In every kind of media today, a glossy sheen has to be applied. This shimmering coat at once transforms the mundane into something foreign, and at the same time creates a safe distance from anything that might pierce through our own manufactured defenses.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pre-release copy of the new EP. What I love most about Great Elk‘s self-titled debut is the unfettered sound of a band making music without worrying about the artificial trappings. Paul Basile’s voice is undoubtedly raw and real. Patrick Hay has a gift for subtle, haunting guitar work. Together they’ve created a refreshingly authentic sound that has already brought them critical acclaim.

Get tickets now for the CD Release Party on June 24th at Mercury Lounge with Matt Singer and Chris Cubeta & the Liars Club.

About GREAT ELK

“Music for falling in love in snowy weather.” – The Deli

Great Elk’s music is both disturbing and comforting, like meeting someone for the first time and discovering they know everyone you’ve ever loved. Their sound is the result of years of collaboration between primary songwriter Paul Basile, a New York native, and guitarist Patrick Hay, a Virginia transplant. Basile’s visceral, world-weary vocals and the lonesome wails of Hay’s guitar coalesce into a sound that is sometimes soothing, sometimes clamorous, but always engaging.

The band’s self-titled, self-released debut EP, on sale June 22, 2010, at times recalls the sparse and haunting feel of Basile’s solo record, ‘Skeletons’ (2006), which was written and recorded during his 4-year stint as a sled-dog handler in rural Alaska. But on this set of recordings, joined by Hay and a top-notch rhythm section featuring Adam Christgau (Jenny Owen Youngs, Gregory and The Hawk) on percussion and Jon Estes (Rosewood Thieves) on bass, the songs trade some of their intimacy for lush and powerful arrangements. Basile’s gravelly vocals are driven to their natural edge and Great Elk is pushed away from its indie-folk roots into uncharted territory.

Recorded with Ian Love (Animal House Studios) and Bryan Trenis (Vacation Island Studios) in Brooklyn, and at a 190-year-old farmhouse in Vermont, mixed by Trenis and mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering in Boston, the EP will be supported by touring in select regional markets, including Washington, D.C., Boston and Philadelphia.

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