with another multi-talented instrumentalist and vocalist Edward Burch, former Wilco member Jay Bennett has created an album every bit as good as anything Wilco has done. If Bennett's mission upon leaving Wilco was to search for `the hook', it appears he's found it, as it makes an appearance in virtually every song. Although Bennett and Burch are not averse to tossing in sonic twists akin to those of their brethren Wilco, their songs are generally more `poppy', less edgy, more hummable and a very pleasant surprise.

The Palace at 4AM (Part 1) has the same classic pop sound that Wilco's Summerteeth showcased. The layers of sound can become too much on some songs by burying the vocals. (eg. Puzzle Heart and Shakin' Sugar). But for the most part the album shines. Whispers or Screams hook instantly grabs you and the dark sounds of No Church Tonite pulls you into the album. Although Bennett and Burch probably should have left a few tunes off this album - the other 11 or 12 keepers make it a great listen.

If your reading this or checking out the new Jay Bennett/Edward Burch record it's probably because of your interest in Wilco. Well this debut record from the guy who was very responsible for their innovative yet eclectic sound will not let you down. From the melodic Birdsesque first track "Puzzle Heart" you know you are in for something great. This record is very reminiscent of Wilco's 1999 Summerteeth release utilizing a lot of the cool sounds and effects that clearly were Bennetts doing. With a very substantial 15 tracks, this record will take you down many roads, yet not loosing it's roots or direction. Though all the buzz now is focused on Bennetts former bandmates release YHF, this record stands up to the test, and is a must have for any who miss the great pop sounds of the 60's and 70's.

I suppose it's natural for the breakup of a band (or one musician's removal as was the case with Jay Bennett being forced to leave Wilco) to cause fans to take sides and proclaim one side the victor. This happened when Uncle Tupelo broke up and people took sides either with Jay Farrar or Jeff Tweedy. Personally, I couldn't care. They are both stellar musicians and I've enjoyed their respective work over the past several years.

This album by Jay Bennett is surprisingly good and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Son Volt/Jay Farrar, Wilco, Ryan Adams, or any other singer-songwriter who sings with passion. No, it's not Wilco, but for that I'm thankful. If he had left the band and tried only to repeat what Wilco was doing, he would be bashed left and right. Give the man some props for doing his own thing and enjoy it for what it is...Great music.

I purchased this disc mainly for the song "Drinking On Your Dime" which i heard in a movie which I do not recall the name of. Great melodies are all through the songs and was so happy that this did not turn out to be one of those cd's you buy for one song and it turns out that nothing else is worth listening too. The song mentioned however is worth the price of the disc, great tune.

As a big fan of americana type music, and knowing what kind of influence Bennett had on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot CD by Wilco before his departure from the band, I decided to buy this one after hearing one song. The result, a incredible journey of upbeat to slow genuine pop masterpieces. But I was surprised of what kind of music I was hearing. I thought it would be more like older Wilco, since that is why Jay supposedly left the band to return to vintage Wilco. But this album has little americana soundings to it. It is more like crafty modern Elvis Costello pop with some americana edges.
There are no duds on the album, every song carrying incredible melodies and words..My favorites, though I am discovering new favs every day, include Puzzle Heart, CTM, No Church Tonite, Forgiven, Little White Cottage, and Venus stopped the rain. There are no weak ones...
This album will speak to you, and even though the breakup of Bennett and Tweedy is too bad, I think Bennett/Burch have something going here..Who is Edward Burch anyway? Whoever he is, he and Bennett have an album equal to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and that is saying something.

This is the debut from the duo of Jay Bennett and Edward Burch. Bennett is primarily known for his heralded role as Jeff Tweedy's creative foil and studio mastermind in Wilco and for his collaboration with Billy Bragg, Wilco, and Woody Guthrie on the Grammy Award nominated Mermaid Avenue albums. Prior to joining Wilco, Bennett played with Titanic Love Affair and Steve Pride in Champaign, Illinois the town in which he befriended Edward Burch (The Kennett Brothers/The Viper and His Famous Orchestra).

This is a fantastic, intimate record with great production. I come back to it time and time again and recommend it highly to anyone considering making the purchase. If you're contemplating if this record is for you, then my hunch is that it probably is. Buy it and enjoy!

Jay Bennett's first post-Wilco effort is an imminently listenable affair that seems constructed, by Bennett and fellow Chicago singer songwriter Edward Burch, of the loose ends of the last thirty years or so of semi-popular music. A clear debt is owed to the Elvis Costello of Trust and This Year's Model (compare, for example, the opening of "Fireworks" with the beginning of Trust's "New Lace Sleeves", or the titles and lyrics of Costello's "From a Whipser to a Scream" to those of Bennett/Burch's "Whispers or Screams") but sonically the ablum covers ground from the Beetles to the Smithereens, the Replacements, and beyond. The quality of the songs themselves is a bit uneven, as one might expect from a group that includes Bennett/Burch written tunes alongside Bennett/Tweedy and Bennett/Guthrie collaborations, but the effect is not overly distracting on an album that is, essentially, an ode to eclecticism. The Guthrie songs, in particular, compare favorably to virtually anything in the Billie Bragg and Wilco canon - there's nothing here with the exuberance of a "California Stars," but neither are we subjected to the protracted moralizing and reverent fascist-decrying into which Bragg so often lapses. Though not quite able to hold its own in comparison to Wilco's YHF, The Palace (Part 1) is nevertheless an enjoyable sonic experience, and one that provides insight into the true creative forces behind Wilco's unexpected rise from alt-country middle-weights to the kings of quiet, eclectic rock and roll. I, for one, leave The Palace intimating that Jeff Tweedy might well have remained a lesser Jay Farrar had not Bennett been brought on board during the recording of Being There, and an understanding of Bennett's first album without Tweedy since his Titanic Love affair days requires an appreciation of his status as a post-modern rock professor and a recognition of his deep contribution to one of the best working bands we've got. Clearly Bennett has absorbed some of Tweedy's lyrical complexity and freewheeling irony and put it to good use on The Palace at 4 AM (Part 1); what remains to be seen is whether or not Wilco can craft an album with the sonic variety and depth of allusiveness of YHF or Summerteeth in the absence of Bennett.