Eric Bachmann Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Recorded in the Tower Circle Hotel in the Hatteras Island city of Buxton, NC, Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann's first official solo album -- not counting his mostly instrumental soundtrack to the independent baseball thriller Ball of Wax -- aims for the rural mystique of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Fans of Bachmann's gruff Neil Diamond-meets-Steve Earle vocals and lonesome and literate subject matter will find everything they love about the Carolina native on display, while those who prefer his vocal affectations surrounded by the din of a full band should stick with his group efforts. To the Races gets off to a grand start with the tropical imagery-laden "Man o War," a sparse yet majestic opener that utilizes Bachmann's penchant for sharp and rhythmic fingerpicking and uses the lovely multi-tracked vocals of Miranda Brown as a string section. "Carrboro Woman" celebrates the dull ache of a blue-collar love affair, "Genevieve" sounds like an outtake from Mickey Newbury's 'Frisco Mabel Joy, and "So Long Savannah" wraps things up in a reluctant bear hug for Georgia's most colorful coastal town. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though Short Careers is a masterfully emotive film score for the twisted, evil baseball player flick Ball of Wax, the songs lack the pop crunch of Eric Bachmann's Archers of Loaf and the folk song structures of Crooked Fingers. Short Careers is reminiscent of the score work of two other indie gurus turned film composers -- Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields and Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and Portastatic. Like Merritt's Eban & Charley, Short Careers lacks the pop center and rolling melodies so present in both musicians' other projects, and it never really matches the accessibility of Portastatic's Looking for Leonard. But it's difficult for music to function as both a film score and an album, and Short Careers does excel in the former. The string arrangements on tracks like "Finding the Holes Filling the Gaps" are beautiful while being unsentimental. "Jimmy the Enforcer" has the feeling of a fun house -- a twisted carnival underworld that glitters on the surface -- and recalls both the theme from the film Boogie Nights and "Shadow's Theme," the Dark Fantastic's ending to their first self-titled album. The title track is a somber, piano affair, equal parts David Lynch and Atom Egoyan. Short Careers proves that Eric Bachmann is the go-to guy for indie filmmakers, but that the score might not sell all that many records. ~ Charles Spano, All Music Guide
