PRE-ORDER TOP VINYL RELEASES NOW! click here
Artist: | Empty Country |
Title: | Empty Country Empty Country Ii COLOURED VINYL 2LP |
Released: | 03/11/2023 |
Please note this release date may be subject to change and also stock arrival can be subject to delays, in particular if this is an overseas release. |
|
Format: | COLOURED VINYL 2LP |
Country | EU/US |
Barcode: | 5055869550246 |
Catalogue number: | 5055869550246 |
Store location: | pre-order |
SKU: | WLF18123 |
Condition: | BRAND NEW & SEALED |
The items we sell are brand new and unused official releases supplied to us by record companies, unless stated otherwise in the listing. Generally all items are sealed (this will be stated in the listing title). Occasionally we may open an LP to confirm any colour variant. We sometimes sell used items, this will be shown in the listing. |
RIYL: Silver Jews, Pixies, Husker Du, Wilco, Pavement, Superchunk, Modest Mouse. Limited pink vinyl LP (500 copies). As the front person of celebrated indie band Cymbals Eat Guitars, guitarist and singer Joseph D’Agostino spent over a decade setting autobiographical, emotionally vivid lyrics against a backdrop of soaring and compositionally ambitious rock. After 4 critically acclaimed LPs that solidified D’Agostino’s reputation as a gifted songwriter, he chose to break from his long-term band and debut a new project: Empty Country. On 2020’s self-titled debut, D’Agostino’s storytelling lens shifted away from personal narrative and toward fiction; psychopaths, apparitions and deplorables populated a bleak and uncanny parallel version of American dystopia. Empty Country’s sprawling and sonically adventurous arrangements filled out by collaborating musicians including Rachel and Zoë Browne (Field Mouse), Kyle Gillbride (Swearin’), Zena Kay (Angel Olsen), and former CEG drummer Charlotte Anne Dole ranged from luminous jangle-pop to scorching emo-punk to narcotized Americana. Empty Country II, the project’s 2nd full-length, is a thrilling expansion of that world. D’Agostino pushed himself to new places as a songwriter, crafting a collection of short stories set to music that grapple with the biggest questions now hanging over America gun violence, the addiction epidemic, and generational hopelessness among them. In 2020, he’d moved from Philadelphia to small-town New England to be closer to family, and his new locale, coupled with the dread of lockdown, inspired him to return to the haunted world from the first LP. “It’s pretty jarring to leave a city where you can safely assume you’re aligned with your neighbors on many political and social issues for somewhere more rural and conservative,” says D’Agostino, noting the Trump flags and Blue Lives Matter hood wraps that dot his new dirt road residence. Across the new album’s 9 tracks, D’Agostino introduces us to a bevy of characters: 3 generations of West Virginia clairvoyants, crushed by the weight of their secret knowledge; a group of drag queens and misfits in early ‘80s New York City; a pill mill doctor’s daughter who dabbles in necromancy; a convicted killer; a bullied kid injured and alone in the forest as night falls. Through the stories of these characters, Empty Country II delivers an engaging and deeply moving rumination on time, family, and the disintegration of America. Despite the stoicism of its storytelling, Empty Country II cuts the darkness with beauty, humor, and an earnest belief in the transcendent power of rock music. It was recorded over 2 weeks at Fidelitorium, the renowned studio belonging to R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter. Legendary recording engineer John Agnello, whose previous collaborations with Cymbals Eat Guitars resulted in their 2014 high-water mark, LOSE, brought his trademark clarity and nuance to the process, helping Empty Country II crackle with a vital energy that imbues these stories with genuine lifeforce. Dole returned on drums for the record, her virtuosic performances lending raw power and immediacy; her twin brother Patrick joined on bass. The group's chemistry and deep personal history are palpable, allowing them to approach the record’s complex story with subtlety and dynamism. “FLA,” a gripping portrait of a queer tour boat pilot in the Florida Keys pining for their absent lover, was arranged from the ground so the group could incorporate Easter’s timpani. D’Agostino considers it a high point of his lengthy discography and lauds that song’s harmonica solo as “my favorite 30 seconds of music that I’ve ever been a part of.”
1 | Pearl |
2 | Erlking |
3 | David |
4 | Dustine |
5 | Syd |
6 | Bootsie |
7 | FLA |
8 | Lamb |
9 | Cool S |
format | vinyl |
year of release | 2023 |
artist | Empty Country |
Recently In Stock | No |
Forthcoming | Yes |
Review This Product!
Help other Discrepancy Records users shop smarter by writing reviews for products you have purchased.
Amazingly cont
Sent In By: Peter Williams on 30 August 2024I’ve been using discrepancy records for four years now. And the service has never faulted a bit records delivered on time every time, Truely a pleasure to deal with … Cheers Peter Williams..
Great One Stop Vinyl Shop
Sent In By: Paul Whitby on 30 August 2024My experience with Discrepancy Records has always been great. Always kept updated on where my orders were, items have been solidly packaged and safely delivered. Huge range of artists and titles, there is always something to search for. Brilliant site, thanks again team.
Love at it's best!
Sent In By: Tom on 24 August 2024Great album and an even greater seller! Glad to be able to support a local, independent business that strives to excel, not only in the choice of vinyl but customer service. Will definitely buy from again!