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Waxed - Record Review from Issue #74 March-April 2008

Mars Arizona

Hello Cruel World (Big Barn)

By Greg Yost Author’s blog »

According to the title of Mars Arizona’s latest release, the current state of affairs in the world is looking rather bleak. Though the album is filled with songs of struggle and sadness, Hello Cruel World is a bright spot on the Americana landscape. The San Francisco-based singer-songwriter duo of Paul Knowles and Nicole Storto manages to find the proverbial silver lining of good music while also conveying an overall sense of global disillusionment. The album’s tasteful musical arrangements and spot-on harmony vocals are complemented by guest appearances from Al Perkins on pedal steel and David Grisman on mandolin. Along with thought-provoking original compositions, the duo also impresses by putting its own unique spin on songs from a broad range of artists including Neil Young (”Time Fades Away”) and T. Rex (”By The Light Of A Magical Moon”).

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Originally Featured in Issue #74 March-April 2008

Cover of Issue #74 March-April 2008

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More articles from this issue:

  • Blue Highway

    Blue Highway - At the mercy of the song • In Blue Highways, William Least Heat-Moon's classic road chronicle, the author "took to the open road in search of places where change did not mean ruin and where time and men and…

  • Daniel Lanois

    Daniel Lanois - Who are you? • "I like records. I don't like technology. What's your record? What are you singing about? What's in your heart? What's on the horizon? All of that is fascinating to me." --Dani…

  • Grand Archives

    Grand Archives - A horse with another name • For Mat Brooke, Grand Archives presented a second chance not afforded many musicians: To grow up. "There's probably a natural progression of things that come with age," he says…

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