The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path

Infobox Album
Name = The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path
Type = studio
Artist = The Early November

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Released = Start date|2006|7|11
Recorded = February 28, 2005 - March 2006 at Portrait Recording Studio in Lincoln Park, New Jersey
Genre = Rock, indie rock
Length = 2:11:55
Label = Drive-Thru
Producer = Arthur Enders, Chris Badami
Reviews =
* AbsolutePunk.net (83%) [http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=145502 link]
* Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:66420rnaw48p link]
Last album = "The Early November/I Am the Avalanche" EP
(2005)
This album = "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path"
(2006)
Next album =

"The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path" is The Early November's second full-length album. The triple disc concept album was released on July 11, 2006 via Drive-Thru Records.

Production

The recording of the album began on February 28, 2005 and took over a year until its completion due to the nature of a triple disc record, stress, Enders changing the concept of the story several times mid-record, and ultimately the lack of focus which led to a mid-recording nervous breakdown. This forced the album's release to be postponed from its original June 2005 street date to July 2006. The third disc, "The Path", which was written by Enders and Jeff Kummer, and co-produced by Enders, was turned down seven times by Drive-Thru Records for quality control, although the label still were not totally satisfied with the results, before finally being approved.

Ace Enders also did the artwork for "The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path", drawing up a father in a mechanics uniform named Matt, a mother and a son named Dean, for the cover and booklet.

Music and lyrical content

The album is broken down into three chapters:
*"The Mechanic" – the proclaimed "rock" disc of the album, showcasing the heavier side of the band. According to singer/guitarist Ace Enders, "The Mechanic" is the group's "safe bet", the album they would have made if it had only been one disc. It represents the technical progression from its predecessor "The Room's Too Cold" (2003), hence the title.
*"The Mother" – a mostly unplugged effort in the vein of The Early November's "The Acoustic EP" (2003) and Ender's solo CD "I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business" (2004). The disc focuses on the band's mellow facet, featuring a more natural sound, conveyed by the use of predominantly acoustic instruments and few effects or filters.
*"The Path" – an audio theatre of sorts, which mixes dialogue between a young man named Dean and his psychiatrist with soft background music. The psychiatry sessions that narrate the story are interrupted by short "musical"-esque songs, also introducing the interaction of other characters. The songs cover a wide range of musical genres, including blues, country and folk.

Release

Once released, Drive-Thru Records made an effort to boost record sales with various promotion campaigns, bonus offers and price discounts. During the first weeks of sales, purchases of "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path" from Best Buy were accompanied by a bonus DVD (containing the music video to "Hair" and a 35-minute making-of documentary), while Target customers were rewarded with an exclusive bonus track.

As of January 2007, the band has sold 78,669 copies of "The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path". [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070107165453/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=201255|title=Soundscan Results: January 04|work=Absolutepunk.net|accessdate=2007-01-05]

Track listing

(all songs written by Ace Enders)

"The Mechanic"
# "Money in His Hand" – 3:44
# "The Rest of My Life" – 2:41
# "Decoration" – 3:21
# "No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)" – 3:45
# "This Wasn't in Our Plan" – 4:06
# "The One That You Hated" – 3:55
# "Long Talks" – 4:01
# "Outside" – 4:07
# "Make a Decision" – 3:51
# "The Car in 20" – 3:46
# "Figure It Out" – 4:54
# "5 Years" (Target only bonus track) – 3:41

"The Mother"
# "My Lack of Skill" – 3:31
# "A Little More Time" – 3:26
# "Little Black Heart" – 4:00
# "Hair" – 3:06
# "Driving South" – 3:21
# "Scared to Lose" – 3:17
# "From Here to L.A." – 3:17
# "Is It My Fault" – 4:03
# "I Don't Know How to Say This" – 3:11
# "The Truth Is" – 4:38
# "1000 Times a Day" – 5:39

"The Path"
# "Intro" – 2:16
# "We Grew Up the Same" – 4:26
# "Runaway" – 3:42
# "Session 01" – 2:37
# "This Is Love" – 1:17
# "Session 02" – 0:40
# "We're Finding Something Out" – 1:31
# "Session 03" – 1:12
# "Decoration" – 1:30
# "Session 04" – 1:16
# "Uncle" – 0:44
# "Session 05" – 1:41
# "Never Coming Back" – 3:03
# "Guess What" – 1:10
# "Session 06" – 0:21
# "You Don't Know What It's Like" – 1:35
# "Session 07" – 1:57
# "Look at Me" – 1:58
# "Session 08" – 3:03
# "Session 08 Part II" – 2:19
# "Runaway II" – 3:43
# "Session 09" – 0:54
# "I Think This Is Love" – 1:06
# "A Bigger Meaning" – 6:12

Personnel

* Sergio Anello – bass
* Chris Badami – piano, percussion
* Angela Cordell – French horn
* Lynsie Crespo – background vocals
* Richard Dispenziere – trumpet
* Arthur Enders – vocals, guitar
* Arthur Fiacco – cello
* Elizabeth Hostetter – viola
* Jeff Kummer – drums
* Bill Lugg – guitar
* Joseph Marro – guitar, keyboards
* Peter McGuinness – trombone
* Brian O'Neal (Roark) – background vocals
* David Rimelis – string and horn arrangements, nylon guitar, banjo
* Andrea Schultz – violin
* Kenny Sorenson – harmonica

References