Product Description

The Great Book of John – The Great Book of John

Release Date: August 16th, 2011

Whereas the band’s debut album, Yves’ Blues, was a largely acoustic affair recorded in one long session, The Great Book of John is a deeply-layered production brimming with amplified crunch and a thick, somnambulant atmosphere, provided in part by musician / producer Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero, Sanders Bohlke, Dead Snares) and Grammy Award winning engineer Darrell Thorp (Radiohead, Beck, Outkast).

These big sheets of sound are in full-effect on the three songs that commence the album  — “Robin Hood,”  “Brown Frown” and “Let Me Slide”  (the last of which, along with “On and On” is also available as a limited-edition 7-inch single) – and the songs that open and close Side Two (“Black Heart” and “Simple Things”).

The Great Book of John – Simple Things

But The Great Book of John is not completely laden in thick guitars. In fact, the album’s stripped-down middle section most closely reveals the fragile heart that beats beneath many of Shaw’s best songs. “Ashes Over Manhattan” is perhaps the album’s most buoyant song while “Wise Blood” might the most beautiful – and, with it’s stripped down arrangement and a production reminiscent of Nico’s “Chelsea Girls”, “Wise Blood” is a prime showcase for Shaw’s lyrical acuity.