Ed Harcourt Returns — Win Tickets

On his way to SXSW, English singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt returns after a couple of years away to Echoplex this Monday, March 10. Should be good to see him on a proper rock stage where he can stretch out a bit, as opposed to say, a Hotel Cafe type spot.

His 2006 LP, The Beautiful Lie, will finally get a U.S. release in June on Dovecote Records. Frustrating as these delays and absences may be, the good news is that the new (to us at least) songs are worth the wait and he can put on a good show (your humble author recalls a particularly memorable solo appearance at Largo, circa 2002). On The Beautiful Lie he showcases the full range of what he has done for his four LPs across a full compliment of 14 tracks. Amongst the mix are wistful piano numbers, a bit of acoustic folk, up-tempo 70′s AOR mellow rockers, drunken waltzes, dreamy dirges, all woven together with strings and horns and, of course, his emotive vocals, which are reaching (and hitting) more than ever. Graham Coxon shows up for some jazzy noodling on one track, B.J. Cole lays down pedal steel for the opening cut, and his own wife sings on another. In many ways, it is a more compelling hour-long listen than his excellent recently released Best Of, Until Tomorrow Then, which mostly rounds up his singles. Do try to catch him on this stop if you can, whether or not you win tickets from us.

Ed Harcourt w/ Everest & The Chapin Sisters @ Echoplex Mon 3/10