The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Encyclopedia
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is the fifth full-length album by American
singer-songwriter
Josh Ritter
. It was released in the U.S. on August 21, 2007, in Ireland on September 7, 2007 through Independent Records, and released in the rest of Europe on October 1, 2007 by V2 Records
. By July 26, 2007, the album had leaked onto P2P
file-sharing websites.
The record was recorded in a Maine
farmhouse dating to the 18th century. According to Ritter: "Lyrically, musically, and in terms of production, it's the most adventurous record I've made yet and I think when you hear it you're going to be surprised. Seriously, repeatedly, and in a good way."
format only. The singles were released as one-track promo-only CD singles as well.
opening track, "To the Dogs or Whoever," contains a number of historical references, many of them to traditional American cultural and mythological figures:
The second verse of the song "Empty Hearts":
references the title of the first track on the CD, which could be read as the friends' singing that first song or singing for a canine audience. The title of the first track on the CD is never mentioned in that song's lyrics, but Ritter self-referentially uses it in the lyrics of "Empty Hearts," suggesting that the songs on the CD may have an interrelated design.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
. It was released in the U.S. on August 21, 2007, in Ireland on September 7, 2007 through Independent Records, and released in the rest of Europe on October 1, 2007 by V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
. By July 26, 2007, the album had leaked onto P2P
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
file-sharing websites.
The record was recorded in a Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
farmhouse dating to the 18th century. According to Ritter: "Lyrically, musically, and in terms of production, it's the most adventurous record I've made yet and I think when you hear it you're going to be surprised. Seriously, repeatedly, and in a good way."
Track listing
All songs written by Josh Ritter. The strings were written and arranged by Sam Kassirer, the horns by Sam Kassirer and Zack Hickman.- "To the Dogs or Whoever" — 3:02
- "Mind's Eye" — 2:53
- "Right Moves" — 3:44
- "The Temptation of Adam" — 4:12
- "Open Doors" — 2:35
- "Rumors" — 3:31
- "Edge of the World" — 1:41
- "Wait for Love" — 3:46
- "Real Long Distance" — 2:42
- "Next to the Last Romantic" — 2:49
- "Moons" — 0:51
- "Still Beating" — 3:49
- "Empty Hearts" — 4:40
- "Wait for Love (You Know You Will)" — 2:37
Bonus EP
Initial copies of the album included a limited-edition bonus EP CD containing "four little tracks - interesting 'bits and pieces' - from the recording sessions." The track listing for the EP is as follows:- "Wildfires" — 4:48
- "Spot in my Heart" — 0:37
- "Naked as a Window" — 1:29
- "Labelship Down" — 0:54
Singles
Three singles were released from the album, in digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
format only. The singles were released as one-track promo-only CD singles as well.
- "Mind's Eye" (October 15, 2007)
- "Right Moves" (December 17, 2007)
- "Empty Hearts" (March 31, 2008)
- "Empty Hearts" - 4:40
- "Empty Hearts" (Engine Room Acoustic) - 3:57
Thematic elements
The lyrics of the album's DylanesqueBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
opening track, "To the Dogs or Whoever," contains a number of historical references, many of them to traditional American cultural and mythological figures:
- Florence NightingaleFlorence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
- Calamity JaneCalamity JaneMartha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
- Joan of ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
- Casey JonesCasey JonesJohn Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
- Casey at the BatCasey at the Bat"Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" is a baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. First published in The San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888, it was later popularized by DeWolf Hopper in many vaudeville performances.The poem was originally published...
- General George Armstrong Custer
The second verse of the song "Empty Hearts":
references the title of the first track on the CD, which could be read as the friends' singing that first song or singing for a canine audience. The title of the first track on the CD is never mentioned in that song's lyrics, but Ritter self-referentially uses it in the lyrics of "Empty Hearts," suggesting that the songs on the CD may have an interrelated design.
Personnel
- Josh Ritter — vocals and guitars
- Zack Hickman — double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, baritone guitarBaritone guitarThe baritone guitar is a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. It first appeared in the classical music realm...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Liam Hurley — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Sam Kassirer — electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organsOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, guitar, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, percussion