What the Toll Tells is the second album recorded by Two Gallants

Two Gallants (band)

Two Gallants is a folk rock duo from San Francisco, California. The name comes from the title of a story by James Joyce in Dubliners.-History:Two Gallants are made up of Adam Stephens on guitar, harmonica and vocals and Tyson Vogel Two Gallants is a folk rock duo from San Francisco, California....

 released in February 2006 (see 2006 in music

2006 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....

). It was recorded at Tiny Telephone Studios, San Francisco in during July 2005.

This album is the 91st release of Saddle Creek Records

Saddle Creek Records

Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...

.

Critical response

What the Toll Tells received generally favorable reviews from music critics around the country. The album received a high score of 71 on metacritic.com, a review-aggregation website.

Controversy

The song "Long Summer Day", a song based on the Moses Platt song, was criticised in multiple publications' reviews of the album, including in Prefix Magazine and Pitchfork Media. The song describes a black man

Black people

The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

 dealing with the oppression of a white

White people

White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...

 boss, and considering a possibly violent reaction. The use of the word "nigger

Nigger

Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...

" in particular drew fire, with reviews claiming the Two Gallants (both white) were "borrowing otherness" in writing the song. The Two Gallants gave a sarcastic reply on their website, claiming to be unaware that they aren't allowed to "write about our country's embarrassing past" and that they are required to write about "the trials of two pale skinned urbanites who have never known a day of struggle in their lives".

Track listing

1. "Las Cruces Jail
   Las Cruces Jail
   "Las Cruces Jail" is the first single from the album, What the Toll Tells by Two Gallants. It was a limited, 7" single. The album was the 90th release of Saddle Creek Records....
   
   " – 5:46
2. "Steady Rollin'
   Steady Rollin'
   "Steady Rollin" is an iTunes single released by the San Francisco band, Two Gallants, and was the first European 7" single from What the Toll Tells.This single is the 92nd release of Saddle Creek Records.-Track listing for and Compact disc:...
   
   " – 4:28
3. "Some Slender Rest" – 8:57
4. "Long Summer Day" – 4:54
5. "The Prodigal Son" – 3:13
6. "Threnody" – 9:34
7. "16th St. Dozens" – 5:15
8. "Age of Assassins" – 8:01
9. "Waves of Grain" – 9:34
10. "Big Lucille" (vinyl only)
11. "Negrophilia Blues" (vinyl only)

Credits

• Alberto Cuéllar - Trombone
  Trombone
  The 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...
  
  , Trumpet
  Trumpet
  The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
  
  
• Jackie Perez Gratz - Cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
  
• Alan Hynes - Design
• Chelsea Jackson (pseudonym of Adam Stephens) - Guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , Harmonica
  Harmonica
  The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
  
  , vocals
  Singing
  Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
  
  
• Dan Kasin - Management
• Scott Solter - Engineer, Mixing
• Doug VanSloun - Mastering
• Auggie Washington (pseudonym of Tyson Vogel) - drums
  Drum kit
  A 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 ....
  
  , Vocals