Noah Gundersen Ledges Vinyl 2 LP Near Mint 2014 + Download Dualtone 80302-01655

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Noah Gundersen Ledges Near Mint Vinyl 2 LP (2014) with Digital Download Card Dualtone Music 80302-01655
Condition: Near Mint Vinyl and Cover. Really it's Mint, but has been opened. It may have been playes once, and includes a digital download card. Very plain label - made to look almost like a boot, but it's his own label.
Ledges is the full-length solo debut album by Noah Gundersen. It was self-produced and recorded at Stone Gossard's Studio Litho in Seattle. It was released on February 11, 2014. The track "Poor Man's Son" features Gundersen's sister Abby and brother Jonathan on various instruments.
The first two recordings of the album were abandoned in favor of a self-produced version. Ledges has been described as "calculated and unyielding, somersaulting its way around a menagerie of heavy, yet unavoidable topics." USA Today wrote that the album "establishes the 24-year-old as a precociously graceful and thoughtful songwriter."
AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett: Born into a musical but very religious family, Noah Gundersen didn't hear many secular songs as a child, perhaps explaining the subtle and hushed gospel intensity and sincerity he brings to his songs, which, while definitely secular, deal with themes of loss, hope, and personal redemption nonetheless. This set is his first full-length outing following a trio of EPs, and it's a quiet, mostly ballad and lament-heavy sequence that leaves a powerfully subdued and emotional residue. Aided by the presence of his younger sister Abby Gundersen, a gifted string musician who adds violin, cello, piano, and gorgeous vocal harmonies to most of these tracks, Gundersen sounds a bit like the serious narrative side of Jackson Browne if Browne had wandered into Neil Young's Harvest sessions. That's both good and not so good. 
The best tracks here, like the beautiful "Poor Man's Son," which opens things, and the gorgeous Tom Waits-like lullaby lament "Time Moves Quickly," which closes things, have a kind of quiet strength, a gospel sureness of better days and times, and resound powerfully. Other tracks seem overly serious, with the joy half leached out of them, as if Gundersen forgot that singing is not the same as telling, however sweet the melody and redemptive the intent. One song, "Cigarettes," is so slow that it hardly has a rhythmic pulse at all, full of long, tortured pauses and restarts, a thus stuttered love ballad that still -- and this is Gundersen's odd strength -- conveys a kind of desperate, restrained passion that makes it emotionally work. This is a low-key, autumnal-sounding album that impresses with its unhurried pace and thoughtful, muted sincerity. The songs sound sad but each carries hope somehow, although a little jump and joy here and there might have given this set a little more spark. Life is lived in the sunshine, too.
Track listing
1. "Poor Man's Son" 5:14 2. "Boathouse" 3:37 3. "Isaiah" 3:03 4. "Separator" 3:28 5. "Ledges" 4:18 6. "Poison Vine" 4:45 7. "First Defeat" 4:03 8. "Cigarettes" 5:40 9. "Liberator" 4:00 10. "Dying Now" 4:04 11. "Time Moves Quickly" 3:02
Personnel Noah Gundersen – vocals, guitar Abby Gundersen – violin, piano, cello Jonathan Gundersen – drums Elizabeth Gundersen – vocals Seattle Studio Litho – production, recording
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Shipping: Calculated domestic shipping via Media Mail or Priority Mail. Will ship internationally at FLAT RATES.  Records mailed in a proper cardboard LP mailer. All records cleaned prior to shipment.
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I use the Goldmine Grading System, and play-test all records. I note any differences between vinyl and cover, and make note of any inserts, special sleeves, or potential defects.

MINT (M) - Absolutely perfect in every way. Most often this is a still sealed record, records that have been opened are rarely if ever marked as Mint.

NEAR MINT (NM) - A good description is that it looks like it just came from a retail store and it was opened for the first time. In other words, it?s nearly perfect, with no visible defects. 

VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) - Except for a couple minor things, this could be Near Mint. Most collectors will be happy with a VG+ record, especially if on the high end (VG++). VG+ records may show slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Covers should have only minor wear. 

VERY GOOD (VG) - VG records are among the biggest bargains, and for many, will be worth the money. They can lack the original gloss, may have surface noise, and some scratches may be audible, especially in soft passages. But the noise will not overpower the music. VG covers will have signs of handling, and may have minor splits. 

GOOD PLUS (G+) - Good+ does not mean bad! The record still plays through without skipping, but it has significant surface noise and groove wear. Cover may have significant ring wear, noticeable writing, or obvious damage.

GOOD (G) - Record may have some skipping, but is otherwise listenable. I generally avoid selling Good (G) rated records unless they are highly collectible or desirable, in order to enjoy until something better comes along. Cover has major wear or seam splits that need repair, or heavy writing like radio station call letters to prevent theft.

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