Magic Ship

Submitted by nonesuch on
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Mountain Man's Nonesuch debut album, Magic Ship—a reflection on the joys, follies, and oddities of existence—is the band's second album. The songs on Magic Ship distill eight years of experience since their 2010 debut album, Made the Harbor, of sights seen, pleasures had, feelings hurt, forgiveness extended. The New York Times describes them as "intimate, close-harmony songs that tap into an ageless essence of traditional ballads and lullabies as they contemplate companionship, family, love and death." "Mountain Man share that rare, innate gift of almost supernatural harmonizing," says NPR. "Hauntingly beautiful." Bundle options include an exclusive Magic Ship tote bag.

Description

The acclaimed trio Mountain Man's first album in eight years, Magic Ship, was released on September 21, 2018, via Nonesuch Records (via Bella Union in Europe). The record, their first for Nonesuch, includes eleven original songs written by the trio—Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Molly Sarlé—as well as interpretations of Ted Lucas' "Baby Where You Are," Michael Hurley's "Blue Mountain," and the traditional hymn "Bright Morning Stars." 

Bundle options include an exclusive tote bag.

Pitchfork said Mountain Man's beloved 2010 debut, Made the Harbor, "feels like a private performance of friends only out to please themselves. But if you promise to sit quietly and listen, you're more than welcome to stay." The trio had formed shortly before its release, during their Vermont college years. "We all have this secret access to each other's feelings, whether or not we're singing. That is what creates the alchemy when we are singing together," says Sarlé.

The three musicians went in different directions after the Made the Harbor tour: Meath moved to Durham, North Carolina and eventually started Sylvan Esso. Sarlé headed for a Zen center in California. Sauser-Monnig first moved to Minnesota, then to a farm in North Carolina. They eventually all ended up in North Carolina, spending time together as old friends.

They reunited as a band last summer at the Eaux Claires music festival, on a tiny, cabin-like stage tucked into a forest, in front of an unusually large audience hanging on every note. Meath says, "When the first Eaux Claires happened, I realized it was the perfect place for Mountain Man to play, if Mountain Man was ever going to play again. Cute boys stood in stinging nettles to hear us. So many people cried. And it felt really good, just like it always did."

Mountain Man reconvened a few months later at Meath's home studio in Durham to begin what would become Magic Ship. Sauser-Monnig explains, "We all got together at Molly's house in the wintertime, on one of the snowy days that rarely happen in North Carolina. We built a fire in the wood stove and shared a handful of songs that felt like they could be right for Mountain Man. It happened really naturally, and all of those songs ended up being on the record."

"It feels amazing when we sing together, and we wanted to see if that was enough to carry a whole record. Could we just sing these songs and record them and make an album? Once we played these songs for each other, we knew the record was going to be great," agrees Sarlé.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Amelia Meath, Molly Sarlé, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Nick Sanborn
Engineered and mixed by Nick Sanborn
Mastered by Zach Hanson

Art Direction by Martin Anderson
Photography by Shervin Lainez
Design and Layout by Timothy Reavis

Nonesuch Selection Number

571939

FormatRestrictions

This album is available from Nonesuch in the world outside of Europe. In Europe, visit Bella Union.

ns_album_releasedate
Album Status
Artist Name
Mountain Man
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Amelia Meath, vocals
Molly Sarlé, vocals, guitar
Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, vocals, guitar

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
LP+MP3
Price
17.00
UPC
075597928853
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597928846
Label
LP+MP3+Tote
UPC
075597927986
Label
CD+MP3+Tote
UPC
075597927955
Label
Tote Bag
UPC
090317352510
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597928914
Label
FLAC
Price
10.00
UPC
075597928860
Label
88/24 HD FLAC
Price
11.00
UPC
075597928891
  • 571939

News & Reviews

  • Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and the members of Mountain Man—Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Molly Sarlé—talk with each other on the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast. "Somehow as if by magic," Talkhouse Executive Editor Josh Modell says of Mountain Man in his introduction, "their voices perfectly intertwined." You can hear the conversation here.

  • Mountain Man has released Mountain Man Sings Fiona Apple, featuring its version of “Hot Knife,” from Apple’s 2012 album, The Idler Wheel..., the latest release in the trio's series of cover singles. "If we followed Questlove's advice and made gratitude lists before we went to bed every night," the trio says, "Fiona Apple would be at the top every time. She tells the truth like no one else does. Thank you, Fiona Apple. We love you." Glide described a 2018 Mountain Man performance of the song as “three voices colliding and weaving like a sensual fever dream.”

  • About This Album

    The acclaimed trio Mountain Man's first album in eight years, Magic Ship, was released on September 21, 2018, via Nonesuch Records (via Bella Union in Europe). The record, their first for Nonesuch, includes eleven original songs written by the trio—Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Molly Sarlé—as well as interpretations of Ted Lucas' "Baby Where You Are," Michael Hurley's "Blue Mountain," and the traditional hymn "Bright Morning Stars." 

    Bundle options include an exclusive tote bag.

    Pitchfork said Mountain Man's beloved 2010 debut, Made the Harbor, "feels like a private performance of friends only out to please themselves. But if you promise to sit quietly and listen, you're more than welcome to stay." The trio had formed shortly before its release, during their Vermont college years. "We all have this secret access to each other's feelings, whether or not we're singing. That is what creates the alchemy when we are singing together," says Sarlé.

    The three musicians went in different directions after the Made the Harbor tour: Meath moved to Durham, North Carolina and eventually started Sylvan Esso. Sarlé headed for a Zen center in California. Sauser-Monnig first moved to Minnesota, then to a farm in North Carolina. They eventually all ended up in North Carolina, spending time together as old friends.

    They reunited as a band last summer at the Eaux Claires music festival, on a tiny, cabin-like stage tucked into a forest, in front of an unusually large audience hanging on every note. Meath says, "When the first Eaux Claires happened, I realized it was the perfect place for Mountain Man to play, if Mountain Man was ever going to play again. Cute boys stood in stinging nettles to hear us. So many people cried. And it felt really good, just like it always did."

    Mountain Man reconvened a few months later at Meath's home studio in Durham to begin what would become Magic Ship. Sauser-Monnig explains, "We all got together at Molly's house in the wintertime, on one of the snowy days that rarely happen in North Carolina. We built a fire in the wood stove and shared a handful of songs that felt like they could be right for Mountain Man. It happened really naturally, and all of those songs ended up being on the record."

    "It feels amazing when we sing together, and we wanted to see if that was enough to carry a whole record. Could we just sing these songs and record them and make an album? Once we played these songs for each other, we knew the record was going to be great," agrees Sarlé.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Amelia Meath, vocals
    Molly Sarlé, vocals, guitar
    Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, vocals, guitar

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Amelia Meath, Molly Sarlé, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Nick Sanborn
    Engineered and mixed by Nick Sanborn
    Mastered by Zach Hanson

    Art Direction by Martin Anderson
    Photography by Shervin Lainez
    Design and Layout by Timothy Reavis

  • Format Availability

    This album is available from Nonesuch in the world outside of Europe. In Europe, visit Bella Union.