Should John Stirrat and Pat Sansone contemplate quitting their day jobs as bassist and multi-instrumentalist for Wilco, respectively, they ought to list their third side-project record as Autumn Defense at the top of their résumé. Three years after their charming sophomore effort Circles paid reverence to the '70s AM pop they adore, Stirrat and Sansone revisit the immaculate production of their previous work, but with greater cohesion and broader instrumentation, as the customary layers of acoustic and electric guitars are boosted with Revolver-like strings ("Estate Remains"), Memphis-soulful organ ("Feel You Now"), and woodwinds from the Nick Drake playbook ("Canyon Arrow"). Stirrat (whose underrated backing vocals are a Wilco treasure) carries the duo vocally, his discreet voice never sparring with Sansone's brilliant arrangements. But it's when the pair sing together--best emphasized on the power pop of "Winterlight" and the L.A. folk of "We Would Never Die"--that the Autumn Defense truly shine as a full-fledged band. --Scott Holter
Album Description
For their third album, self-titled "The Autumn Defense", Pat Sansone and John Stirratt took some time away from their duties as members of Wilco to write and record new material in Chicago. They recovened with their rhythm section of the last six years: drummer Greg Wieczorek and producer/ session man Brad Jones, along with other Autumn Defense regulars, pedal steel player John Pirruccello and horn player Steve Tyska. With string and flute performances that bring Sansone's light orchestral arrangements to life and which provide a truly organic feel to the recordings, "The Autumn Defense" is the culmination and continuation of what the band has reached for in the last two records, from Philly-soul to baroque to bossa-nova to the classic Southern California sound. A world of voices explored, and styles which are touched on and made their own.
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