Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
will nourish gentle and patient souls for decades, December 13, 2005
from DMG:
It's safe to say of the Espers that if their albums were recorded 30 years ago and released in a small vinyl edition they'd trade hands among collectors for absurd sums and be heralded as lost masterpieces. Their astonishing 2004 debut has been taken as an instant classic among connoisseurs of yesteryear's creative folk music. As torchbearers nursing timeless traditions of melody, harmony, mood, and wistful words, it's almost necessary for their artistic health to balance their own songwriting with interpretations of masterworks from the traditions they can trace themselves back to. So all is right with the universe now that we have Espers album no. 2 with 6 stunning cover songs from Bert Jansch ("Rosemary Lane"), Durutti Column ("Tomorrow"), The Famous Jug Band ("Black is the Color"), Nico ("Afraid"), Michael Hurley ("Blue Mountain"), and Blue Oyster Cult ("Flaming Telepaths"), topped off with a new gem from the group's own songbook that hints of extraordinary things to come on their next album of originals currently being created. Having expanded their lineup and mastered their craft from extensive touring, Espers has become an exquisite organism ready to gracefully dance through such a diverse program as if it were simply blissful-and-tender-business-as-usual. It's fitting they've chosen not only a Nico tune to reinvent, but one of Nico's prettiest; Espers often hovers at the edge of Nico's fatalistic melancholy, but rarely sink into its depths. Meg Baird's angelic vocals strike a perfect balance between the wafts of afternoon bloom and the cold dewdrops of late-night wilt. Instead of sparse piano and distant viola, Espers have layered acoustic guitar, cello, harmonium, tuned percussion, and faint harmony vocals to amplify both the lush optimism and the acquiescent sadness of the Nico/Cale creation. Just like their self-titled debut, the range of emotions and musical intensities througout The Weed Tree create an immersive and complete experience of exiting the cold banalities of everyday life and entering an idyllic plane of languor, and exquisitely slow, but blistering guitar, cello, and synth solos erupt in the Blue Oyser Cult tune to give the album a passionate climax that sets the delicate acoustic guitar and vocals of the final track in breathtaking relief. The spacy 70s vibe and analog synth of this 10-minute excursion and other pieces here reveal the essence of Espers as an inclusive and expansive band (now a sextet with a bit more percussion and keyboards compared to the original core trio of Baird, Brooke Sietinsons, and Greg Weeks) rooted in vintage dreamy prog and psychedelia as much as the hazy, taciturn, lilting acoustic folk sound that permeates the musical surface. I was completely enraptured by this disc from the first listen and I've barely been able to take it out of my CD player since! Another instant classic for Espers that will nourish gentle and patient souls for decades. I trust that someday a few inspired young people will wind up pooling their instrumental and vocal crafts to make an album of special cover songs that will honor an Espers original the way Espers have honored these artists and the infinite circle will remain unbroken.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just a few thoughts, March 17, 2006
I purchased the self-titled Espers album a few weeks ago, and found myself in love with it from the first play. I had to have the Weed Tree. I won't bother typing a lot, since the guy above me seemed to have reviewed the album thoroughly. Espers really has a mature, enlightened aspect to their music. They seem to be very comfortable with their style, and they pull it off so well. I listen to them and can't help but feel like I'm sitting in a meadow, perhaps in times of knights and plagues. And no, I do not live-action-role-play. The music really pulls emotions from you, and never fails to transport you to another world.
Favorite songs on this one? Black is the Color is amazingly peaceful. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for the man and woman harmonizing their vocals, because I also adore the cover of Flaming Telepath. Overall, you can't go wrong with this cd, unless you're expecting something adrenaline-logged. Think, smoke a cigarette, look out the window, and listen to Espers!!
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by Espers 
