Hear It First: Ana Egge, 'White Tiger'  by Kim Ruehl, Folk Alley

Ana Egge has one of those voices—full of breath and breeze one minute, grounded like a boot in a puddle the next—that just feels free. And as she wends into the title track of her new album White Tiger, Egge employs her voice and a wind-and-string ensemble to beckon someone through a dark time. Her lyrics liken life’s difficulties to a tiger prowling, but then she suggests of the tiger, “feed him, let him be your guide. Teach him freedom, that he might lead you through to the other side.” Suddenly, it all sounds so whimsical and easy, this living through darkness business. And why shouldn’t it be? The world has as much darkness as light, and it all flows in waves. It should be easy, right? It’s amazing what music can make you think.

Next, she’s following the syncopated groove of a bass guitar and electric power chords, lots of cymbals, lots of longing, on “Be With You.” “I’m Goin’ Bossa Nova” takes us to another place, with its canned drum beat leading into a flight-of-a-butterfly flute line and Egge’s airy vocals, which are closely followed by unison singing from her collaborator and co-producer Alec Spiegelman (Cuddle Magic).

“Dance Around the Room With Me” will make you want to do just that, with all its carefree love, an easy, carefree pop vibe reminiscent of The Bird and the Bee. “It’s okay to be angry, it’s okay to be mad. It’s okay to feel sorry, it’s okay to feel sad,” she sings. And then something flutters in the background while the synth plays and the drummer holds a steady 4/4 on the snare. It’s hard not to dance right into that whole idea.

Indeed, if you’re looking to get your heart opened, White Tiger is a good place to start. Egge’s voice has always felt like throwing the windows open, and this time out her songwriting—on every single track—rises to the same level. The arrangements behind her create the kinds of nuanced contours that support her simple, careful melodies and the artful way she sings, without overpowering or under-highlighting them.

Plus, she’s joined by some of her most exquisitely talented friends: Alex Hargreaves (best known for accompanying Sarah Jarosz, David Grisman, and others), Anais Mitchell, and Billy Strings among them. The result is a beautiful statement about how easy and beautiful life can be if you let it. Turn it on and open the windows, let the light in.

White Tiger included in the Uproxx Music Guide to the best  new albums, mixtapes, and other music releases that matter this week. Stream the BEST new albums this week. 

Ana Egge is clearly proficient at purveying pillow-soft indie folk, such as with the Belle And Sebastian-like whimsy of album opener “Girls, Girls, Girls.” It’s low-tempo, but not low-energy, as there’s a ton of vivacity behind the rest of the serene tunes on this record.

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III ANNOUNCES NEW TREASURY OF RARE AND UNISSUED LOUDONIANA ‘YEARS IN THE MAKING’ (SEPTEMBER 14 on STORYSOUND RECORDS)

2-DISC “AUDIO-BIOGRAPHY” FEATURES 42 SONGS: LIVE RECORDINGS, RADIO APPEARANCES, HOME DEMOS AND MORE FROM PAST 45 YEARS, PLUS HAND-DRAWN ARTWORK BY ED STEED

INCLUDES APPEARANCES FROM KATE MCGARRIGLE, SUZZY ROCHE, BILL FRISELL, VAN DYKE PARKS, LOUDON’S CHILDREN, AND MORE.

Today, Loudon Wainwright III announces ‘Years in the Making,’ a two-disc compendium of 45 years of Loudon’s offbeaten, rare and unissued tracks. Out September 14 on StorySound Records, ‘Years in the Making’ is a true “audio-biography” that boasts orphaned album cuts, live recordings, radio appearances, home demos, and more, that come together to offer a never-before-seen perspective on Loudon’s public and private selves. Notable figures from Loudon’s life pop up throughout as well: Kate McGarrigle, Suzzy Roche, Bill Frisell, Van Dyke Parks, Chaim Tannenbaum, David Mansfield, Steve Goodman, George Gerdes, and the Wainwright children Rufus, Martha, Lucy and Lexie.

From Loudon’s early folk efforts covering Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan to his more recent years (including an a cappella rendition of 2017’s “Birthday Boy,” written on the occasion of Loudon’s 71^st), “Years in the Making” is a treasury of the finest Loudoniana. 

The two-disc, 42-track set is divided into seven chapters and will be released in a 60-page hardbound book. The artwork was done by New Yorker cartoonist Ed Steed (who won a Grammy last year for creating the packaging for Father John Misty’s ‘Pure Comedy’). The package includes dozens of scans of documents, introspective musings and other artifacts from what Loudon calls his “swinging life,” in addition to paintings and drawings done by friends and fans.

Says Loudon, “'Years in the Making' covers a lot of ground, about half a century’s worth. Sonically it’s all over the place and, at times, noticeably low-fi, but my co-producer Dick Connette and I decided that didn’t matter as much as offering up something that was spirited and representational…The sources at our disposal came in various formats – hard drives, cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, B-sides, bootlegs, and reference CDs. There was too much to choose from, and plenty wasn’t even listened to but we did our level best to pick and assemble what we think amounts to a diverting 2 hours of listening.”

“Years in the Making” is co-produced by Loudon and Dick Connette.

DISC ONE

1. Rosin the Bow
2. You Ain’t Going Nowhere
3. Easy St. Louis Tweedle-Dee
4. Everybody I know
5. Philadelphia Lawyer
6. Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms
7. Love Gifts
8. Stewball
9. Floods of Tears
10. Station Break
11. Have You Ever Been To Pittsburgh
12. 2 Song Set
13. Cardboard Boxes
14. Smokey Joe’s Café
15. You Hurt Me Mantra
16. Rambunctious
17. I Wanna Be On MTV
18. Birthday Poem / Happy Birthday / Animal Song
19. Your Mother & I
20. Button Nose
21. The Ballad of Famous & Harper
22. Teenager’s Lament
23. Things

DISC TWO

1. Unrequited to the Nth Degree
2. Ulcer
3. You Can’t Fail Me Now
4. No
5. Rowena
6. Cheatin’
7. IDTTYWLM
8. Down Where the Drunkards Roll
9. POW
10. Meet the Wainwrights
11. Liza Minnelli Interview
12. Hollywood Hopeful
13. Valley Morning
14. Trailer
15. God’s Got a Shit List
16. Thank You, Mr. Hubble
17. It Ain’t Gaza
18. Out of This World
19. Birthday Boy