Best of 2008: #19, Right Away, Great Captain!

Rank: #19

Album: The Eventually Home

Artist: Right Away, Great Captain!

Label: Favorite Gentlemen Recordings

At #19 is Right Away, Great Captain!'s The Eventually Home.  For those who may not know, Right Away, Great Captain! is the solo side project of Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull.  This is his second record released under the monicker- the first being 2007's The Bitter End.  In contrast to Manchester Orchestra's full band work, Hull's solo material is much more stripped down, and acoustic-based.  However, the same themes are prevalent throughout recordings from both, as Hull makes a living out of questioning religion in his songs, with his most recent effort being no different.  

The first thing I noticed about The Eventually Home, in contrast to the previous album, was how much more polished it sounded.  Not polished in a sense of over-produced, or even more produced- just in the sense that Hull seemed to have a better sense of the record as a whole when he made it.  As always, the man is adept at making observations about people's, specifically his own, connection with God and religion.  What stood out most to me here, was how strangely the album sounds like Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.  Now believe me, I would never say that they're on the same level, because Wide Awake is in it's own category, but the mood and atmosphere of the album seems to evoke similar feelings.  The standout track here, in my mind, is "Father Brian Finn", which I'm guessing is based off of the character of the same name in the film Keeping the Faith?  Just a thought.  Comparisons for this one include Manchester Orchestra's full band stuff, Kevin Devine, and of course the aforementioned Bright Eyes (only Wide Awake though).

Best Track: "Father Brian Finn" (not on imeem however, so I had to post a different song)