Willard Grant Conspiracy Regard The End CD

Robert Fisher, the literate, somber, and compelling mouthpiece for Gothic Americana ensemble Willard Grant Conspiracy, sings and speaks in an elegant -- perhaps a bit fabricated -- drawl that calls to mind Junior Brown doing Leon Redbone impersonating Nick Cave on a Tindersticks tribute record. His conversational demeanor and snowy imagery are the driving force behind the 11 tales of loss and redemption that constitute the band's latest collection, the ominously titled Regard the End. Beginning with the traditional "River in the Pines," the group establishes the last log in the fireplace warmth that has fueled their previous outings, creating an alternate universe of sepia-toned dread like an Andrew Wyeth painting come to life. Vocals are layered like steps on an old staircase on the beautiful "Trials of Harrison Hayes," an emotional tale of regret that features the soulful harmonies of Jess Klein. "The Ghost of the Girl in the Well" is a definite highlight, lent added weight by string players Josh Hillman and David Michael Curry, who wrap their bows around Kristin Hersh's reedy voice, eventually giving way to Fisher's mournful crooning. "Soft Hand" begins with a drum loop that, strangely enough, resembles the intro to Hall and Oates' "I Can't Go for That," before evolving into one of the record's lighter moments, with Fisher telling an upset significant other "There, I made you smile." Willard Grant Conspiracy are a chamber group. Like an ambitious version of the Scud Mountain Boys, they manage to appear out of nowhere in your living room, play an intimate set, and invoke every ghost from a 20-mile radius through your front door before leaving as quickly as they came. Regard the End may not be the opus they're bound to create, but it's their closest yet. ~ James Christopher Monger

Willard Grant Conspiracy, the band fronted by Robert Fisher with as many as 31 rotating members throughout the world, has completed its fifth "official" full-length album, kicking off their relationship with Kimchee Records. Regard The End follows 2000's Everything's Fine and previous albums Mojave (1999), Flying Low (1998), and 3 am Sunday @ Fortune Otto's (1996) with several key differences. Fisher's songwriting has begun its transition into weighty subject matters such as death, hope and faith, as traditional songs meld with new Fisher compositions in such a way that it's impossible to discern which is which. "River In The Pines" from 1865 sits beside "Beyond The Shore," a new composition, and the two are strangely unified. Additionally, the new album marks the departure of guitarist Paul Austin as a full-time member, although he appears on the disc. It was mostly recorded in Slovenia, a place the band happened to be at the moment the album wanted to be born. Eighteen musicians were enlisted to play on Regard the End, among them Chris Eckmen of The Walkabouts as well as Kristen Hersh (Throwing Muses), Blake Hazard, and Jess Klein, all of whom contribute vocals on the new album. Using a varied palate of acoustic and electric instruments including viola, trumpet, wheezing pump organs, grand pianos, violin, and acoustic and electric guitars, the record unfolds itself to the listener in layers. Its songs of universal emotions are told with a mixture of personal experience and enough storytelling to allow the listener to inhabit them with his or her own experience."In a way, the album is a meditation on morality," Fisher says. "The theme is a classic in all art--how you relate to your death is how you define your life. Most of the songs are about grief and loss and coming to terms. It's not a blues record but it has cathartic effects. I write the songs and the band makes them breathe and live. And then the audience brings their own experience to bear in the songs. It doesn't matter whether we play them in Sweden, Germany or Texas-- people seem to find commonality."Upon its European release Uncut magazine named Regard the End its "Album of the Month"Rolling Stone (3/4/04, p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[Fisher] sings in a deep drawl that splits the difference between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave..."
Entertainment Weekly (2/20/04, p.67) - "[I]t's historically rooted music fired by present-tense passion." - Rating: B+
Uncut (01/04, pp.84-7) - Ranked #4 in Uncut's "Albums Of The Year 2003" - "Uplifting and revelatory."