Welcome Joy [Vinyl]

The Cave Singers | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (August 18, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Matador Records
• ASIN: B002DESIFA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,652 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Summer Light

2. Leap

3. At The Cut

4. Shrine

5. Hen Of The Woods

6. Beach House

7. VV

8. I Don't Mind

9. Townships

10. Bramble

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Seattle has produced a bounty of outstanding alt-country acts, from Neko Case and Fleet Foxes to the freewheeling folk trio the Cave Singers. Welcome Joy, the band’s second release, exudes a certain unfettered spirit: “At the Cut” jangles and buzzes with an electric undercurrent, while the lovely opener “Summer Light” urges us to “dance in the doldrums of each new day.” And yet for all the energy, it is patient music, inviting us to relax and listen as the songs build, climax, and roll on through. It’s also impossible not to notice how seamlessly the individual elements meld together. Peter Quirk’s mumbling, crowing, vibrating vocals are patently Dylanesque, accompanied by rambling guitar lines, soft shakers, pattering drums, and vocals harmonies so pretty they make the melodies tremble. Lyrically, the songs visit early mornings on the beach, the bright, bold sun, rainstorms in the garden, and other idyllic scenes. The beautiful trifecta of “Hen of the Woods,” “Beach House,” and “VV” floats through the middle of the record like blithe and pastoral fairy songs. The rustic rhetoric works perfectly with an album that’s as warm and earthy as a summer evening. --Erin K. Thompson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and Outstanding, October 22, 2009

By 

B. Sullivan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Welcome Joy (Audio CD)

If you have heard their first album, "Invitation Songs," then you know how simple yet memorable their songs can be. This album is more coherent thematically and probably as a result is not as catchy on the first listen. But after a couple of times through, individual songs start to stand out and the development, while more subtle, is overall more satisfying. If you like Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, and the rest of the bigger lights of the alt/indie/folk genre, you'll probably love The Cave Singers. And if you can, see them live. They played a tiny venue in Montreal last month and the energy and sound that 3 guys can generate was amazing.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastically Simple, September 8, 2009

By 

BPA "BPA" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome Joy (Audio CD)

Simple two chord songs add up to a very complex album. This has quickly become on of my favorite albums. I've tried taking it out and listening to something else a couple times but have yet to be able to make it through another album before wanting to put this one back in. The melodies stick with you the entire day but don't ever seem to get old.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great CD, August 1, 2011

By 

A Music Fan (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome Joy (Audio CD)

Seems like each of the Cave Singers' three CDs got better than the last. As someone else stated, the songs are haunting and mesmerizing. I can't always make out the lyrics, but no matter to me. I still enjoy listening. Plus that's a good reason to keep playing the CD, to try to figure it out. They're categorized as a folk band, but they're not strictly folk at all. They can definitely get loud, which keeps their music from sounding the same song after song. If you haven't seen video of them performing, check out KCRW, Morning Becomes Eclectic, although I think their songs got even better since that 2007 performance. No Witch is a great CD, but this Welcome Joy is right behind it.