| 
“Built upon sturdy melodies and the type of harmonies rarely
practiced these days, they dared to be genuine and pretty, hurt
and poppy, confused yet direct. They made pop that the likes of
Teenage Fanclub and Mojave 3 would happily call their own.”
—John Foster, BrightestYoungThings.com
Private Eleanor was a band from Baltimore,
Maryland, who over the course of little more than five years was
responsible for four records of unfashionably lovely folk-pop.
For now, they’re on indefinite hiatus, having left behind
little but those remarkable records – full of sly hooks,
sparkling textures, and evocative, poetic lyrics as good as any
you’re likely to hear.
Songwriter Austin Stahl began the band on a four-track cassette
recorder in the bedroom of a Baltimore rowhouse, crafting a pair
of intimate albums with the help of a rotating cast of friends.
Stahl was soon hailed as the city’s best songwriter by the
local City Paper, and began performing live with a full-time
band. The higher-fidelity No Straight Lines followed
in 2005, gaining slightly wider release (via Maryland label The
Beechfields) and earning critical accolades on a national level
(75orless.com called it “the final album Elliott Smith should
have made.”). Before long, the band was bringing its subtle,
harmony-laden pop songs to half-empty rooms throughout the nation.
Sweethearting was released in 2007. Recorded and mixed
with the help of T.J. Lipple (Aloha) and Chad Clark (Beauty Pill),
the album was performed mostly live in the studio, and showcased
more than ever the vocal harmonies between Stahl and fellow singer
Marian Glebes. The shifting backdrop provided by Chris Merriam
(drums), Bruce Sailer (bass), and Drew Stevens (Rhodes/piano/organ)
made for the band’s most varied and sonically deep record
– at times the hushed vocals and vintage keyboards call
to mind American Analog Set; other moments resonate with the quiet
emotion of Ida or Red House Painters; some of the louder, catchier
songs could pass for Yo La Tengo tackling your favorite Big Star
tunes. It was the band’s best-received record to date, but
they were unable to tour behind it and went on hiatus soon after.
As of this writing, Private Eleanor has no current plans to
perform or record. Two new compilations feature what are, for
now, the band’s final recordings: Love Goes On,
a tribute to Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens, for which Private
Eleanor was chosen to contribute a cover of the title track; and
This City of Neighborhoods, a new compilation from the
Beechfields Record Label (available here).
|
DISCOGRAPHY
Beechfields releases:
Sweethearting
BRL 3215 // CD // 2007
No Straight Lines
BRL 3214 // CD // 2005
An Audiography of Prohibited Sounds
BRL 2515 // CDR // 2004
SOLD OUT/OUT OF PRINT
Blood Maladies
BRL 2000 // CDR // 2003
SOLD OUT/OUT OF PRINT
Non-Beechfields releases:
My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions
OTP 3606 // CD // 2003
pupa's window vs. private eleanor
OTP 3605 // 7" EP // 2002
Deciduous
OTP 3604 // CD // 2002
Private Eleanor
OTP 3602 // CD // 2001
WEBSITE
www.privateeeleanor.com
PRESS RESOURCES
see Press section for hi-res photos,
press sheets, etc.
REVIEWS
Reviews for Sweethearting
Reviews for No Straight Lines
Reviews for
An Audiography...
|
