EL VY — Return to the Moon (October  30th, 2015)

         ^{EL VY — Return to the Moon (October  30th, 2015)}  Birth name: Matthew Donald Berninger
Born: February 13, 1971, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Album release: October 30, 2015
Record Label: 4AD
Duration:     41:45
Tracks:
01. Return To The Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo)  4:13
02. I’m The Man To Be     4:34
03. Paul Is Alive     3:31
04. Need A Friend     3:21
05. Silent Ivy Hotel     4:11
06. No Time To Crank The Sun     5:13
07. It’s A Game     4:05
08. Sleepin’ Light (feat. Ural Thomas)     3:43
09. Sad Case     3:30
10. Happiness, Missouri     2:02
11. Careless     3:22  
Personnel:
•   Matt Berninger
•   Brent Knopf•   EL VY (pronounced like a plural of Elvis; rhymes with ‘hell pie’) is the musical collaboration between Matt Berninger, vocalist and lyricist of The National, and Brent Knopf, the Portland musician and producer best known for his work in Menomena and his more recent band, Ramona Falls. Their debut album Return To The Moon will be released on October 30th via 4AD. The album is a project Berninger and Knopf have been thinking about for years. Their friendship spans nearly a decade, starting back when the National and Menomena played small half–empty clubs along America’s west coast. Feeling an immediate musical kinship, the pair kept in touch, Brent sending Matt occasional rough sketches of music and Matt responding with melodies and lyrics. Finally, in the winter and spring of 2014–15, they actually got together to make an album.REVIEW
Finbarr Bermingham | 07 Oct 2015 | Score: ****
•   Members of the National and Menomena combine on a record that strikes a happy medium between the two
•   On the artwork for Return to the Moon, the first release from the collaborative vehicle of Matt Berninger of the National and Brent Knopf of Menomena and Ramona Falls, the former has eschewed his trademark solemn rags, the waistcoat being ditched in favour of a white shirt and trouser combo. It’s subtle, but telling: this album is more playful and less grand than the towering quatrains Berninger’s been indulging in on the day shift since 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers.
•   The bouncy title track sets the tone for a chic, intelligent listen. Knopf’s projects have always been more experimental than Berninger’s, and the combination frequently ends up in the goldilocks zone, finding happy mediums on the rollicking Happiness, Missouri; the beautiful No Time to Crank the Sun and the funky I’m the Man to Be. Melodious and inventive, layered but not overly ornate: EL VY’s debut is too fully–formed to be dismissed as a side project. • http://www.theskinny.co.uk/
Website: http://www.elvy.co/
Website: http://americanmary.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/el__vy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELVYclub/
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EL VY — Return to the Moon (October  30th, 2015)

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