After loving, some might say adoring, his break through smash hit Animal Years, my mind entertained massive amounts of skepticism when I heard that Josh Ritter was releasing a follow up to that critically and popularly loved album. Apparently that was coupled with the fact that I got his newest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (iTunes), at about the same time I got the newest albums by long time favorites Sigur Ros, Radiohead, and Shout Out Louds. Somewhere in that muck the latest Josh Ritter disc simply failed to make an impression.
Let me tell you about the wrong place to try and experience The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter for the first time. Imagine you have just driven to Florida in a rental car that now reeks of dudeness and cheeseburgers and in which you’ve spent almost a full twenty four hours. Granted you spent the night lounging in a hotel room, watching Discovery Channel miscreants blow things up {for science!}, and drowning your pathetic existence in a quarter gallon of ice cream mixed with a half bottle of Kahlua, but it’s still the same car that was known as your tomb on wheels. Do not try to experience Josh in this setting. Anything that goes on the stereo that isn’t at once familiar and sing along friendly is going to get a bad rap.
Instead listen to this album in a safe place where you’re comfortable and able to hear all the intricate melodies and rapid fire lyrics which fill The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter from beginning to end. Whether he’s idolizing his mythical love interest or talking about falling in love in a missile silo you’ll love every second of this indie rock folk treasure.
mp3 : Josh Ritter - The Temptation of Adam
mp3 : Josh Ritter - Wildfires
The Temptation of Adam is the aforementioned track that details falling in love in a missile silo. It’s a beautiful narrative and it rests comfortably as track four on the album. Wildfires hails from a bonus disc for The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter and it comes off sounding a bit like a b side {which it is} and a bit like a lost gem that only needs a little polish to make it on side one.
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