Tom McRae | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Singer/songwriter Tom McRae credits his upbringing for leading him to a career in music. While growing up in Chelmsford, his parents were vicars in the Church of England and McRae sang in the choir. His mother played guitar and, as a teen, hed borrow it. When his sisters were listening to Kate Bush and U2, McRae followed and began buying records. He also started to become serious about music. At age 18, he went off to Guild Hall University to study music politics, soon forming bands and writing songs. A chance meeting with sound engineer Roger Bechirian (Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Carlene Carter) led him to a working relationship. He and Bechirian shaped McRaes soft-spoken sound, which later yanked him a deal with Mercurys db Records. Tom McRaes confessional self-titled debut appeared in fall 2001 and earned him comparisons to Nick Drake and Bob Dylan. Critics raved and McRae also a gained Mercury Music Prize nomination the same year. In 2003 Just Like Blood hit shelves and the next year McRae moved to California, where he recorded his third full-length, All Maps Welcome, an album that was released in 2005. Two years later King of Cards, recorded in England, came out, followed in 2010 by Alphabet of Hurricanes. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Live 2007 Released: Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:05:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Walking 2 Hawaii, La Cigale, Paris (05:35) 2 For The Restless, The Limelight, Belfast (04:07) 3 A & B Song, La Cigale, Paris (04:21) 4 Ghost Of A Shark, La Cigale, Paris (06:14) 5 End Of The World News (Dose Me Up), The Limelight, Belfast (09:46) 6 Got a Suitcase, Got Regrets, Folken, Stavanger (03:49) 7 One Mississippi, La Cigale, Paris (04:18) 8 On And On, La Laiterie, Strasbourg (04:30) 9 Deliver Me, Shepherds Bush Empire, London (03:57) 10 Only Thing I Know, Debaser, Stockholm (04:47) 11 Silent Boulevard, The Limelight, Belfast (06:05) 12 Boy With The Bubblegun, The Limelight, Belfast (07:32) |
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: Underneath the Arches Released: Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:11:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You Cut Her Hair (03:44) 2 For The Restless (04:10) 3 Got a Suitcase Got Regrets (03:42) 4 Karaoke Soul (06:22) 5 Walking 2 Hawaii (05:40) 6 All Thats Gone (07:49) 7 Wont Lie (04:32) 8 Border Song (06:40) 9 It Aint You (05:09) 10 Black Heart Rodeo (04:02) 11 Hungry Like The Wolf (05:54) 12 Vampire Heart (03:56) 13 Boy With The Bubblegun (03:54) 14 Language of Fools (06:12) |
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: Tom McRae Released: 2000-10-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:05:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 You Cut Her Hair (02:46) 2 End of the World News (Dose Me Up) (03:48) 3 2nd Law (02:51) 4 Bloodless (03:38) 5 Draw Down the Stars (02:14) 6 One More Mile (04:16) 7 The Boy With the Bubblegun (03:01) 8 Hidden Camera Show (04:17) 9 A & B Song (04:15) 10 Language of Fools (03:57) 11 Untitled (03:51) 12 Sao Paulo Rain (04:51) 13 I Aint Scared of Lightning (01:25) 1 End of the World News (Dose Me Up) (04:19) 2 Sao Paulo Rain (05:42) 3 Draw Down the Stars (03:38) 4 Street Light (04:12) 5 I Aint Scared of Lightning (01:57) |
| Tom McRae : Allmusic album Review : Singer/songwriter Tom McRae joined the ranks of David Gray and Mike Scott thanks to his lovelorn poetics and heartfelt anguish, and thankfully wasnt ignored in 2001s surge and reign of male artists (Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams). His self-titled debut, both cathartic and brash, exudes a young master in the making. McRae seeks solace in plucking out the pain, leaving old wounds to heal without much care, but molding his soul into something more rough-edged and knowledgeable. He appears quiet, but the lure of an eyeful of tears and a shattered heart casts some of the most simplistic, depressing beauty on Tom McRae. "He Cut Her Hair" flows over a graceful symphony, and his inquisitive lyrics are haunting and mystifying -- think Sparklehorse, Nick Drake. An emotional honesty on cuts like "Bloodless" and "One More Mile" are melancholy, but one may get a sense that Tom McRae isnt an empty individual. He has a smile peeking through this lovely piece of work regardless of such lush darkness. McRae does music for himself while appealing to a wide audience. His debut is a solid effort and a brief clue to whats yet to come from this new artist. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Just Like Blood Released: 2003-02-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 A Day Like Today (03:48) 2 You Only Disappear (03:44) 3 Ghost of a Shark (03:24) 4 Stronger Than Dirt (04:39) 5 Overthrown (03:54) 6 Walking 2 Hawaii (04:25) 7 Mermaid Blues (04:54) 8 Karaoke Soul (03:48) 9 Line of Fire (04:39) 10 Human Remains (04:05) |
| Just Like Blood : Allmusic album Review : Tom McRaes second effort, Just Like Blood, doesnt venture into territory that far removed from his self-titled debut. Its rather unfortunate, because the album gets off to an invigorating start with its first two tracks. "A Day Like Today" feels like a mix of David Byrnes world music excursions and early Peter Murphy. Amid soaring strings and what sounds like a tribal xylophone, McRae sings passionately about loving someone to death. "You Only Disappear" benefits from slick phrasing, a minimalist piano, and deep bass notes. The song feels like one of the finer moments from I Am Kloots self-titled sophomore album. After these two songs, McRae too often gets mired in overwrought lyrics, murky ambient effects, and uninteresting melodies. Too much of the album comes off like a David Gray or Travis throwaway. While "Ghost of a Shark" recalls Ry Cooder musically, and "Overthrown" bares a sonic resemblance to Slowdive, McRaes anguished lyrics and hushed, processed vocals prove to be the albums undoing. Thats not to say that there isnt an audience for anguished songs, but songs like "Karaoke Soul" and "Mermaid Blues" offer up lyrics even more embarrassing than their titles. "Mermaid Blues" perhaps best displays McRaes weakness. Without a doubt inspired by Talk Talks minimalist albums, the song peaks too soon while McRae dabbles in flat and awkward images of "burning arrows (that) fall backwards." With perhaps just a few patches of humor or even a hint of a smile, these ten songs would be easier to stomach. That being said, fans of earnest artists like the Devlins, Travis, or Damien Rice will most likely appreciate the syrupy thickness of McRaes delivery and emotional nakedness. The nearest comparison would probably be Ed Harcourt. But where Harcourt often loses the plot in commercial-style rock bombast, McRae suffers from overblown high school quality metaphors and safe songwriting. If there were more moments like the two opening tracks, it would be easier to recommend Just Like Blood. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: All Maps Welcome Released: 2005-05-02 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 For the Restless (04:06) 2 Hummingbird Song (04:45) 3 The Girl Who Falls Downstairs (05:03) 4 How the West Was Won (06:16) 5 Packing for the Crash (03:49) 6 It Aint You (04:07) 7 Strangest Land (03:27) 8 My Vampire Heart (03:13) 9 Silent Boulevard (05:04) 10 Still Lost (03:48) 11 Border Song (04:50) |
| All Maps Welcome : Allmusic album Review : British mopester Tom McRae has done less than many of his contemporaries to deserve it, but critics have roundly relegated him to the slagheap of emotionally naked, sensitive acts that have emerged in Coldplays wake -- Travis, Keane, Aqualung, and the like. While its true that the ripple of vulnerability informing his songs runs deep, it also must be conceded, especially after a listen to All Maps Welcome, his meditative third disc, that McRae is an artist who follows his own instincts. With soaring melodies and wistful words the sound of the hour, McRae instills resonance in his own dark fumblings by way of whispers (check the pretty "Still Lost"), understated guitar work, and a convincing, shifting moodiness. When he proposes, on "How the West Was Won," "Light me a smoke/Ill tell you a story/Of how the west was won," theres a ghostliness in his high voice that compels a listener to settle in. Later, the bleakness of "Strangest Land" invites comparisons with Gary Jules. By discs end, McRae seems more a disciple of Elliott Smith than of his contemporary countrymen; his sound requires no map, only a willingness to drop the cheerful act and admit theres substance in exploring what stings. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: King of Cards Released: 2007-05-14 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Set the Story Straight (05:17) 2 Bright Lights (03:34) 3 Got a Suitcase, Got Regrets (03:41) 4 Keep Your Picture Clear (03:58) 5 Houdini and the Girl (03:03) 6 Sound of the City (04:15) 7 On and On (04:06) 8 Deliver Me (04:02) 9 One Mississippi (04:12) 10 The Ballad of Amelia Earhart (03:23) 11 Lord, How Long? (03:56) |
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: The Alphabet of Hurricanes Released: 2010-02-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Still Love You (02:11) 2 A Is for... (00:52) 3 Wont Lie (04:28) 4 Summer of John Wayne (04:54) 5 Told My Troubles to the River (02:50) 6 American Spirit (05:29) 7 Please (03:30) 8 Out of the Walls (04:03) 9 Me & Stetson (03:25) 10 Cant Find You (03:00) 11 Best Winter (02:27) 12 Fifteen Miles Downriver (04:36) |
| The Alphabet of Hurricanes : Allmusic album Review : If Thom Yorke lost the clever bits and became a straightforward, acoustic guitar-strumming troubadour, he might put out something like The Alphabet of Hurricanes. Tom McRae, whose voice and downcast demeanor both bear some similarities to those of Mr. Radiohead, has been honing his craft long enough to have worked out all the kinks by this point, and his fifth album achieves just the right balance of strong, simple melodies and subtle, idiosyncratic production touches. McRae isnt one of those singer/songwriters who feels the need to tell the world "Hey, I can rock just hard as those guys with the Les Pauls and Fender Twins when I put my mind to it," so there are no anomalous breaks in the nocturnal mood of the album; hes a folkie at heart and he knows it, thats part of what makes his music work as well as it does. There are a couple of moments here where he ups the energy level a bit, by either getting into a moderately bluesy groove ("Me & Stetson") or slowly building the dynamics of "Please" to epic size with chanting and drumming from what sounds like it could be a high school marching band. For the most part, though, the songs are spilled out softly in McRaes high, honey-coated voice, and are centered around humble-but-plaintive acoustic guitar and piano patterns. This proves to be just the right mode for a guy whose worldview is rather less than cheery -- he intones "Your love is a cold, cold place, my dear" on "Summer of John Wayne," and matter of factly observes "Im walking hand in hand with my own ghost" on "I Still Love You" over a spare ukulele accompaniment while an appropriately spectral sonic shadow hangs overhead. But for as much as he expertly frames his discontent, he never wallows in it, and knowing the difference is one of the things that puts McRae toward the front of the current line of U.K. strum-and-croon types. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Tom At Tuts Released: 2011-01-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:14:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You Only Disappear (04:31) 2 Karaoke Soul (04:36) 3 back at tuts (00:47) 4 How The West Was Won (06:46) 5 if you need a moment (00:57) 6 End Of The World News (Dose Me Up) (06:37) 7 that was pretty good (00:36) 8 Hummingbird Song (04:46) 9 Sao Paulo Rain (05:09) 10 Border Song (05:30) 11 A & B Song (04:12) 12 Human Remains (04:46) 13 Silent Boulevard (05:41) 14 Bloodless (04:46) 15 My Vampire Heart (03:27) 16 The Boy With The Bubblegun (05:53) 17 run to the hills (00:55) 18 Language Of Fools (04:51) |
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: The Strongroom Sessions Released: 2012-08-07 Tracks: 7 Duration: 28:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ballad of Amelia Earhart (03:22) 2 Bright Lights (03:40) 3 One Mississippi (04:15) 4 Got a Suitcase, Got Regrets (03:45) 5 Sound of the City (03:56) 6 Deliver Me (04:18) 7 Set the Story Straight (04:56) |
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: From The Lowlands Released: 2012-09-10 Tracks: 9 Duration: 44:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Latelys All I Know (04:52) 2 Nothing on the Dry Land (04:43) 3 Sloop John B (03:23) 4 Belly of a Whale (05:21) 5 Fuck You, Prometheus (04:47) 6 From the Lowlands (03:03) 7 Ship of Blue and Green (04:16) 8 All Thats Gone (05:24) 9 The Alphabet of Hurricanes (08:20) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: From the Solo Lands Released: 2014-03-07 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:11:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Latelys All I Know (05:38) 2 Nothing on the Dry Land (07:37) 3 Wont Lie (05:07) 4 That Was Good Singing (00:12) 5 Ship of Blue and Green (03:59) 6 Second Law (02:58) 7 I Feel Loads Better Already (00:13) 8 Karaoke Soul (04:07) 9 Fuck You, Promethues (03:59) 10 Alphabet of Hurricanes (06:31) 11 From the Lowlands (04:28) 12 Hows Your Whistling (02:22) 13 Strangest Land (03:36) 14 If You Have Been Comfortable (00:54) 15 One Mississippi (06:38) 16 All Thats Gone (06:29) 17 Lord How Long / Soldier Song (06:15) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Did I Sleep and Miss the Border Released: 2015-05-11 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The High Life (04:12) 2 The Dogs Never Sleep (05:43) 3 Christmas Eve, 1943 (05:48) 4 Expecting the Rain (05:11) 5 Let Me Grow Old With You (03:02) 6 We Are the Mark (03:19) 7 My Desert Bride (05:20) 8 Lover Still You (03:04) 9 Hoping Against Hope (06:37) |
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Ah, The World! Oh, The World! Released: 2017-08-28 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Light A Fire In The Darkness (05:24) 2 Show Them All (06:49) 3 Mend Your Heart (05:55) 4 Forgive Me, Dear (04:54) 5 Ah, The World! Oh, The World! (05:20) 6 Coyote (01:15) 7 Never Time Enough (03:26) 8 None of This Really Matters (04:58) 9 Lucky Man (01:28) |