Demos
Wednesday May 19, 2004 – 1:20 pm
Edith Frost: DEMOS
2004 Comfort Stand # csr027 lp
Internet-only, and FREE to download and share
Demo versions of previously released material plus a few surprises.
Tune in, download and enjoy!
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Reviews: Mundane Sounds • Pitchfork
Tracks:
01 Who
02 Cars and Parties
03 Temporary Loan
04 On Hold
05 One-Chord Complaint
06 Dreamers
07 Walk on the Fire
08 Pony Song
09 Wonder Wonder
10 I Get the Craziest Feeling* (Floyd Tillman)
11 Look What Thoughts Will Do* (Lefty Frizzell)
* With Ryan Hembrey, Jim Becker and Jim White
All songs written and (c) by Edith Frost / (p) Marfa Music (BMI) except where indicated
Artwork by Davina Pallone
I also have some extra blatherings I did for this, that I didn’t bother including on the Comfort Stand page, only because Rian Murphy’s intro seemed to say everything that was really necessary. But I don’t suppose it would hurt to put them here.
Tracks 1-9 were written and recorded at home in Brooklyn and Chicago between 1996 and 2000. I sang, played guitar (a blue Stratocaster and a red Washburn acoustic), and added a bit of keyboards here and there using a Farfisa, a Roland SH-101 and a cheap Casio. The sound effects on track 7 are from the Willard Grant Conspiracy album 3am Sunday @ Fortune Otto’s.
Studio versions of these songs can be found on my albums Calling Over Time (1997), Telescopic (1998) and Wonder Wonder (2001), plus the Drag City Supersession album Tramps, Traitors and Little Devils (2001). All are available through Drag City.
Tracks 10 and 11 don’t appear on any of my albums. I recorded them in various apartments in Chicago around 2002, with the help of Ryan Hembrey on bass and piano (he of the bands Manishevitz, Central Falls, Boxhead Ensemble and Pinetop Seven), plus Jim Becker of Califone on guitar, dobro and violin, and Jim White of the Dirty Three on drums.
NOTE to press & radio people: Yes, I’d be delighted if you’d like to review this release in your publication, or play these songs on your radio show. But no, I won’t send you a physical CD, and neither will Comfort Stand or Drag City. The release is being given away for free; there is no budget for promotional copies.
May 19th, 2004 at 5:16 pm
Edith, thank you thank you thank you! Your generosity is highly appreciated.
May 19th, 2004 at 6:24 pm
Edith, it’s great to hear this stuff – I’d have gladly paid full price! I hope you’ll come out with a Demos II someday; I love the lonesome, raw sound of these tracks.
May 19th, 2004 at 9:07 pm
Anyone else having trouble with the download links? I took a look around the site, and it looks like they screwed up the links! The download URLs looks like this:
http://www.archive.org/download/027/….
when I believe they SHOULD be this:
http://www.archive.org/download/csr027/….
Edith, you might wish to alert whoever’s posting the Comfort Stand stuff to check the links out.
May 19th, 2004 at 9:20 pm
Wow, thanks Jim, that’s really weird. Some people got it earlier, now it’s different, so I dunno what happened there.
May 19th, 2004 at 9:52 pm
FYI y’all, the links are correct over here.
May 19th, 2004 at 10:02 pm
That link fixes my little download problem as well. Just got my second song dl’d, so I will probably have more to say a bit later.
M
May 19th, 2004 at 11:23 pm
The links have been fixed, hooray! I really like these songs. And the artwork is beautiful. Congratulations, Edith!
May 19th, 2004 at 11:32 pm
Yay!!! I was hoping you’d like it, as I really want to impress you, and people of your ilk with my sheer raw talent and natural beauty. tee hee
May 20th, 2004 at 12:02 am
Great music. First heard you on Soma FM’s Indie Pop Rocks, then looked up the most obvious website. And boy , oh boy, was I estatic to find a blog here too.
May 20th, 2004 at 12:05 am
Just burned it to a cd for easier listening. :)
M
May 20th, 2004 at 1:58 am
I love the new music.
(Private inquiry deleted by edith, who responded privately, for she is a private woman who demands privacy.)
May 20th, 2004 at 2:47 am
Tonya, do not look at the blog, avert your eyes!! It’s all fucked up ‘cuz I just moved to a new system and it’s blowing my mind so much that I keep playing with it instead of actually fixing anything. And it’s gonna get worse before it gets better since I’m about to move to a new server. I’m just ashamed in the company of other bloggers, especially those who have very pretty and cool websites like yours.
May 20th, 2004 at 10:17 am
These are so haunting and beautiful – Thanks so much Edith!
May 20th, 2004 at 5:07 pm
I know I’ve said it before here. Love your sound. I would have lowered the guitar just a tad in the mix of On Hold. You are SO origional.
Back to Lurk Mode.
May 20th, 2004 at 5:32 pm
It’s all pretty spooky.
I was in the local record store today, browsing for something under F, and was reminded I hadn’t listened to Edith for a while (I have way too many CDs, see). So I get home, put on Telescopic, and check out your .com to see what’s new. And WHAT’S NEW?? Beautiful, new/old stuff and free for the clicking what’s more. I love it. Thanks Edith. Come down under some time, whydontcha? We’re a nice bunch.
May 20th, 2004 at 6:55 pm
Edith,
I have downloaded your music onto a cd. Perfect timing for a 6 hour road trip this weekend! Can I send you some compensation?
I heard from a friend that you toured with daniel smith a while back…is he as intimidating as I’ve made him out to be?
If you’re ever in the midlands (indianapolis), let me be your hotel?
May 20th, 2004 at 7:15 pm
Brucie: not to get all defensive but I mixed these demos myself, without a mixer, ‘cuz I don’t have one. Went directly from the recorder into a cd-burner and just had to eyeball the levels. Comfort Stand tried to help with post-processing but there’s only so much you can do and still keep it real. Now every time I hear “On Hold” I’ll always remember that somebody told me the guitar’s too loud. Not that I sit around listening to myself very much, but the next time I hear it, you can bet I’ll remember that, and it’ll bug the hell out of me. Argh.
Oh well, there are a whole lot more things than that to criticize about this collection, because they’re demos, not definitive versions. That’s why we redid ‘em! You can hear me coughing and snorting and smacking my lips, dogs barking, modem noise, thunder and rain, buses, trains, I just kept on going unless the phone rang. Lotta crappy guitar work in there too. Did it all myself! So, now you know why I like to work with other people instead of being a solo recording artist.
May 20th, 2004 at 9:53 pm
i’ve listened this afternoon for the first time,
sitting on the waterfront, with swans surrounding me and ducks quacking.
it’s great to discover these naked, serene versions; it reminds me of the blissed atmosphere of the Evangeline record with its 4 blood-curdling tracks.
the artwork is quit impressive as well. credits to davina palone and hooray for edith :)
May 20th, 2004 at 11:23 pm
Tonya: Daniel Smith is the nicest guy on earth!! He doesn’t even look at you funny if you have a pottymouth like me. I mean, goddammit, I can’t help it.
May 20th, 2004 at 11:58 pm
Not a great day to move my office… I haven’t been able to download them yet, even though I posted a link on my blog. As soon as I get home, this one will be singing from my speakers.
May 21st, 2004 at 2:02 am
Thanks Edith, really appreciate you sharing your music this way. Can I review it for a publication here in the UK?
May 21st, 2004 at 2:07 am
Sure why not? press at drag city dot com would love a copy I’m sure.
May 21st, 2004 at 3:40 am
edith,
t’es a meilleure! just come home from the pop-in (where you’re very highly rated btw) and am listening to your beautiful demos – f-ing amazing – they’re even better than the studio versions (which i’m not putting down.) thanks, thanks and thanks again. when are you coming to france?
bisous,
alex
xxx
May 21st, 2004 at 3:46 am
listening now. lovely. thank you.
May 21st, 2004 at 3:58 am
Hello, I was wondering if any of you could recommend a musician who’s life might make an interesting comic? A friend of mine is publishing a comic anothology of bios/story of musician’s lives, and I am going to draw a story in it. I can’t decide,I was looking for a country musician originally, but I am open to any suggestion.
-thank you,
K.Lolley
May 21st, 2004 at 9:34 am
Thank you Edith for making these demos available – they are beautiful…I really enjoy hearing the roots (embryo?) of songs and the CD I will make of yours is sure to be played often.
May 24th, 2004 at 6:57 pm
is that a picture of a heavy bomber on the demos cover?
good stuff
May 24th, 2004 at 8:27 pm
HA HA… freak!!
May 25th, 2004 at 3:57 am
Thanks for making the demo’s available.
Its a nice ‘little’ extra for my ‘big’ Edith Frost collection.
May 28th, 2004 at 6:18 am
Those demos are awesome! I especially love the sounds in the background of some of them, like those fireworks! These recordings really stopped me in my tracks. Thank you!
July 16th, 2004 at 7:48 am
Hi Edith–
Sorry for comin’ to you in this public forum, but I wanted to let you know that I loved the Demos record–and I reviewed it for my website as well!
Great stuff. Though I’m not a big fan of filesharing at all, I think you’ve proven that such technology has wonderful benefits. Anyway, here’s the URL:
http://www.mundanesounds.com/record_review.php?id=939
cheers-
joseph kyle,
editor, mundane sounds
July 16th, 2004 at 7:58 am
Very nice, thanks!!
July 27th, 2004 at 3:53 pm
edith,
just wanted to write a note to let you know that i posted one of your songs on my mp3 blog (and have posted the link to download the entire cd too). have received a few exceptionally lovely comments both online and off about the post and about you in particular.
thought it might brighten your day.
http://www.monkeysars.net
rachel
July 27th, 2004 at 4:19 pm
Thanks Rachel! I hope other mp3-bloggers will also use these tracks instead of stuff from my albums… not because I think it would hurt me financially but rather I wouldn’t want them to risk the wrath of the RIAA on my account. Not that they *would* pick a puny little indie artist like me to fight for, but still… as long as posting copyrighted songs is illegal, and as long as the RIAA keeps acting like bastards, I will worry about mp3-bloggers like you and (formerly) me with my Mystery Songs thing.
January 18th, 2005 at 9:00 pm
Edith
Maybe you remember me? I went to school with you in Guadalajara. I saw your sister lucy on the American School Alumni site and thought of you. Your music career seems to be going well.
Hope you are happy! What the hell happened to you?
January 18th, 2005 at 11:45 pm
Hey Rick! ‘Course I remember you. Leftoverture, dude!!!
February 26th, 2005 at 2:44 pm
So, now you know why I like to work with other people instead of being a solo recording artist.
BAH! to that! Here’s another exclamation mark!
Your solo stuff is some of the best music out there. First got exposed to your stuff on SomaFM and was immediately hooked. Your demo stuff reminds me of a fairly more chipper female Elliott Smith. The imperfections only make the music more real. Post-production is nice, but too much polish kills the “soul” to the song.
These demos are just great stuff, I hope you work in the same way in the future. Hearing the pre- and post- versions of Wonder, Wonder was an absolute blast.
You’re a gem just waiting to be discovered by so many more.
March 2nd, 2005 at 12:45 am
I’m a friend of Xavier’s, and he’s the one who sent me some of your stuff. I have to agree with him–you’re definitely just waiting to be discovered. I love your music, and I think you’ve got a lot to offer.
Seriously, keep going with solo stuff. You’re damned good.
June 11th, 2005 at 7:08 am
i really like your demos, they have a more personal sound that feels familiar to that of elliot smith.. i guess it’s the harmonic vocals but it’s refreshing to hear.. thanks for the downloads, i’ll be sure to check you out later for more lo/fi work… were you using a four track recorder ? anyway i will recommend this to my friends.. cheerio, and again thanks graeme
November 7th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
thanks thanks thanks!!! i lost my wonder wonder album and i’m reliving it all now.
p.s. tell itunes to fucking get your albums up for sale there. it’s the only place i get music anymore.
thanks!
November 7th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
p.s. so excited to see that you’re on flickr!