The Pelican’s Perch

I’ve been a fan of Nicole Atkins for quite a while now, having talked a few times about her last album when she toured as Nicole Atkins and the Sea, so you can imagine the curiosity and excitement I felt upon receiving her latest album Neptune City. If you turned her last album up to 11 and added twice the production value, then that’s basically what you have with Neptune City. “Maybe Tonight” opens the album with a bang, sounding like Stevie Nicks singing over a grand, theatrical backdrop and “Together We’re Both Alone” only keeps that feeling up with sweeping strings, piano, and echoed guitar.

Other highlights include the almost Cursive-sounding “Love Surreal” with aggressive strings and dark melodies, the album’s best track “Brooklyn’s On Fire” with horns, strings, and background singing galore, and the album’s closer “Party’s Over”. Neptune City should please fans and non-fans alike with it’s over the top theatrical feel and if I was only sort of a fan before, this album has definitely convinced me Nicole Atkins is the real deal.

Neptune City comes out today, so do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy! Stream the whole album over at AOL’s Spinner Full Album Party.

1. Maybe Tonight
2. Together We’re Both Alone
3. The Way It Is [youtube]
4. Cool Enough
5. War Torn
6. Neptune City [youtube]
7. Love Surreal
8. Brooklyn’s On Fire! [mp3]

9. Kill The Headlights
10. Party’s Over [mp3]

Tour Dates:
10/30 Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool
10/30 New York, NY - Late Night with Dave Letterman
11/01 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Cafe (w/The Pipettes)
11/02 Euguene, OR - John Henry’s (w/The Pipettes)
11/03 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Plaza Club (w/The Pipettes)
11/05 Denver, CO - The Walnut Room (w/The Pipettes)
11/07 Austin, TX - The Parish (w/The Pipettes)
11/09 Atlanta, GA - Vinyl (w/The Pipettes)
11/11 Baltimore, MD - Sonar-Club Stage (w/The Pipettes)
11/12 New York, NY - The Blender Theater at Grammercy (w/The Pipettes)
11/14 Philadelphia, PA - The North Star Bar (w/The Pipettes)
11/15 Allston, MA - Great Scott (w/The Pipettes)
11/16 Montreal, Quebec - Petit Campus (w/The Pipettes)
11/18 Toronto, Ontario - Lee’s Place (w/The Pipettes)
11/19 Pittsburg, PA - Diesel (w/The Pipettes)

Official Site / Mypace / Buy / More at the Hype Machine