Musical pals Christian Kiefer, Matthew Gerken, and Jefferson Pitcher began writing songs about U.S. presidents in 2007 as part of a musical contest. They found that to be so much fun that they decided to be completists about it and write a song for every one of our 43 presidents. And they pulled together a slew of other notable musicians to help them out. Singing about the likes of Martin Van Buren, James Garfield, Richard Nixon and the rest are big names including Bill Callahan, Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Marla Hansen, Mark Kozelek, Alan Sparhawk of Low, and Rosie Thomas. There's full band fun as well from acts like Califone and Radar Bros. A digital download of a song about our 44th president will be made available once we know who that will be.
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Label: http://www.standardrecording.com
Of Great and Mortal Men
43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies
Release Date: September 9, 2008
Label: Standard Recording
Label: Standard Recording
Table of Contents
Some artistic achievements are so audacious that they belie criticism. Of Great and Mortal Men (43 Songs for 43 U.S. Presidencies), a three-album collection conceived by J. Matthew Gerken, Christian Kiefer and Jefferson Pitcher and performed by a host of artists, falls squarely into the category of unassailable artistic achievement. The three songwriters use the mode of indie-pop song to create a new epic in the tradition of John Brown’s Body or the U.S.A. trilogy.
After comparing a work to the great literary epics of the United States, it seems like scant praise to say that it’s also a compelling listening experience. Whereas Gerken, Pitcher and Kiefer could have been given a pass on a couple of weak tunes given the scope of the project, the songs on Of Great and Mortal Men give a unique portrait of each president yet fit together to form a whole: Of Great and Mortal Men plays more like an opera than a collection of forty-three pieces.
The song for Ronald Reagan, which features atmospheric instrumentation by Califone, offers a sympathetic depiction of his final days, thinking that his presidency was merely a “marvelous dream.” Bill Clinton receives similar treatment on “The Mighty Lion Will Not Roar Again,” which laments the unfulfilled potential of his presidency. Though most of these high points come with recent or well-known presidents, each man receives his moment. Ulysses S. Grant is given a prescient view of the United States in “Helicopters Above Oakland,” and James Madison laments the wrongs done to him on “Zinger.”
Of Great and Mortal Men is filled with these intimate and inventive glimpses of public figures, which indicate the amount of research that Gerken, Kiefer and Pitcher put in to write these songs. This collection is not only a work of historical interest during a year when the presidency will change hands, but it's also one of true artistic merit that shows the significant talent of the songwriters and musicians involved.
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Album: http://ofgreatandmortalmen.wordpress.com
Label: http://www.standardrecording.com
- September 10, 2008
Disc 1
| 1 | Washington Dreams of the Hippopotamus | |
| 2 | Armed with Only Wit and the Vigor of the U.S. Navy | |
| 3 | Mouldboard of Least Resistance | |
| 4 | Zinger | |
| 5 | Last Cocked Hat - Marla Hansen, Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher | |
| 6 | Death in the Speaker's Room | |
| 7 | Benevolence - Califone, , Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher | |
| 8 | Little Magician - Tom Brosseau, , Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher | |
| 9 | So You Don't Have To | |
| 10 | In Hindsight | |
| 11 | Other Is Better/The Landscape to Transform - Monahans | |
| 12 | Rough and Ready | |
| 13 | Proof Is in the Pudding | |
| 14 | My Only Enemy Is Myself - Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher, Stephen Yerkey |
Disc 2
| 1 | God Will Strike You Down - Christian Kiefer, , Jefferson Pitcher | |
| 2 | Malice, Charity, And the Oath of God - Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher, | |
| 3 | Was Ever Alone? | |
| 4 | Helicopters Above Oakland | |
| 5 | Beard of God | |
| 6 | Seven Months | |
| 7 | Epitome of Dignity | |
| 8 | Bees and Honey | |
| 9 | Kid Gloves Hands Surplus to Big Sugar | |
| 10 | Rubbermouth | |
| 11 | Czolgosz's Dream - Christian Kiefer, Magnolia Summer, Jefferson Pitcher | |
| 12 | Sherman Act Does Not Care | |
| 13 | There Was No Longer Use to Hide the Fact That It Was Gout | |
| 14 | Life Among Men - Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher, Jamie Stewart |
Disc 3
| 1 | Army of Pompous Phrases | |
| 2 | On Silence | |
| 3 | Woe Is a Spoon-Shaped Heart | |
| 4 | Illuminating the Bright Lines | |
| 5 | Suits and Fine Trousers vs. Hiroshima - Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher, Denison Witmer | |
| 6 | When Ike Walked the Land - Christian Kiefer, Mark Kozelek, Jefferson Pitcher, Alan Sparhawk | |
| 7 | There Is No Plan | |
| 8 | Ladybird Take Me Home | |
| 9 | 2 Under Par off the Coast of Africa | |
| 10 | Now You See It, Now You Don't See It | |
| 11 | Great Beam of Light - Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pitcher, Rosie Thomas | |
| 12 | Such a Marvelous Dream - Califone | |
| 13 | It Was Foreshadowed Here (The Beginning of the End) | |
| 14 | Mighty Lion Will Not Roar Again | |
| 15 | Through the Night |
