Gill Landry SKELETON AT THE BANQUET. Loose

“This album is a series of reflections and thoughts on the collective hallucination that is America, with a love song or two thrown in for good measure. I wrote it from within the refuge of a small flat, in a small village in western France where I spent last summer. I found it to be a good place for seeing the forest through the trees, so to speak.”
- Gill Landry

SKELETON AT THE BANQUET was recorded and produced in Los Angeles by Landry and Seth Ford-Young (Tom Waits, Edward Sharpe). It features landry on vocals, guitars, pedal steel, keys and harmonica; Seth Ford-Young on base, Josh Collazo on drums, Stewart Cole on trumpet and Odessa Jorgensen on violin.

What a great way to start the 2020 album review year! The album is split into side A and B and displays two distinct sides to this singer/songwriter’s writing and style. Side A opens proceedings with ‘I Love You Too’ is one of Landry’s love songs and reveals a deep baritone voice which is smooth, clean (without those usually gravely overtones of some more famous musicians) and occasionally breaks the monotone delivery with small hints of emotion. Landry’s musical style is Americana tinged with a flavouring of Tex-Mex and this song is a good example. It’s a bitter-sweet love song that trundles along at fairly slow pace with extended instrumental passages, strong melody and as a whole represents a wonderful start to the album.

‘The Wolf’ picks up pace and builds on another strong melody with Landry some some deft instrumental touches to his compelling voice. ‘A Different Tune’ heightens the notes while Landry begins to show his full vocal range in one of his most expressive performances on the record. The ambience thus far has been darkness and regret, this is no exception as he reflects on another lost love. ‘Nobody’s Coming’ is slightly scary: “Nobody’s coming, we’re on our own, nobody’s coming, we’re not alone…” It’s a cautionary tale told in conversational style aided by late entry of Tex-Mex brass.

Side B exhibits much more expression and musical diversity as shown in the opening gambit ‘The Refuge Of Your Arms’. The pace is slow, deliberate and relentless with Lantry breaking out in expressive and emotive style. He emphasises the mood with spells of lonely guitar. ‘The Place They Call Home’ moves away from the prevalent bass register with a  song exhibiting strong folk overtones. Along with a powerful melody, moving lyrics, great instrumnetal backdrop and Lantry’s most expressive vocal this represents my favouroite album track and could easily be played on BBC Radio 2.

The album closes with an instrumental track. ‘Portrait Of Astrid (A Nocturne)’ is a magical interlude where Landry expresses himself on several instruments with playing that reminds me of the late, great Rainer. I love this album and what Lantry brings to the musical table. You’ll find a collection of simple songs, wonderfully performed (vocally and instrumentally) - it’s the complete package - and for any lover of American music a must-have. I’m looking foprward to seeing the album performed live right here in Chester.

4.5/5

Biography

Gill Landry is a Louisiana-born singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. Prior to releasing his first solo album, Landry and singer Woody Pines formed an old-time jug band called the Kitchen Syncopators in New Orleans, LA. Starting in 1998, the group toured, busked, and issued a number of self-released albums before calling it quits in 2004. When Old Crow Medicine Shows founding member, Chris Fuqua, went on hiatus that same year Landry was offered the job as his replacement and remained a full-time member and contributing songwriter even after Fuqua’s return.

Around 2007 Landry was signed to Nettwerk Records, which released his solo debut, The Ballad of Lawless Soirez. A mix of gritty, blues-inflected folk tunes and rootsy Southern Americana, he followed it with 2011’s self-release PIETYY & DESIRE, which featured guests artists like Brandi Carlile, The Felice Brothers, and Jolie Holland. A pair of Medicine Show albums followed in 2012 and 2014, after which Landry released his self-titled third solo outing on ATO Records in early 2015 which featured a duet with Laura Marling. Spending much of the following year touring as a solo artist, Landry returned in 2017 with the moody LOVE RIDES A DARK HORSE, his second effort for ATO.

His fifth album ‘skeleton at the banquet’ comes out january 24th 2020

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill_Landry
http://www.gilllandrymusic.com/

2020 Tour

Jan 28 Tue Empire Bar, London, United Kingdom
Jan 31 Fri TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands
Feb 2 Sun Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb 4 Tue Merleyn, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Feb 5 Wed Café’t Rozenknopje, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Feb 11 Tue The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol, United Kingdom
Feb 12 Wed The Crescent Community Venue, York, United Kingdom
Feb 13 Thu Esquires, Bedford, United Kingdom
Feb 14 Fri The Cluny, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Feb 15 Sat St. Marys, Chester, United Kingdom
Feb 16 Sun The Lantern, Halifax, United Kingdom
Feb 17 Mon The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Feb 18 Tue The Music Room, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Feb 19 Wed The Old Queens Head, London, United Kingdom
Mar 5 Thu lille aeske arthouse, Boulder Creek, CA, United States
Mar 6 Fri The Lost Church, San Francisco, CA, United States
Mar 7 Sat The Lost Church, Santa Rosa, CA, United States
Mar 14 Sat Sam Bond’s Garage, Eugene, OR, United States
Mar 15 Sun The Old Church, Portland, OR, United States