jesse poe.is recording

A FEW PRESS BLURBS:

Ardent Fevers (April 14th 2006): Enhanced, groove-centered propulsion punctuated by the frequent Muscle Shoals-style horns, dustbowl lap steel, and a surprising abundance of hypercharged, Crazy Horse guitar soloing. With thoughtful construction and heavy emphasis on Poe’s dusky vocals, directed by Poe’s sweet melodies and unerring sense for the understated narrative, Poe and Trivella unveil a blistering, wholly unforeseen dual guitar jams. As with Tanakh’s previous releases, there is a sense of loss or dislocation that hovers mirage-like around the edges here, as though the whole mysterious enterprise might vanish in a cloud of smoke if addressed too directly. Intoxicating..7.8 PitchFork Matthew Murphy, April 7, 2006

Ardent Fevers is one of the most magical albumsChris Leo 2006

It has to be said first and foremost — Ardent Fevers is a great album title, seemingly straightforward but expressive of a state of mind better than most. Perhaps appropriately, the same could be said of Tanakh’s work, with Jesse Poe’s collective again finding a way to understatedly hotwire the more epic and symphonic impulses of 21st century indie rock (for lack of a better term) into an elegant new form, aiming not to bludgeon but to calmly suggest and entrance. Building off of Dieu Deuil’s controlled power — and much unlike the self-titled album, with a number of short songs instead of two long ones — At the album’s most flat-out beautiful, Tanakh is almost jaw-droppingly perfect — “5 am” is a great example, Poe’s ruminative speak-singing and wistful acoustic guitar backed just so by the gentlest of strings and other instruments. Hints of the Tindersticks’ and the Walkabouts’ burned but never beaten dignity inform many moments, while nearly every member gets a moment of striking glory Ned Raggett All Music Guide 2006

Tanakh’s fourth full-length recording finds Jess Poe and fellow travellers besotted with the psychedelic diaspora, recalling everything from ‘Forever Changes’ to Neil Young and Crazy Horse, with some nods in the direction of contemporary freak-out guitarists like J. Mascis and Nick Saloman.
‘Drink to Sher’ is as fine a pop song as I’ve heard this year, referencing the work of Beck and Jeff Buckley and so much more besides. Instruments are democratised into a genuine ensemble serving the song, and different little details pop out at you with each listening. Likewise on the narcoleptic splendour of ‘5am’, instruments flow and melt into an orchestrated dreamscape, drawing the listener in and not letting go. The dreaming continues with ‘Deeper’, an exquisite sadness that is tracked by Poe’s wry, existential vocals. The build-up to a fine West Coast studio horn conclusion spirals back down the years from Jeff to Tim Buckley. The endorphin flow is like a waterfall by this point. The extraordinary ‘Grey Breathes’ puts bass to the fore, along with a vortex of addled horns and a genuinely killer chorus. ‘Hit the Ground’ revisits the roots exploration of ‘Dieu Dieul’ and functions as a nice pause from the serial epiphanies of the first four tracks. It’s like heading outside to the porch for a cool breath of night air. ‘Like I Used To’ is a near peerless invocation of 70s rock, Poe’s vocals achieve new heights on this track, which is all about exquisitely refined suspense, an aural orgasm held perpetually on the cusp of release. Centrepiece ‘Still Trying to Find You Home’ conjures with Townes Van Zandt melancholy before exploding into ragged Crazy Horse glory. Gratuitous soloing has never sounded so central to the heart of the matter. Elsewhere, ‘Winter Song’ is elegant UK-style folk rock co-written with Terrascope touchstone and Kitchen Cynic Alan Davidson, and ‘Take and Read’ pulls out all the stops for and epic piece that takes a folk motif and builds layer on layer of instrumentation on it before again erupting into the twin guitar beard-rock stratosphere.
I must admit to a degree of surprise at the accessibility to be found on ‘Ardent Fevers’, since their last self-titled work headed off from the folk-psych pastures of their first two releases into mystical temple drone along the lines of Pelt and Double Leopards, but I’m glad Poe is back following the song-lines. ‘Ardent Fevers’ is arguably Tanakh’s finest work to date, and its very real mainstream cross-over appeal is something all the more potent for seeming to grow organically out of the song writing and performances, rather than being engineered into them for cynical reasons Tony Dale Ptolemaic Terrascope July 2006

Given Tanakhs previous outings, Ardent Fevers is a surprisingly structured and poppy listen. But at the same time as it is considerably lighter its also draped in brain melting, seriously damaged psychedelic guitar excess and curtains of mesmerizing organ sounds slow-moving folk numbers where we get to see the true melodic beauty of Jesse Poe and Umberto Trivellas incredible song writing talents. What unites this release with the past is that the beautiful, richly orchestrated melodies once again paints secret mental images of well-hidden vistas, of the natural as well as the urban variety Mats Gustafsson 2006

Sometimes it takes one particular album to open up the catalogue of a band that, up until then, remained a mystery. The bands latest, Ardent Fevers, inhibits a darkness of another nature: its the dark of late at night or early in the morning, full of longing, memories of the day thats gone, and most of all, promise.Tanakh mastermind Jesse Poe still takes center stage, his smoky vocals weave through the songs like ghosts, dreaming up stories. Opening duo Drink to Sher and 5 am perfectly capture the Burgundy red wistfulness of an evening on a roof terrace in Florence, Italy (Jesse Poes new home). Deeper glides along on an organ melody, reminiscent of one of Tindersticks finer moments.Still Trying to Find You a Home, which squeaks and squeals like Youngs Cowgirl in the Sand. The albums closer, Take and Read, ends in a similar blissful fury of guitar noise. Elsewhere on the album, Tanakh employ cellos and violins and trumpets to evoke a spooky romanticismplay these songs late at night, and youll find yourself immersed in the sounds and vibes of a Mediterranean evening Tanakh bring to mind so skillfully. Deniz Kuypers Loose 2006

At first hearing, Ardent Fevers feels a continent away from Tanakh’s previous releases and their layered, experimental solo aesthetic. But listening closer it becomes clear that the emotive folk, haunted songcraft, spacy drones, and psychedelic arrangements are all still there, subsumed now into a richly appointed full-group approach that seems to owe little to prevalent recent models; the one comparison I can think of might be Japanese band Ghost, though Tanakh are more firmly rooted in songwriterly territory. The astute arrangements throughout work perfectly to frame and enhance a fine set of songs, with the band occasionally stretching out and taking full flight in some wonderfully focused instrumental explorations. While many of the current wave of “psychedelic folk” groups seem content to swim in a sea of chaos (some doing so quite gloriously, admittedly) or precocious self-indulgence, Tanakh have grown into a wide-ranging, graceful, and extremely together experience, and in a just world Ardent Fevers will end up bringing their sounds to a much wider audience than the devoted connoisseurs who already hold them in high regard… Kevin Moist Deep Water Acres 2006

How I fell in love with Tanakh. Most bands would just mail you a copy of their album to review. Tanakh, on the other hand, were generous enough to meet with me personally for the exchange. It’s almost symbolic of dropping your baby off at the sitter’s for them to watch. And I will tell you honestly… ‘Ardent Fevers’ is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever sat. I feel intoxicated by this album, even still after the margaritas are well worn off. It’s like laying in a hammock, mid-spring day on the countryside, straw hat and hound dog included. There are flowers abloom all around and a perfectly cool breeze flowing over your face.

The influences and talents behind this band are extraordinary, and I only see it getting better from here. Already described as magic and art, it’s rare to find music like this that really touches you. And it’s even more rare that the music touches all those it should. But I’m not doing them any justice here, so just give it a listen yourselflady byrd Who Needs Radio? April 2006

Tanakh’s not an instrumental band, per se. Jesse Poe’’s voice is steady and tender, but what elevates him to savvy frontman is that he knows when not to use his instrument. Long wordless stretches of organic interplay ignite “Ardent Fevers,” Tanakh’’s fourth album, and Poe’’s smart enough to say what he needs to and then get out of the way. Even if he never opened his mouth, the bandleader and his compatriots would carry on a beautiful conversationWith one hand in folk and the other in squall, it’’s richly evocative, warm and wistfulall of the elements come together in beautiful and haunting ways M.J. Fine The Jewish Exponent 2006

Ardent Fevers is Jesse Poe’s fourth release under the Tanakh moniker. Recently transplanted away from Virginia, this is the fruit of his time spent living the past couple of years in Florence, Italy. Fans of Leonard Cohen, Badly Drawn Boy, Calexico, David Sylvian, Elliott Smith, Tindersticks, Lambchop, the Church, Lee Hazelwood, Talk Talk… you get the idea. Spacious arrangements, rural roots, beautiful accents. Closing track “Take and Read” builds over 9+ minutes into a Crazy Horse jam. Understated, personal, serene. Heath Just For a Day 2006

Ardent Fevers finds the band leaving behind some of the more worldy influences that characterized their first three albums for more direct neo-psychadelic folk-pop in the same vein as Becks Sea Change and some earlier Neil Young efforts goodhodgkins 2006

For a young man to really get into the spirit of his hometurf, it can be a good move to go really far away, to be able to see and judge from the distance. For Jesse Poe, songwriter and leader of the collective named Tanakh, the place of choice was Italy; a good place when thinking of the sun and the hills, the people and the food, and finally of bands like Morose or Franklin Delano. ardent fevers, the fourth album of Tanakh on Alien8, nevertheless shows no clear european uniquenesses, unless you insist on counting an elaborate air of refinedness and savoir vivre akin to The Tindersticks into the mixture. But then you would have to stand up for the discussion if it is not more like a Sixties psychedelic folk song feeling. Tanakh is a big ensemble, but Poe makes use of it in a very downbeat and minimal way,stripping the cast to the bare essentials, amongst them some well-known names like Isobel Campbell on cello. Instrumentalists add what they should in time and volume, there are solo-drives and everything is added up according to the song, which results in varied and lush arrangements that support the songs favorably. The basic guitar lines imagined on an acoustic guitar somewhere, on the beach, a lonely hotel room, a flat overlooking a piazza in Florence, wherever, are still to be heard amongst the recordings that way. It is a cinematic piece of songwriters epicness, incorporating vast areas of american songwriting as a background to rely on and refer to. Well, late at night, when everything gets a little blurred and people, bars and streets usually look softer and finer than they are in the brutal midday sun, the way to listen to music also changes. The tranquil state between deciding if to go to bed or to stay awake for another couple of quarter hours, befits ardent fevers very well. The drawn out solo of still trying to find you home is a hole of timelessness in itself. Some choruses and melody lines will make time go by faster and slower, but leave you unrelated to any lapse late at night, like winter song. By the time take and read, the final song on ardent fevers has gone by you will lean back, breathe slowly and wonder where the time went to. There is never an instant of the fragile boredom of some of the currently fashionable Scandinavian songwriters, because every moment is filled with pristine beauty and emotional depth. Instead of laptop tinkering Poe prefers the truthful and real sounds of lonely violins screeching or the hollow depth of a warm electric guitar humming or the old-fashioned sound of a B3-organ. And this, after all, is what adds the bonus to the superb songwriting. Monochrome 2006
You can take the boy out of the south, but you cant take the south out of the boy. But if you put that boy in Italy and the south comes with him youll end up with Ardent Fevers.

Poe has been the cornerstone of Tanakh since it began and Ardent Fevers is definitely the strongest Tanakh release of his career. Poe has taken his southern roots and placed them over a mass of instruments all working in unison to reach the same place. Drink to Sher opens the album and gives a rhythm understated with a muted cornet that is perfect for walking up hill on a busy street. The song has pace and strength, but it never over exerts itself. To follow it up Poe unleashes the near-perfect 5 a.m. Poe rests his vocals against a background of subtle strings and synthy hums. While his acoustic guitar picks steadily along Poe half sings half speaks the lyrics as if it is 5 a.m. and all he wants is to find a pillow.

If he cant find a pillow a wooden stool in a dive bar will work also. Hit the Ground sounds like Poe just walked into a bar out of a dust storm, guitar in hand, sat down and played the first thing he thought of. The gentleness of Poes music is apparent in every song, even when the tempo starts to pick up. Restless Hands is like an old friend coming home, Winter Song is made for a hot fire beside an ice crust window. Poe and his 12 musicians have created an album that will wrap you up, keep you warm and make you wish you were trapped in an Italian cottage with snow piling on the ground.Amp Camp 2006

Villa Claustropobia (released fall of 2002):

Opulent and low key, gilded and grimy, humid and gorgeous [ Nick Drake backed by Archie Shepp and Alice Coltrane in a deep south dawn ?] and it feels like the sort of quietly unassuming cd you find usurps more important works. Lovely like honey on your beloveds eyelids. Ian Penman The Wire July 2002

Creeping drones, scraping acoustic sounds, spaghetti-western twangs and mumbled incantations. Villa Claustrophobia sounds like a piece of folk art, assembled in a woodshed by musicians wearing hats made of human skin… 2 out of 3 stars SL London Sunday Times 2002.

An epic musical suitecatch them on their way up. Mark Rifkin New York Resident 2002

Many musicians attempt such grand ideas but cant manage to pull it together. Poe proves that not only is he a skilled musician, but also an impressive band leader who understands the concepts behind making an exceptional album Daniel Piotrowski Signal to Noise 2002

A record this dark, frightening and sexy doesn’t come along very often, and it needs to be savored in the proper (black) light. Hang out in this dim space long enough and your eyes will adjust. Mark Richard-San Pitchfork 2002

This is a brilliant record. Track it down and give your money to the nice record shop worker, go home, smoke lots of weed, listen and die! Chris Bress Collective-Zine 2002

Tanakh has crafted an impressive debut album, one with all of the intangibility of a fever-induced delirium, the expanse of an Arabic desert, the mystery of old Appalachian forests, and the beauty of a religious experience, an album well worth checking outJason Morehead Opus Zine 2002

I find it to be good music to shut the brain off to, and it’s all good. — go out and track down a copy of this. It’s really damned cool. Evil Sponge 2002

This CD is nothing but gorgeous washes of spooky and melancholy ambience, punctuated by quiet guitar strumming, loops, drones, and lead singer Jesse Poe’s soft voice that reminds me a lot of Peter Murphy.Holly Day COSMIK.COM 2002

Dieu Deuil (released spring of 2004):

Jesse Poe has sketched another quiet heaven with Dieu Deuil, a record that sounds like a parchment ink of folk’s roots but also basks in sun-dappled 21st Century modernism– and just a little bit genius Johnny Loftus Pitchfork 2004

The records eight tracks, each of them engaging and breathtaking, feel like they were burned straight to disc directly from that wonderful and indefinable space between a musicians head and their heart. Yeah, the goddamned thing is just that goodthe band sticks its hooks in you even deeper, and there are bridges that build upon themselves with a kind of intensity you wouldnt expect and you cant ignore. While electric guitars and violins skitter around Poes plaintive voice, its difficult to imagine Tanakh sounding anything but passionately involved with the music theyre crafting. Lock the door when we leave? Why would we ever want to leave? Justin Vellucci Delusions of Adequacy 2004

Thick and humid ethnic fusion offers a specific and unique flavour of warm worldliness Ilana Kronick Hour.ca 2004

Dieu Deuil is indeed full of calming, warm bath-like tones and textures, but like Tanakh’s last album, it’s too eclectic and inconspicuously dark to invite Body Shop store music comparisonsTanakh’s sound is as hard to classify as it is easy to love.Justin Stewart Splendid Zine 2004

You start to get sucked into the magic of the whole thing. Imagine the Jayhawks meeting up with Jason Pierce. That’s not doing Tanakh justice but you kind of get the picture. Tanakh’s music is ever so gentle with ebbs and flows similar to that of the Rachels.Dennis Scanland Music Emissions 2004

Musically, Tanakh will exceed most anyones wildest imagination concerning the intimacy of this brand of indie-folk. It boasts a warmth and an immediacy akin to Leonard Cohens debut but stands apart as a result of the scope of its instrumentation. Instrumental is a wedding song just waiting for the love of a young couple, while Til San Francisco seems to have found the bride and groom several years on, romance still sparking and the life-long length of the journey only just becoming clear. Belle & Sebastian on downers with a songbook more than two-pages thickMB roscomagazine.com 2004

With Dieu Deuil, Tanakh has released an atmospheric, autumnal record with some considerably haunting, emotional resonance Olskooly Tiny Mix Tapes 2004

The album does indeed smell sweetly-sourly of wet woolen sweaters coming inside after a day of slogging around in the autumnal mush, offering solace against the encroaching darkness with intimate strummings, pluckings and longings, the kind that we all share.
And there is nothing to do but capitulate in the face of a song like “November Tree” with its sweet, sad vocal harmonies and Dan Calhoune´s weepy violin. Stephen Fruitman Sonomu 2004

Tanakh-Self-titled (released fall of 2004):

A surprisingly avant-garde inspired listen that presents new aspects with every listen and has an emotional depth that many albums along these lines are lackingMats Gustafsson Foxy Digitals 2004

Comparisons can be drawn to Pelt, Molasses, etc etc. But Jesse Poe has that special something we can only know as MAGIC Aching Cellar 2004

The most noticible thing missing from the mix is the velvet voice of singer Jesse Poe. In this nearly 100 minutes of music on the two discs, he doesn’t sing once, and while the music is expressive enough to conjure up all kinds of imagery, his vocal stylings are nonetheless unfortunately absent. is a massive, sprawling piece that moves from haunting to harsh many different times over long spaces of time, and although it has some things in common with the past music of the group, it has just as many (if not more) things that are completely different.Almost Cool 2004

A timeless quality to the recording. There is a sense that Poe wanted the recording to be a document of what happened when a group of people gathered in a particular place at a particular time. This is a bold statement to make for someone who possesses talent as a traditional songwriterJim Siegel Brainwashed 2004

ITALIAN PRESS BLURBS:

Tra le migliori novità dei primi sei mesi di questo 2006, con una certa tranquillità, mi sento di inserire i tanakh. Che poi, a ben vedere, una vera e propria novità non sonoquesto collettivo americano arriva, con lodierna, alla quarta produzione lunga. Se le tre precedenti possiedono almeno la metà della bellezza, dellintensità e dellaccattivante resa sonora di Ardent Fevers sarà il caso di ricercarle con una certa frenesia. Jesse Poe è uno che per la cronaca negli ultimi tempi ha collaborato con Six Organ of Admittance, Jim White, Anomoanon, oltre con unaltra mezza dozzina di formazioni, e oggi, trasferitosi tra le colline toscane, realizza un piccolo gioiello di pop di altissima scuola. Senza soluzione di continuità, si alternano strumenti elettrici e acustici, dove i fiati interrompono il sogno generato da un dolce incrocio di chitarre e percussioni e in cui la voce di Poe culla con nenie con tanto di archi prima che lelettricità prenda il sopravventoscegliere la composizione migliore è impresa impossibile. Un eccellente album, nullaltro da dire. Recensione di Gabriele Pescatore Il Mucchio luglio/agosto 2006

Credetimi, questo disco e un gioiello. Rareamente un album sa racchiudere al suo interno con tanta eleganza le forme classiche del rockVicono le ballete, come lintensa Like I Used to e la successive Still Trying to Find You Home (molto Leonard Cohen), superate pero dalla caldissima Deeper, nobilita da organo e violino e dal vertice assoluto dell album, Grey Breathes, soulful pop con fiati e accordi lucidi. Nota di merito anche per la conclusiva Take and Read, spezzacuori da dieci minuti con assolo alla Neil Young in acida dissolvenza. All[ album partecipa anche Isobel Campbell e le note sono di Chris Leo. Come on people.. Recensione di Maurizio Blatto 4 su 5 Rumore ..173 Giugno 2006

Tanakh e un progetto del cantante/autore Americano Jesse Poerappresenta bene la cifra del suo sentire musicale. Owero un pop-folk molto melodico e raffinato sia nelle costruzioni armoniche chee negli arrangiamenti, con atmosfere che a noi hanno, a tratti, riportato alla mentre il John Parish di How Animals Move. Da sgnalare Like I Used to. Recensione di Roberto Peciola suonabile Il Manifesto Alias 10 Guigno 2006

“Ardent Fevers” è un disco capace di stupire e lasciare quasi interdetti ma funziona comunque, se solo si sa cosa aspettarsi: a tratti la magniloquenza (Greybreathes) e a tratti dell’autentico guitar power con assolo interminabili (Still Trying To Find You Home, Take And Read) ma per lo più una dignitosa elegansa formale (Over Your Consistency) Recensione di Bianchi 7 su 8 Blow up. 94 2006

Il lungo soggiorno fiorentino sembra aver rivitalizzato la vena romantica di Jesse Poe, e questo quarto Ardent Fevers risulta lalbum piu melodico nella carriera del gruppo Americano. Groovey e ritmi infestanti, sempre incanalati in un linguaggio pop, convivono piacevolmente con pagine cantautorali, che evocano Tim Buckley e Donovan, Kevin Ayers e in misura ancor maggiore Leonard Cohen. Recensione di Enrico Ramunni 8 su 10 Rock e Rilla Marzo 2006

Quarto album e fase metamorfica dei Tanakh, obliquo collettivo italo-americano capeggiato da Jesse Poe, imprevedibile virginiano trapiantato a Firenze. Tecnicamente esemplare Ardent Fevers poggia su impianto folk dissonante e su una serie di contrappunti elettronici e classici, ai quali si deve lefficacia degli scenari sonori, come in Drink to Share o in Winter Song con Isobel Campbell.. Recensione di Ilaria Amato Rockstar luglio 2006

L’uscita per la Alien8 di “Dieu Deuil”, secondo album per il collettivo Tanakh, ora stabilitosi a Firenzeripresenta con un disco più accessibile la propria personale soluzione stilistica alle intricate trame “postimperdibile “November tree” (brano che da solo varrebbe l’acquisto dell’album)”Dieu Deuil” album certamente meritevole di ascolto e conoscenza Recensione di Raffaello Russo Ondarock.it 2004

È un disco elegante e delicatoben curato per quanto riguarda la parte strumentale; perfetta l’armonia creata da tutti i musicisti.. Recensione di Alessandro Fiore Paesituoi 2006

Dietro il nome Tanakh si nasconde un collettivo italo-americano capeggiato da Jess Poe, ora stabile a Firenze ma con un anima cosmopolita che contraddistingue tutti i suoi lavori… Il folk incontra il pop senza dimenticare atmosfere psichedeliche ricreate dall’organo e tipichi giri di chitarra post-rock per donare al disco un’aura di ricercatezza non indifferente. Le undici tracce si susseguono senza intoppi, scorrendo con naturalezza, quella semplicità di scrittura che solo un artista completo come Jess Poe può tirare fuoriOgni singolo brano invita ad un viaggio fatto di colori e di sfumature che aiutano ad entrare nell’animo di questi musicisti Recensione di Claudio Fabretti KDCOBAIN 2006

Certo che Jess Poe, eclettico mentore del collettivo Tanakh, è davvero un artista che non smette di stupireL’album scorre lieve e incostante, alternando bucoliche ballate, nelle quali una cristallina chitarra folk guida semplici canzoni d’amore appena sussurrate (“5 a.m.” e la romantica “Restelss Hands”), nostalgiche incursioni nel suono della West Coast degli anni 70 (“Grey Breathes”, “Like I Used To”) e addirittura inedite e fumose sensazioni blues (“Hit The Ground”). Non è un caso che le capacità compositive della band finiscano per manifestarsi conevidenza nei brani brevi e lineari, ove emerge sia l’attitudine lirica di Poe, sia un’interpretazione delicata e personale di semplici ballate folk: così, oltre che in “5 a.m.” e “Restelss Hands”, nel dolce dialogo con Isobele Campbell di “Winter Song” e nella romantica “Deeper”, nella quale, su un copioso tappeto d’archi, Poe gioca con successo a travestirsi da crooner , mentre il suono dell’organo, prima accennato, poi più deciso, conferisce al brano una polverosa ma piacevole patina psichedelica, guidandolo verso un insolito finale jazzy.. Recensione di
Raffaello Russo Onda Rock 2006

La musica di Tanakh è diventata col tempo sempre più pop da sperimentale quale era ad inizio carriera: l’improvvisazione orientata al noise ha lasciato il posto alla forma canzone. _Nel suo ultimo album Poe sembra voler omaggiare Tim Buckley (“Drink to Shear”), Leonard Cohen (“5 AM”), Neil Young (“Still Trying to Find You Home”) ed altri grandi personaggi della storia del Rock.. Recensione di _
Roberto Mandolini Extramusic 2006

Nati come collettivo aperto più o meno estemporaneo, con questo secondo disco il gruppo si definisce bene attorno alle personalità di Jesse Poe (che produce, scrive, canta e suona la chitarra). Ardent Fevers alterna composizioni corali, in cui i numerosi ospiti una decina, tra cui una valida sezione fiati, e poi violino, organo ed un prestigioso contributo di Isobel Campbell al violoncellopossono mettere in mostra le proprie doti(), a nude ballate notturne stile Giant Sand, in cui la voce di Poe e lacustica mirano a suggestionarci e si fanno apprezzare di più: Over your Consistency, Take and Read e Winter Song hanno il giusto spleen spiritato.
Interessante anche i 7 minuti e più di Still Trying to Find you Home: inizio come inizierebbero i Giant Sand, fine come finirebbero i Grateful Dead… bella idea!…… Recensione di Fausto Turi Freakout Online 2006

L’uscita per la Alien8 di “Dieu Deuil”, secondo album per il collettivo Tanakh, ora stabilitosi a Firenzeripresenta con un disco più accessibile la propria personale soluzione stilistica alle intricate trame “postimperdibile “November tree” (brano che da solo varrebbe l’acquisto dell’album)”Dieu Deuil” album certamente meritevole di ascolto e conoscenza Recensione di Raffaello Russo Ondarock.it 2004

Villa Claustrophobia, il precedente album, mi aveva colpito per via di certe melodie arcane, certe suggestioni piene di mistero. Dieu Deuil, pur mantenendo intatte quelle stesse suggestioni, sembra un disco piu solare, quasi luminoso. Jesse Poe intesse una sequenza di canzoni he scivolano luna nellaltra con mano feliceCanzoni soffici e malinconiche, nondimeno psichedeliche e ricolme di nuove promesseRecensione di Gino Dal Soler 7 di 8 blow up.71 Aprile 2004

Un doppio cd che rimette completamente in discussione quello che aveva lasciato intendere finora. Il risultato è una musica mantrica, ipnotica e ossesiva, un gorgo variopintodi echi e riflessi metallici lisergici che nascono quasi per intero da strumenti autocostruitiRecensione di Stefano I. Bianchi 7 di 8 blow up.78 2004

Il primo cd abbozza qualche struttura minimale, con cellule ritmiche che si ripresentano ciclicamente, come un moto impacciato scandito con atteggiamento ritrosoil secondo volume drappeggia un affresco piu spettrale e incombente in una sorta di noise da camera dallarchitettura pericolantela speranza e che adesso Jesse cominci ad organizzare imprese simili anche con musicisti italiani, perche ne vedremo delle belleRecensione di Enrico Ramunni 293 di Rockerilla 2005

FRENCH PRESS BLURBS:

Une sorte de folk indien dépouillé, emmené par une voix splendideUne orchestration impressionnante et écletique, qui surprend à tout istant Quentin Dève 9/10 Soit dit en Passant 2002

Tanakh livre un des folk les plus orchestral entendu jusquà présent, une ouvre lyrique, poétique, fascinantelecoute se transforme en voyage virtuelbercé par la voix de Poe Dieu Deuil est déjà un des essentiels 2004, un classique inestimableArnaud C webzinenameless.net 2004

Un album qui sécoute, se réécoute à lenvi et qui toujours étonne par sa richesse, sa profondeur, sa chaleur…Rien nest de trop, rien ne manque, rien nest surfait Hervé Benzine 2004

Ils ont lart de faire passer leur univers à travers leur musique, de nous faire sentir le mondeLâme des morceaux est proche de lauditeurDecidemment un disque à écouterPar Olf bm indiepoprock.net 2004

La beauté des textes rejoint une instrumentation trés subtile …Une oeuvre intemporelle à lhorizonDavid Cantin Le Devoir 2004

Laventurier Jesse Poe se cache sous la bannière mystérieuse de Tanakh ; auteur, compositeur, interprète, mais surtout leader capable de visions et de changements de caps surprenants, à linstar dun Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) ou de ses voisins de label Molasses. On la rencontré défricheur despaces vierges en 2002 sur Villa Claustrophobia, mélangeant folk païen et drones de «field recordings». De même avec Dieu Deuil deux ans plus tard, magnifique recueil de folk mystique aux teintes crépusculaires.

Ardent Fevers est une nouvelle conquête : les eaux troubles des seventies que choisit Jesse Poe pour amarrer son équipage mettent à jour de fort belles trouvailles. Dès les premières notes, «Drink to Sher» et ses cordes (merci à Isobel Campbell) donnent une furieuse envie de voguer sans attaches, en un condensé dhistoire où folk, rock et blues scintillent et se mélangent. Nostalgie, chaleur et électricité se déclinent de 11 manières, à la façon touche-à-tout dun Neil Young. A témoin ce «Deeper», pure merveille de groove, où ressuscitent un vieil orgue hammond et une sarabande de cuivres jazzy enthousiastes.

Malgré ces belles promesses, la suite nous convainc moins, manquant souvent de consistance, ce qui est dailleurs représentatif des albums de Monsieur Poe. Les longs solos à la Crazy Horse agacent (malgré le plaisir évident quen retirent leurs auteurs), plusieurs titres perdent peu à peu le Nord et naviguent à vue (« Take and Read »). Dommage, car ces ébauches didées pourraient, avec un peu de rigueur, faire de cet Ardent Fevers un butin inestimable. Nest donc pas le loner qui veut : parfois on a beau frotter et astiquer, le plomb ne se change pas en orruneii musique-chroniques2006

GERMAN PRESS BLURBS:

Ein Werk das sich vom gewöhnlichen Songwriting absetzt und in Kunstrock-, Ambient- und Weltmusiksphären vorstößt. Ein experimentierfreudiges, medidatives Album, welches für den zügigen Verzehr eher ungeeignet ist und dessen volle Pracht und
nachhaltiger Glanz erst dann offenbart werden können, wenn man bereit ist, sich zu den feinen Nuancen hervorzugehören Ullrich Maure gaesteliste.de

Dunkle melancholischen Klanglandschaften, abseits des Filmmusikklischées. Diese Scheibe verbindet Songwriting mit viel Platz für Improvisationen und Stimmen, den unterschiedlichsten Instrumenten sowie einem Hauch elektronischer Musik asb de-bug.de

Das Ablum wirkt wie in einer gigantischen hallenartigen Höhle aufgenommen, in der 1000e von buddhistischen Mönchen murmelnd eine verunsichernde Basis für eine orchestral fein durchwirktes Gesamtbild liefern, zu dessen Farbnuancen u.a. einsame Glockenschläge, trockene Westerngitarren, gezupfter Kontrabass, orientalische Instrumente, Cello-betontes Streichwerk, Trompete, sich einschrägende Geigen-Soli und das Heulen des Windes zählen glitterhouse.com

Das erinnert an Neofolk, die wir aus nördlichen Gefilden kennen. Immer wieder werden die Songs durch minimalistische Drones
abgelöst, und hier schleichen sich wieder langsam die mittel- bis fernöstlichen Soundfragmente vom Anfang in die Klangteppiche ein intro.de

Tanakh sind kein unbeschriebenes Blatt, keine leere Seite. Ardent Fevers ist bereits das vierte Werk aus der Feder Jesse Poes. Behäbig und ohne Eile bahnt man sich seinen Weg, schlägt eine Schneise zwischen Folk, Pop und psychadelischen Ansätzen. In Letzterem liegt dann vielleicht auch die Problematik dieses Albums. Angehängt Soli verzerren die sonstige Kompaktheit so manchen Songkleinodes bis hin zum Ärgerlichen. Von schlichter Wundersamkeit hingegen ist der sehnsuchtsvolle Winter Song, der spärlich orchestriert ganz von dem sensiblen Zusammenspiel zwischen weiblichem und männlichem Gesang getragen wird.

Die ersten Sonnenstrahlen kriechen über den Asphalt, erreichen die Zehenspitzen, die Hosenbeine, stocken vor dem Brustkorb. Traurigkeit ist finster, verzweifelt, Like I Used To. Man wird sich bewusst, dass man immer nur umhergeirrt ist. Immer unterwegs, immer auf der Suche. Die Stimme ist rau vom Alkohol, die Gitarre liegt wie Blei im Arm. Still Trying To Find You Home, erinnert man sich müde an den großen Johnny Cash. Ein Streicher begehrt auf. Wozu das alles?

Wenn da nichts mehr ist, dann ist da immer noch die Stadt. Look on New Orleans.

Autor: Nina Heitele alternativenation

Tanakh
Ardent Fevers
[Alien8; 2006]
Rating: 7.8

Ardent Fevers is the fourth album from the stubbornly indefinable collective Tanakh, and it was recorded after the group’s leader Jesse Poe relocated from Virginia to Florence, Italy. This was a move that seems entirely in keeping with the outfit’s history– Tanakh has always exhibited a reluctance to stay affixed in one place. Over the course of their three prior albums, Tanakh’s music has drifted serenely across foggy intersections of pan-ethnic folk, improvised drones, and psychedelic pop. Now, perhaps guided in part by homesickness, the group has built upon 2004’s Dieu Deuil to craft their most purely song-oriented collection to date (and arguably the most accessible Alien8 release ever) by subtly guiding their sound towards the organic, refracted Americana of acts like Calexico or Pinetop Seven.

In its past incarnations, Tanakh often seemed to be simply comprised of Poe and whatever collaborators happened to be handy, but on Ardent Fevers the musicians have taken on the unmistakable appearance of an actual band. Recorded by Brian Hoffa, who has worked with groups ranging from Labradford to Camper Van Beethoven, and featuring contributions from Isobel Campbell and Alex Neilson, the album is veritably bursting with amplified color and detail. The songs were co-written by Poe and guitarist Umberto Trivella, a partnership that grants the material an enhanced, groove-centered propulsion that is further punctuated by the frequent addition of Muscle Shoals-style horns, dustbowl lap steel, and surprising abundance of hypercharged, Crazy Horse guitar soloing.

With its thoughtful construction and heavy emphasis on Poe’s dusky vocals, Ardent Fevers might seem unrecognizable to listeners only familiar with the grainy, abstract textures of 2004’s self-titled double album. The differences should be apparent right from the opening notes of “Drink to Sher”, which masterfully combines front-porch guitars and jazzy horns, or on the soulful, brassy “Deeper”, which rides an elegant swell of Blonde on Blonde organ. In the past, Tanakh’s use of violin and strings could often lend the music a certain Eastern European gypsy flourish, but here, on such tracks as “Like I Used To”, they also help provide a distinctly C&W atmosphere, issuing a quiet floorboard creak beneath Poe’s dusty boots.

Elsewhere, on tracks like the delicate “Restless Hands” or the brooding “Winter Song”, Tanakh return to the more familiar waters of Fairport-style UK folk-rock, directed by Poe’s sweet melodies and unerring sense for the understated narrative. And so it also appears on the rainswept, Leonard Cohen climes of “Still Trying To Find You Home”, before Poe and Trivella unveil a blistering, wholly unforeseen dual guitar jam. This process is later repeated on the set-closing “Take and Read”, and though these are the exact sort of solos that Neil Young should just have gone ahead and patented 25 years ago, there’s no denying that their sudden appearance provides the album with a crucial, throat-scorching jolt of undiluted cactus juice.

As with Tanakh’s previous releases, there is a sense of loss or dislocation that hovers mirage-like around the edges here, as though the whole mysterious enterprise might vanish in a cloud of smoke if addressed too directly. Intoxicating though it is, Ardent Fevers leaves the listener with little concise idea about what exactly constitutes Tanakh’s true sound or which direction they might travel next, but this vague disorientation shouldn’t be enough to discourage repeat investigations into the matter.

-Matthew Murphy, April 7, 2006

Pitchforkmedia, Inc.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/t/tanakh/ardent-fevers.shtml

TANAKH e’ il nome di un collettivo di musicisti internazionali pop-rock che allo stesso tempo si lascia influenzare da diverse atmosfere e colori appartenenti ad altri generi musicali. Negli ultimi sei anni il collettivo ha raccolto un numero di musicisti dalla grande formazione ed esperienza in ambito musicale che vede come principale promotore il musicista e compositore Jesse Poe, cantante del gruppo. Jesse, anche se vive attualmente a Firenze, proviene da un background musicale americano. I suoi parenti hanno scritto canzoni per JOHNNY CASH e altri. Oltre al suo lavoro con il gruppo, Poe ha prodotto/arrangiato e suonato con Jim White (LUKA BOP di David Byrne di TALKING HEADS) e molti altri. Jesse ha inoltre suonato/cantato con ANOMOANON (Palace/Will Oldham), SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE (DRAG CITY), MICK TURNER’s BONNEVILL (NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, THE DIRTY THREE) e molti altri e studiato per tre anni con NIRMAL BAJEKAL (RAVI SHANKAR band). Poe ha anche composto la musica per Cortometraggi e per un documentario “From Both Ends of the Earth” proiettato al Sundance Film Festival e lavorato anche come produttore e ingegnere del suono sia negli Stati Uniti che in Europa. Poe ha inoltre pubblicato racconti, poesie e ha collaborato anche con delle riviste.

Per ogni tipo di informazione sui concerti del gruppo o di Jesse Poe
e per contattare Tanakh per altre iniziative: tanakh8@gmail.com tel: 3482872933

ATTUALI E PASSATE COLLABORAZIONI DI TANAKH:

Jesse Poe, Matteo Bennici (MARCO PARENTE E CAMILLOCROMO, CLAUDIA BOMBARDELLA), Umberto Trivella, Viola Mattioli ( Trio Di Parma, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, allieva di Francesco Dillon di Quarteto Prometeo & Alter Ego), Oretta Giunti, Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian), NIRMAL BAJEKAL (RAVI SHANKAR band), Mic Turner (Dirty 3 & NICK CAVE), David Lowery & Johnny Hickman (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, F.S.K.), Ned Oldham (Anomoanon, Palace, Will Oldham/Bonni Prince Billy), Coby Batty (Bongwater, John Zorn, F.U.G.S.), Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire), Jessica Billey (Smog, Boxhead Ensemble), Jim Thompson (GWAR), Paul Watson (Sparklehorse & Bee & Flower), Miguel Urbiztondo (Crooked Fingers), Alex Neilson (Jandek, Richard Youngs, Telstar Ponies), Pat Best (Pelt, Hotel X), Via Nuon (Bevel, Spence, Manishevitz), Miguel Urbiztondo (Crooked Fingers), Ayman Fanous(Burn Nix, Elliot Sharp, Tomas Ulrich, etc.), Brian Jones(Agents of Good Roots) & MANY OTHERS.

BREVE RASSEGNA STAMPA DI TANAKH:
Per ricevere informazioni piu’ complete sulle recensioni e gli articoli che le riviste hanno dedicato al gruppo contattare: tanakh8@gmail.com

L’uscita per la Alien8 di “Dieu Deuil”, secondo album per il collettivo Tanakh, ora stabilitosi a Firenze…ripresenta con un disco più accessibile la propria personale soluzione stilistica alle intricate trame “post”…imperdibile “November tree” (brano che da solo varrebbe l’acquisto dell’album)…”Dieu Deuil” album certamente meritevole di ascolto e conoscenza… Recensione di Raffaello Russo Ondarock.it 2004

“Villa Claustrophobia”, il precedente album, mi aveva colpito per via di certe melodie arcane, certe suggestioni piene di mistero. “Dieu Deuil”, pur mantenendo intatte quelle stesse suggestioni, sembra un disco piu solare, quasi luminoso. Jesse Poe intesse una sequenza di canzoni he scivolano l’una nell’altra con mano felice…Canzoni soffici e malinconiche, nondimeno psichedeliche e ricolme di nuove promesse…Recensione di Gino Dal Soler 7 di 8 blow up.71 Aprile 2004

Un doppio cd che rimette completamente in discussione quello che aveva lasciato intendere finora. Il risultato è una musica mantrica, ipnotica e ossesiva, un gorgo variopinto…di echi e riflessi metallici lisergici che nascono quasi per intero da strumenti autocostruiti…Recensione di Stefano I. Bianchi 7 di 8 blow up.78 2004

Il primo cd abbozza qualche struttura minimale, con cellule ritmiche che si ripresentano ciclicamente, come un moto impacciato scandito con atteggiamento ritroso…il secondo volume drappeggia un affresco piu spettrale e incombente in una sorta di noise da camera dall’architettura pericolante…la speranza e’ che adesso Jesse cominci ad organizzare imprese simili anche con musicisti italiani, perche’ ne vedremo delle belle…Recensione di Enrico Ramunni 293 di Rockerilla 2005

Opulent and low key, gilded and grimy, humid and gorgeous [ Nick Drake backed by Archie Shepp and Alice Coltrane in a deep south dawn ?] and it feels like the sort of quietly unassuming cd you find usurps more ‘important’ works. Lovely like honey on your beloved’s eyelids…Ian Penman The Wire July 2002

Creeping drones, scraping acoustic sounds, spaghetti-western twangs and mumbled incantations. Villa Claustrophobia sounds like a piece of folk art, assembled in a woodshed by musicians wearing hats made of human skin… 2 out of 3 stars SL London Sunday Times 2002.

An epic musical suite…catch them on their way up. Mark Rifkin New York Resident 2002

Many musicians attempt such grand ideas but can’t manage to pull it together. Poe proves that not only is he a skilled musician, but also an impressive band leader who understands the concepts behind making an exceptional album… Daniel Piotrowski Signal to Noise 2002

A record this dark, frightening and sexy doesn’t come along very often, and it needs to be savored in the proper (black) light. Hang out in this dim space long enough and your eyes will adjust…. Mark Richard-San Pitchfork 2002

This is a brilliant record. Track it down and give your money to the nice record shop worker, go home, smoke lots of weed, listen and die!… Chris Bress Collective-Zine 2002

Jesse Poe has sketched another quiet heaven with Dieu Deuil, a record that sounds like a parchment ink of folk’s roots but also basks in sun-dappled 21st Century modernism– and just a little bit genius… Johnny Loftus Pitchfork 2004

This CD is nothing but gorgeous washes of spooky and melancholy ambience, punctuated by quiet guitar strumming, loops, drones, and lead singer Jesse Poe’s soft voice that reminds me a lot of Peter Murphy….Holly Day COSMIK.COM 2002

Une sorte de folk indien dépouillé, emmené par une voix splendide…Une orchestration impressionnante et écletique, qui surprend à tout istant… Quentin Dève 9/10 Soit dit en Passant 2002

Tanakh livre un des folk les plus orchestral entendu jusqu’à présent, une ouvre lyrique, poétique, fascinante…l’ecoute se transforme en voyage virtuel…bercé par la voix de Poe… Dieu Deuil est déjà un des essentiels 2004, un classique inestimable…Arnaud C webzinenameless.net 2004

Un album qui s’écoute, se réécoute à l’envi et qui toujours étonne par sa richesse, sa profondeur, sa chaleur…Rien n’est de trop, rien ne manque, rien n’est surfait… Hervé Benzine 2004

Ils ont l’art de faire passer leur univers à travers leur musique, de nous faire sentir le monde…L’âme des morceaux est proche de l’auditeur…Decidemment un disque à écouter…Par Olf bm indiepoprock.net 2004

La beauté des textes rejoint une instrumentation trés subtile …Une oeuvre intemporelle à l’horizon…David Cantin Le Devoir 2004

Ein Werk das sich vom gewöhnlichen Songwriting absetzt und in Kunstrock-, Ambient- und Weltmusiksphären vorstößt. Ein experimentierfreudiges, medidatives Album, welches für den zügigen Verzehr eher ungeeignet ist und dessen volle Pracht und
nachhaltiger Glanz erst dann offenbart werden können, wenn man bereit ist, sich zu den feinen Nuancen hervorzugehören… Ullrich Maure gaesteliste.de

Dunkle melancholischen Klanglandschaften, abseits des Filmmusikklischées. Diese Scheibe verbindet Songwriting mit viel Platz für Improvisationen und Stimmen, den unterschiedlichsten Instrumenten sowie einem Hauch elektronischer Musik… asb de-bug.de

Das Ablum wirkt wie in einer gigantischen hallenartigen Höhle aufgenommen, in der 1000e von buddhistischen Mönchen murmelnd eine verunsichernde Basis für eine orchestral fein durchwirktes Gesamtbild liefern, zu dessen Farbnuancen u.a. einsame Glockenschläge, trockene Westerngitarren, gezupfter Kontrabass, orientalische Instrumente, Cello-betontes Streichwerk, Trompete, sich einschrägende Geigen-Soli und das Heulen des Windes zählen… glitterhouse.com

Das erinnert an Neofolk, die wir aus nördlichen Gefilden kennen. Immer wieder werden die Songs durch minimalistische Drones
abgelöst, und hier schleichen sich wieder langsam die mittel- bis fernöstlichen Soundfragmente vom Anfang in die Klangteppiche ein… intro.de