We might as well start a thread to cover reviews for the new album, set for release May 25.

Here's one from bloginity.com.

See You On the Moon is Tift Merritt’s most visceral work to date. A deeply centered departure, these focused and creative musical short stories find Tift at the height of her powers. “I wanted to make a really direct record. I wanted to take everything to a place that was less labored, of more depth. Open space, real strength. There was a certain feeling of inevitability about it. Like I found these songs whole.”

 I guess that might qualify more as a press release:

http://concordmusicpress.com/news/acclaimed-singersongwriter-tift-merritt-returns-with-see-you-on-the-moon-due-may-25th-from-fantasy-recordsconcord-music-group/

However, it's great to get the official word!  I'm sure this also means promotional copies will be sent out shortly, and we can look forward to some great reviews in the near future.

 Song by song description here.

Full press kit here.  There will be probably be some song samples in the future. 

and, i gotta ask, being that it was recorded to tape, will there be a vinyl format? 

David,

Within minutes of the original post, Phillip disabused me of the notion that the bloginity review was an unbiased outside assessment.

Still, it was nice to think that a reviewer would offer such glowing commentary.

Here's the song-by-song rundown:

In a shameless plug of the 96-proof bootleg series, you can find live versions of eight of the 12 tunes by heading to this Web site's downloads section. We have not yet posted any versions of "Six More Days of Rain," "Never Talk About It," "Live Till You Die," or "Papercut."

(Fans of the 96-proof series also will note with interest some recent songs that didn't make the album's final cut.)

I just love days like today!

So much to take in, read about and look at - thanks for all the info chaps!

I'll just add that Tift has tweeted again saying how excited she is about the new album artwork turning up today http://twitter.com/tiftmerritt/statuses/9932979575

She's not the only one!

http://www.jasonfrankrothenberg.com/photos/335.jpg



And is that the "1968 high strung guitar" mentioned in the press release?

A Massachusetts newspaper (which identifies Tift as a fan favorite) picks up the story.

So are we thinking Nineteen didn't make the cut? Or is it there under a different name? 

Andrew
 

Andrew,

It looks like it didn't make it. If you look at the song-by-song descriptions (you'll find the link from DavidK earlier in this thread), none of those descriptions says anything about Kurt Cobain or Tift's early rocking days.

Also absent is "Bar With A TV On."

It isn't a review, but this little blurb in Paste fits with the theme of promoting the new album:

Tift Merritt has shown no signs of slowing since her 2002 debut album, Bramble Rose, vaulted her into the public eye. This May, the singer/songwriter will release her fourth album, See You On the Moon, via Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group. This album is made up of short stories, ableit told through songs.

“I wanted to make a really direct record," Merritt said of her newest endeavor in a statement. "I wanted to take everything to a place that was less labored, of more depth. Open space, real strength. There was a certain feeling of inevitability about it. Like I found these songs whole.”

Recorded in her home state of North Carolina by Tucker Martine (who’s worked with other Paste favorites such as Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists and Spoon), See You On the Moon drops May 25.

Wears The Trousers magazine picks up the story, relying largely on the label's promotional material.

MyNC.com (tied to Raleigh's NBC-17 TV) takes note of the new album.

So does the Triangle Music blog.

Direct Current offers the "highly recommended" label:

Songs such as the dramatically swelling "Engine To Turn" and the magnificent centerpiece "Feel of the World" (featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James) maintain what Newsweek has described as Merritt's "magical combination of cool reserve and effortless warmth". Creating simple folk melodies and fleshing them out with stripped and staggered rhythms, See You On the Moon is awash with ringing guitars, the occasional tender twang of a pedal steel and densely layered vocal harmonies. As with the alluring ballad "Things That Everybody Does", Merritt and Martine bring bold and bright brushstrokes to Moon's expansive musical canvas, lending the sessions a distinct and organic live feel. Ethereal impressionism is out, clear-eyed realism is in. Highly recommended.

This one from AnnArbor.com is part concert preview and part album review:

And then there’s her voice: Tift Merritt was blessed with silky pipes that, by turns, can evoke such gifted songbirds as Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Laura Cantrell or even Dolly Parton.

There's a nice discussion of the creative process that led to the new album.

Here's one from PopDose.com:

The sense of economy that pervades the entire recording is almost shocking; in the face of a lot of new music where there is not a single digital bit left for space or atmosphere, Moon provides a lot of tell-tale indications that the music was made by humans in a room. When the song requires a bigger canvas, such as “Feel of the World,” the contrast gives the composition an even greater scope — and when the next track, “Never Talk About It,” comes on, it’s almost as if Merritt is sitting next to you.

Paste magazine names See You On The Moon one of its 25 albums we're looking forward to this summer.

Tift takes the No. 5 slot. Nice.

Newport Mercury critic Matt Keefer has nice things to say about the new album here:

It's strange that such an unusual song as "Mixtape" - with its staggered, clustered vocals and soft, intimate lyrics - would be so effective to open Tift Merritt's fourth solo studio. In stark contrast to her "Another Country," which at times plays by the book, the Houston-born singer-songwriter ventures into different musical flavors, darker hues of orchestration, violins, slower tempos, piano and acoustic guitar. Fans here will find a slight shift in color, but will rejoice with the title track and the trembling cover of "Danny's Song"; those unfamiliar with the young singer will find an excellent sampling of an artist stretching her musical voice. "Feel of the World," we find, is an excellent example of Merritt tapping into instrumentally heavier material than she normally explores, and probably our favorite selection. Expect a more sober, contemplative side to this versatile musician; that and well-crafted, enjoyable music. Recommended.

Here's another positive review from NewBeats.com:

See You on the Moon may be Tift Merritt’s most artistically ambitious and personal work to date. It’s somewhat a sonic departure from her last album, the brilliant Another Country, in that the mood is more subdued and the production (helmed by My Morning Jacket/Decemberists associate Tucker Martine) is atmospheric. That is evident on a number of the album’s tracks including the the lush and melancholy-tinged Never Talk About It, the title song and the shimmering Feel of the World. However, there are moments that break the ethereal and understated mood such as the soulful “Mixtape,” which equates romance with music, not to mention name checks Mazzy Star; the Memphis-sounding “Live Till You Die,” and the catchy country rock of “Engine To Turn”; she even does a pretty acoustic version of Loggins and Messina’s “Danny Song.” On uptempo tracks or ballads, Merritt’s lyrics read like impressionistic short stories tackling themes of self-examination and relationships (i.e. “All The Reason We Don’t Have to Fight”). See You on the Moon is a worthy follow-up to Another Country– it’s a lovely, elegant and hopeful album.