Mortal City by Dar Williams - DeepRiffs

ALBUM

On the first track of her second album, Dar Williams makes clear her intention to break out of the acoustic singer/songwriter ghetto: "As Cool As I Am" is full-out rock & roll with funky drums and a chorus built on massed choo-choo harmonicas. She doesn't stay in rock mode for long, but the more aggressive approach continues to inform her sound even when she retreats into a more typical acoustic setting. It's interesting to note that as her music gets more consistent, so do her lyrics. Over a spare guitar-and-cello accompaniment, she muses on the various ways that February can symbolize stages in a relationship ("And when we got home, we just started chopping wood/Because you never know how next year will be"). Elsewhere she finds her boyfriend "in the arms of a Student Against the Treacherous Use of Fur" and wishes she hadn't called a certain friend to help her move out. Funny? Oh, yes -- "The Christians and the Pagans" is hysterical, and so is "The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed" (believe it or not). And it's the humor gone before that makes a song as naked as "Family" or as conceptually risky as "This Was Pompeii" come across not just well, but with enormous power. The really exciting thing is that her next album is even better.
© Rick Anderson /TiVo

1. As Cool As I Am

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

2. February

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

3. Iowa

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

4. The Christians And The Pagans

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

5. This Was Pompeii

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

6. The Ocean

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

7. Family

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Pierce Pettis; Composer
Lyricist: Pierce Pettis; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Pierce Pettis; Other

8. The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis Of A Co-Ed

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

9. The Blessings

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

10. Southern California Wants To Be Western New York

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

11. Mortal City

by Dar Williams

Primary Artist: Dar Williams; Main Performer
Composer: Dar Williams; Composer
Lyricist: Dar Williams; Composer
Composer Lyricist: Dar Williams; Other

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

11 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

46 minutes and 11 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 1423x1423 px

Booklet

Not available

Max Quality

CD Quality (Lossless)

16bit / 44.1 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

All tracks have lyrics

Synchronized Lyrics

9/11 tracks have synced lyrics

Genres

Country, Rock, Singer & Songwriter, Alternative Folk, Adult Alternative, Contemporary Singer, Songwriter, Singer-Songwriter

Label

Universal Music Group International

Music Distribution Service

UMG Global

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Jan 22, 1996

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

601143109928