The Night's Bloom

• Artist: Pinetop Seven
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 25, 2005
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

It's been five years since Chicago-based folk/Americana/orchestral pop collective the Pinetop Seven released Bringing Home the Last Great Strike, a record that sounded to many ears like a swan song. It turns out that vocalist/songwriter/bandleader Darren Richard and his rotating ensemble of multi-instrumentalists were only hibernating in the studio. Night's Bloom, the group's fourth full-length collection of new material, contains more of the spooky, poignant, and unsettling Northern gothic pop that's been their muse for the past ten years, but this time around, Richard and company have birthed a true thing of beauty. Beginning in appropriate Pinetop fashion with a short instrumental that wouldn't sound out of place on HBO's Deadwood, Bloom then takes its title literally, branching out in every direction and using every instrument within reach to craft the kind of Midwest alternative country tome that groups like Okkervil River and Calexico have only hinted at. One listen to the familial strings and banjo romp "Born Among the Born Again," the Salvation Army Band-kissed "A Mouthful of Expensive Teeth," or the epic road trip "A Page from the Desert" is enough to fuel a hundred winter fires. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Night's Bloom	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(1:25)
Easy Company	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(5:20)
Fringe	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(5:06)
A Fire Burns at the Foot of Our Bed	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(2:36)
Born Among the Born Again	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(3:26)
A Mouthful of Expensive Teeth	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(4:23)
June	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(4:44)
A Page from the Desert	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(7:19)
His Aging Miss Idaho	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(4:25)
[Untitled]	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(:24)
Witness	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(3:17)
Made a Whisper Out of Me	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(3:33)
The Comedy Is Ended	Darren Richard	Pinetop Seven	(1:37)

Credits

Darren Richard (Casio), Darren Richard (Drums (Snare)), Darren Richard (Guitar (Acoustic)), Andra Kulans (Violin), Johnathon Peeler (Bass (Electric)), Darren Richard (Piano), Darren Richard (Cymbals), Darren Richard (Fender Rhodes), Darren Richard (Organ), Darren Richard (Slide Guitar), Darren Richard (Guitar (Nylon String)), Darren Richard (Bells), Andy Rader (Bass (Electric)), Ned Folkerth (Drums), Darren Richard (Percussion), Darren Richard (Toy Piano), Darren Richard (Sleigh Bells), Melissa Bach (Vocals (Background)), Darren Richard (Melodica), Darren Richard (Triangle), Darren Richard (Accordion), Melissa Bach (Cello), Dan Stout (Mastering), Andy Rader (Double Bass), Darren Richard (Marimba), Nate Walcott (Cello Arrangement), Andra Kulans (Viola), Darren Richard (Vibraphone), Melissa Bach (Cello Arrangement), Darren Richard (Chinese Bells), Nate Walcott (Trumpet Arrangement), Melissa Bach (Trumpet Arrangement), Nate Walcott (Trumpet), Melissa Bach (String Arrangements), Nate Walcott (Flugelhorn), Darren Richard (Guitar), Darren Richard (Guitar (Electric)), Nate Walcott (String Arrangements), Jody Livo (Violin), Darren Richard (Drums), Darren Richard (Plucked Piano), Darren Richard (Banjo), Darren Richard (Vocals)