Punch Brothers celebrate the release of their new album, Who's Feeling Young Now?, with a performance of "New York City" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. Paste calls it "phenomenal." On this, their "unquestionably finest" album yet, "the multi-talented quintet wisely continue doing what they do best: crafting off-kilter, classically-tinged pop songs that sound like absolutely no other band on the planet ... [E]very track is a small wonder of some sort," says Paste. "They may have just crafted a masterpiece of their own." The Wrap and Reuters call it "terrific." Rolling Stone says: “The acoustic framework dazzles—wild virtuosity used for more than just virtuosity.”
Punch Brothers' new album, Who's Feeling Young Now?, was released yesterday on Nonesuch Records. The band is celebrating tonight with a performance of the album track "New York City" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Tune in tonight on NBC at 11:35 PM ET. The band launches their North American tour in North Carolina this weekend and will return to Bonnaroo this June.
Paste magazine gives Who's Feeling Young Now? a "phenomenal" 9 out of 10, with reviewer Ryan Reed explaining that on this, their "unquestionably finest" album yet, "the multi-talented quintet wisely continue doing what they do best: crafting off-kilter, classically-tinged pop songs that sound like absolutely no other band on the planet."
One could imagine that bringing five such virtuosic musicians together might pose a challenge to cohesion, but not so here. "Though every individual member clearly has the ability to rip into a tasty, long-winded solo at any given moment, Punch Brothers consistently choose the higher path," says Reed. "That these guys are so easily able to marry such progressive-minded touches into pop contexts is a feat worthy of reverence."
On Who's Feeling Young Now?, "every track is a small wonder of some sort," Reed concludes. "They may have just crafted a masterpiece of their own."
Read the complete review at pastemagazine.com.
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In a review of Who's Feeling Young Now? from The Wrap published by Reuters, Chris Willman calls it "terrific," finding that "the band continues to rock in a big way" on the new album, starting with “'Movement and Location,' a driving opener you'd swear was a cover of a long-lost Arcade Fire obscurity if the credits didn’t tell you better."
Rock though they do, Punch Brothers, of course, move beyond the confines of any genre. "Most of the time," Willman notes, "they’re arriving at a hybrid that’s altogether inexplicable, abandoning neither their bluegrass nor singer/songwriter origins, but embedding rootsy-pop hooks in roller-coaster arrangements so original and complicated that there’s nothing to do but scratch your scrambled head and buy a ticket to ride again."
After lauding the rare combination of songwriting skill and "master-class fingerpicking" as nothing short of a "godsend," Willman concludes: "The most remarkable thing about Who’s Feeling Young Now? is how this drumless combo seem to be using their vintage gear to create a fresh genre, not piece together borrowed retro idioms."
Read the complete review at reuters.com.
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“The acoustic framework dazzles," says Rolling Stone's Will Hermes, "wild virtuosity used for more than just virtuosity.” Read that review at rollingstone.com.
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