After the disbanding of the misunderstood Page France, principle songwriter Michael Nau decided enough was enough. It was time to step away from the folksy aspect of songwriting, focusing on an evolving sound with Cotton Jones harkening to a soulful, funk influenced plethora of indie/folk originality.Page France often is misinterpreted with its religious allegories and vivid imagery giving a sense of unwarranted comfort in its unintentional Christian overtones. Although Nau denounces its purpose, he never saw Page France as anything more than what it was.
"This feels like a new leaf to me. I've learned to let the music happen, rather than trying to invent something," says Nau on his record label, Suicide Squeeze’s website, "I'm still sifting through some imaginary thesis, but it makes more sense now."
Maryland-based Cotton Jones (formerly The Cotton Jones Basket Ride, probably shortened for aesthetic reasons) is the re-imagining of where Nau and Whitney McGraw, also formerly of France, can take their music.
After a handful of EPs and one LP, Nau and McGraw waltz through their debut with a viral sound and a sweetened darkness.
Leeching influences from gospel, rock, folk and soul, Cotton Jones transcends the simple interpretation of genre titles. Following many artists of the indie scene, they splinter the standard genre of their music. Creating a sound both progressive and regressive, the inherent atavism of influences gracefully paints a brilliant mural rich in color, lyrical emotion and even some excellent whistling.
More times than not, a comparison between Nau’s vocals and Jim Morrison arise on Paranoid Cocoon, Cotton Jones’ debut LP. This too is unwarranted and according to Nau, he doesn’t even listen to the Doors.
Paranoid Cocoon delves into darker subject matter than France ever dared and find Nau and McGraw writing poetry set to music and vice versa. The intrinsic values of their rhythmic lyrics and the amazed energy of their harmonies craft sagacity of endowment. Tugging on the earth-bound comforts of their lives, the album threads together a blanket of surreal imagery based in reality.
McGraw acts as Nau’s leveling factor both on the album and behind. Less of a leader figure for the duo, McGraw, along with a menagerie of itinerate musicians, add more to the album than just rhythm and a voice. They add personality, which contrary to most music these days, is the largest contributing factor to what makes music memorable.
Cotton Jones may not have the same simple, child-like qualities of Page France, but their matured approach to a soulful folk project wrecks any comparison; vaulting Cotton Jones into a lyrical sphere of would-be influential songwriting which sadly, will be overlooked by the masses.
After a handful of EPs and one LP, Nau and McGraw waltz through their debut with a viral sound and a sweetened darkness.
Leeching influences from gospel, rock, folk and soul, Cotton Jones transcends the simple interpretation of genre titles. Following many artists of the indie scene, they splinter the standard genre of their music. Creating a sound both progressive and regressive, the inherent atavism of influences gracefully paints a brilliant mural rich in color, lyrical emotion and even some excellent whistling.
More times than not, a comparison between Nau’s vocals and Jim Morrison arise on Paranoid Cocoon, Cotton Jones’ debut LP. This too is unwarranted and according to Nau, he doesn’t even listen to the Doors.
Paranoid Cocoon delves into darker subject matter than France ever dared and find Nau and McGraw writing poetry set to music and vice versa. The intrinsic values of their rhythmic lyrics and the amazed energy of their harmonies craft sagacity of endowment. Tugging on the earth-bound comforts of their lives, the album threads together a blanket of surreal imagery based in reality.
McGraw acts as Nau’s leveling factor both on the album and behind. Less of a leader figure for the duo, McGraw, along with a menagerie of itinerate musicians, add more to the album than just rhythm and a voice. They add personality, which contrary to most music these days, is the largest contributing factor to what makes music memorable.
Cotton Jones may not have the same simple, child-like qualities of Page France, but their matured approach to a soulful folk project wrecks any comparison; vaulting Cotton Jones into a lyrical sphere of would-be influential songwriting which sadly, will be overlooked by the masses.
www.myspace.com/thecottonjonesbasketride
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