Anna Tivel
Living Thing
May 31, 2024
Fluff & Gravy Records
PHOTO CREDIT: Kale Chesney
CLICK FOR HI-RES JPG
Praise for 2022’s Outsiders…
NPR MUSIC
"Best Roots Music of 2022"
"Best Songs of 2022"
"Ann Powers’ Top Album of 2022"
"Bob Boilen’s Favorite Music of 2022"
"Quiet masterwork…Rarely can a songwriter modulate between compassionate character studies and confession the way Tivel does here"
"Unmatched as an empath among her folk-leaning peers…Tivel and producer Shane Leonard's arrangements work like fine cinematography, perfectly framing her devastating scenes."
"Anna Tivel is just one of my absolute favorite songwriters living right now...and I think this is her best record yet…Her writing on this record is at the level that Paul Simon was at when he wrote ‘The Boxer’ and ‘American Tune.’" — Ann Powers, All Songs Considered
"Quiet and riveting performance…As always, Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers...Inside [the trio's] swirling arrangements, Tivel's portraits of pain and resilience become hypnotic, like dreams, like reality as we cope with it, always unfolding." — Tiny Desk Concert
PITCHFORK
"Tivel’s folk fingerpicking and soft, compelling voice are reminiscent of Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, and her songwriting—full of tragic figures and folks down on their luck—brings to mind Elliott Smith."
NO DEPRESSION
"Tivel has many strengths and no flaws. She’s one of the finest storytellers modern folk music has to offer, with lyrics so literary that it’s tempting to think of her as a poet with an exceptional gift for playing guitar and singing."
BANDCAMP DAILY
"Tivel digs into love, loss, and the loneliness of modern life while pushing her sound beyond the boundaries of folk music by incorporating unconventional percussion, atmospheric production, and gentle ambient touches."
AQUARIUM DRUNKARD
"Tivel’s seventh full-length album is a quiet, literate triumph, her delicate curving melodies framed in guitar strums, washes of keyboard sound and twitchy, glitchy beats."
BROOKLYN VEGAN
"15 Great Folk Albums From 2022"
"The album ranges from full-band rock songs to moments that are more modern and electronic to traditional acoustic folk, and it's always Anna's stories that lead the way."
WXPN
"Tivel is building her name across the U.S. and beyond with her beautifully haunting, intimate albums"
KCRW
"Perfectly lo-fi instrumentation, turntable fuzz, and Tivel’s confident-cool delivery of positively poetic lyrics make [‘The Dial’] a stellar summer standout for those who feel at home in analog spaces."
FOLK ALLEY
"The instrumentation throughout [Outsiders] vacillates between quiet, minimalist acoustic guitar and more intricate percussion-forward arrangements. The juxtaposition would make less sense in many folks’ hands, but Tivel carries her songs carefully."
AMERICANA UK
"Anna Tivel, we will never cease to tell you, is one of the finest songwriters of her generation."
"[Tivel’s] lyrics are truly wonderful, full of detail and meaning, and they certainly deserve and need repeated listening to reveal their true character and meaning.”
ALBUM COVER (CLICK FOR HI-RES)
Before you come into the world you should know // there are things that will hurt and things that won’t // like scraping your knees on the asphalt // and the freedom right before you fell// nobody tells it like it is // they say ‘isn’t it lovely,’ and ‘buck up kid,’ // but you learn how to breathe just by doing it // how to dream until you believe yourself
Living Thing, the newest full length album from Oregon based songwriter Anna Tivel, is an arcing dive into the existential. Written through the tumultuous eyes of 2020 and recorded in Eau Claire, WI in profound collaboration with long time friend and producer Shane Leonard, these are songs of struggle and aliveness expressed with great joy.
“I wrote feverishly in the strange chaos of that year, suddenly out of work and attempting to understand the shifting human fabric, the depth of desperation and the overwhelming tenacity of spirit. The resulting songs felt rhythmic and vital, with more melody and soaring chorus than I’ve explored in the past. There was no way and no means to gather a full band, and I brought the songs to Shane’s doorstep knowing and fully trusting the skill and exuberance of his creative imagination. Shane stripped everything down to the studs and we rebuilt it together, just the two of us for a month in his garage studio, Shane dreaming up each sonic layer while I chased the lyrics to one last double chorus.”
The album takes off with the song ‘Silver Flame,’ a sweeping embrace of uncertainty. ‘Satellites and angel voices // yesterday tried to destroy us // morning came up golden anyhow // maybe there’s a great creator // a far off planet trying to save us // but we’ve just got each other for now.’ Tivel is a writer drawn to seminal questions, and this album is no exception. She illuminates the seeking rather than clinging to conviction. What is it that makes us human? What are we for? How do we move as we reach toward each other, change our minds, learn to love? The nine songs that make up ‘Living Thing’ look deep into the core and do so with groove and energy. Shane brought a dynamic vigor to the table, drawing the tender lyrical thoughts into a more potent sound world. He acted as producer, engineer, band, and trusted creative comrade, even mixing the album on his analog board, playing the faders like an instrument in an inspired momentary performance of each song.
“Shane gave his whole beautiful heart and mind to this record and I’ve never had such a freeing and powerful collaborative experience. I learned so much from watching him explore in the studio. We followed the rules of improv, said yes and tried every idea that percolated – sampled an 8 track symphony backward, looped wine glasses and lighters, read poetry into lofi microphones, and recorded a thunderstorm into a tape machine. Shane went on eternal drum tone quests, chased intricate melodic bass lines, and gently encouraged me to let go and sing from a deeper place. I love this record because it feels like a joyous musical conversation with a close friend about the big vast mystery of being alive.”
Nobody tells it like it is // they say don’t blow around on a different wind // but you’re gone and you’re not even listening // they were wrong and the wind is a living thing // and you’re taking a picture you won’t forget // something real and the way you remember it // you’ll be everything, you’ll be riotous // what a feeling to be alive
Anna Tivel On Tour
For more information, please contact:
Jake Lanier
jake@luckybirdmedia.com