Orange & Atlas - Euphoria

It was the cover art.  I came eye to eye with the album cover for Euphoria  - a photograph of a woman laying in bed, between the sheets, fully clothed, with an incredible rack and a massive set of speakers.  Then, I did what any music loving heterosexual male would do when confronted with such an image - I played the CD.

I was sucker-punched.  With a title like Euphoria and the sexual connotations of the cover  art I was hoping for something with a woman’s voice.  Why?  I don’t know.  Maybe because a picture of a woman in bed with a gigantic sound system makes me think of old Hollywood musical movie temptresses. I was not expecting an almost completely male played folk-filled, jazz instilled, rock effort with solid harmonies, poetic lyrics, and beautiful orchestration.

Let’s get this out of the way right now.  If you don’t like that slice of rock represented by R.E.M.,  Son Volt and The Jayhawks and their ilk, move on.  You will not like Erik Orange and Atlas Levan, the songwriters for, and leaders of the band Orange & Atlas that produced Euphoria.  The CD from these two Dallas, Texas residents (by way of Oklahoma) will only produce Euphoria in some. Although CD is uneven in parts, there is something distinctive and extraordinary about many of the tracks that make it worth a listen.   

The band consists of Levan and Orange on guitars and vocals.  Orange also plays the keyboards and he covers bass duties on the track “Falling Stars.”  Drums and percussion are pounded by Bo McCarty and the bass is almost all Shane Harris.  Harris also sings on “Falling Stars.” 

Some double tracking was performed to produce the sound. On “Drunk Love” Kevin Webb sits in on slide guitar.  He also plays on two tracks - slide guitar and lead guitar -  that were combined to produce the end result on “I Fall.” Some of the drums were dubbed electronically. The liner notes give Carl Amburn credit as a “Guest Musician” for “drum programming” on “Hardly Seen” and “Another Lonely Time.”  He is credited with the handclaps on “Island” and as a co-producer of the release with Orange and Atlas.  

Every song is driven by  acoustic guitars and swells and moves in rhythm with orchestrated crescendos and perfectly timed drums and percussion.  There is emotion yet a sense of calm in the music.  

Now, I can understand if you don’t want to listen to it  With all that electronic gadgetry, the recording tricks and those genre limitations you might say it just isn’t “real music.”  Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.  Does it really matter? To some it will and, if it does, cthen just check out the cover art.  If it doesn’t, and it is the sound the matters, then you are in for a treat.

- Old School

Buy here mp3: Euphoria
Buy here: Euphoria