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The Animal Years

Josh Ritter Format: Audio CD
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 112 ratings
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Track Listings

1 Here At The Right Time
2 Thin Blue Flame
3 Best For The Best
4 Good Man
5 One More Mouth
6 In The Dark
7 Idaho
8 Lillian, Egypt
9 Monster Ballads
10 Wolves
11 Girl In The War

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The 29-year old Idaho native returns with his stunning new album. Following the independent release of "The Golden Age Of Radio" (2002) and "Hello Starling" (2003), Ritter was championed by critics in publications ranging from the NY Times to Details. On this, his V2 debut, Josh more than lives up to the buzz. "As a storyteller, Ritter is matched only by his lofty influences" - Pitchfork. "He approaches songwriting and performing with humility, respect, and unforced and unaffected honesty" - No Depression.

Amazon.com

It can be a dangerous proposition when an artist decides to challenge himself. Ambition means precious little without the talent to back it up. Idaho's Josh Ritter needn't worry: he's willed himself to great heights on The Animal Years, his fourth full-length and first for a major label. By combining his mysterious, knotty lyrics with straightforward melodies, nuanced, sensitive arrangements, and an unassuming vocal style, he's hit upon a spellbinding formula that confidently stretches the boundaries of folk music. Perhaps his most inspired move was in hiring producer Brian Deck, who's helped artists as diverse as Modest Mouse and Iron & Wine take great artistic leaps. Deck gives Ritter a huge, immediate, but not overwhelming presence, and he adds just the right touches--a gentle mandolin, an ominous piano, a swirling organ, marching drums--at just the right times. The album's centerpiece is the fire-and-brimstone "Thin Blue Flame," a slowly building, nearly 10-minute epic with a simple two-chord motif and portentous, surreal lyrical flurries. Throughout the album, Ritter's complex thoughts and observations about himself and the world at large--thick with literary references and religious imagery--seem sagely inconclusive; he revels in life's shades of gray, content to vividly describe what he sees and feels without hope or pessimism. Tender and reflective, haunting and unnerving, profound and unfathomable, The Animal Years is a consistently compelling, finely crafted work. --Marc Greilsamer

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches; 4 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ V2 Records
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ January 29, 2007
  • Label ‏ : ‎ V2 Records
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000EOTV7U
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 112 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
112 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lee Armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars Lithium Dreams
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2006
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After two excellent studio sets, "Golden Age of Radio" & "Starling," Ritter's first set for V2 records is a fitting successor. Perhaps in an era shadowed by war and international disharmony, Ritter loses some of the tongue-in-cheek humor that graced earlier recordings for a more direct style. "Thin Blue Flame" is probably the tour de force track @ 9 & 1/2 minutes with its strong political indictment and its pounding piano that builds with chords exploding like bombs, "Streets named for heroes that could almost exist, the fruit trees of Eden & the gardens that seem to float like the smoke from a lithium dream." It's not a happy track, but it is tremendously moving and powerful with Ritter's emotional vocals packing a wallop. Ritter is an Idaho native and howls like a lonesome Hank Williams on the slow & lonesome track named after his native state, "So I gave up a life of crime, I gave it to a friend of mine." "Lillian, Egypt" is a humorous escapade about a guy who absconds with a banker's daughter from Illinois. The catchiest tunes on the set are probably the two openers. On "Wolves," Ritter marries a beautiful melody to amazingly original lyrics and sells it with strong vocals & Sam Kassirer's glorious piano, "I still remember the time when we were dancing, We were dancing to a song that I'd heard, Your face was simple and your hands were naked; I was singing without knowing the words." "Girl in the Water" is a magical track with the high pitched guitar part sounding like raindrops falling that matches the ending lyric line, "They sparkle bubble over & in the morning all you got is the rain." "The Animal Years" is another excellent set by this sparkling artist. It's a treasure & a pleasure! Enjoy!
9 people found this helpful
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Bob Free
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Album. The acoustic versions are terrific
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
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I only wish I had found this sooner. In hindsight, I guess it was cool because the later edition has a second CD with acoustic versions of all the songs that is fantastic. When I decided to investigate the artist and saw the size of the catalog, I wanted to hone in on one album to start. This was the most recommended by his fans. I know I'm late to the party but this is the best album I have purchased this year and there are a lot ;-)
2 people found this helpful
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Barber
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow..I am blown away!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2012
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I had read a couple articles that listed the best albums of the decade from 2000-2009. I saw this album on many of the lists, and I generally like folk music....so i checked it out. Wow!! What an amazing album! Great music from start to finish. Great lyrics!! Singable melodies..it has it all. The first song "Girl in the War" is a great opener, and may be my favorite track and then proceeds to "Wolves" and "Monster Ballads"...both excellent. Later, the album finishes just as strong as it starts with "Good Man", "Best is for the Best", "Blue Flame" (9 plus minutes, but awesome all the way through, trust me) and the final track are all amazing. Probably the best album I've bought this year, I know I'm late but I'm glad I found him!
3 people found this helpful
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McBeth
4.0 out of 5 stars Sorry Mr. King he is no Dylan but well worth hearing
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2007
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I heard about Josh Ritter in a newspaper article telling us that Stephen King was promoting Ritter's music and calling him the Bob Dylan for today. Josh has been around a while and has proven quite popular in Ireland so I checked him out on YouTube. I liked what I heard and bought this and a previous recording. Both recordings are hampered by rather poor quality reproduction. Some tunes sound as if they were recorded in a basement. So why did I give it four stars? Because it is not the musicality that counts here but rather the poetry which is imaginative and paints a vivid picture. The first tune on this disc, "I Have a Girl in the War" is indeed a Dylan poem for today. It made me stop and realize that this is the first war where we have female soldiers dying in the field of battle. Where husbands and lovers worry and wait for their woman/girl to come home. It is a very moving piece. Good poetry and Josh is blessed with a very good singing voice. Now what he needs is a good production company behind him to produce a better quality product. That said, it is well worth the price--buy it, you'll enjoy!
5 people found this helpful
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A. C. Ege/Acedoh
5.0 out of 5 stars Soulful and Poetic the next Bob Dylan?
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2006
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My first opportunity to listen to Josh Ritter came on the radio. When I heard his first song it took me a while to catch onto his style. It didn't take long before I was addicted. I soon bought his cd and was completley impressed. Josh is a trully outstanding musician that is well beyond his years. His lyrics are deep almost to deep. I had a friend walk in when I was playing the cd and their first thought was "I haven't heard this Dylan song." To compare maybe a little premature. Although I feel we need more music like this. I will be sharing these great songs with many of my friends.
6 people found this helpful
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Slope-Shouldered Farm Boy
5.0 out of 5 stars The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2019
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Maximum shout-out to Josh from these fans on Coggins Hill, Union, Maine. Best luck with new release, and what an amazing show WTVL Opera House - Thank you so much for coming all this way!!!
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Brendan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Album
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2013
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This is a great album. I first heard Josh Ritter on Radio Paradise, and I instantly liked his voice and the quality of his songs. I quickly listened to the samples for this album on Amazon and everything sounded really good, so I bought it. I was not disappointed, which is rare. Usually I like 1-2 songs on a CD, but this one is consistently good throughout.
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Green Eyed Annie
5.0 out of 5 stars Enveloping Music
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2007
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Josh Ritter gives you a soulful look into life. You can imagine long drives, scenic mountains, haunting eyes of wildlife in his music. He also gives each song as a tale. Some of his songs are fun, some are perfectly soothing without being boring. Intelligent and talented piece of work. I was inspired by his cd to check him out live in Philadelphia and was not disappointed. His music draws people of all ages with it's timelessness.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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desagher
5.0 out of 5 stars Du pur americana
Reviewed in France on April 9, 2019
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Une belle découverte, une chouette ambiance et une voix folk comme il faut.
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Androo
5.0 out of 5 stars Josh gets serious
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2006
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You can't blame Josh Ritter for getting to this point in his career and feeling some kind of need to make a statement, get a bit more serious as an artist, join the ranks. To me it feels very much like 'The Animal Years' (a reference to his early days as a musician, apparently) is Josh saying, okay, here I am, I'm as good as anyone else and I claim my place. The animal years are over.
Many fans will have watched Josh's music progress from his charming, and at times humorous first album, through 'Golden Age of Radio' and the breakthrough 'Hello Starling'. Part of the charm at the start was that he didn't appear to be taking himself to seriously. Now he is.
But that's okay if you can pull it off without sounding pompous or silly, and of course he does pull it off. I'm not sure I particularly enjoy all nine minutes odd of 'Thin Blue Flame', but I've sat with the lyrics and it's brilliantly written. Along with the more tuneful 'In the Dark' 'Thin Blue Flame' is the unavoidable comment on today's bad, bad world, but one is direct and uncompromising, the other light and melodic, beautiful even.
Ritter's writing is changing: the themes here are identifiable but not so easy to access as before. You have to stop and figure out what these songs are really about, you have to interpret the meaning.
Other things are changing too. Josh sounded, or tried to sound gruff like Dylan on his first record. Now he's almost borrowing Ryan Adams' 'other voice' and often sings high, sweet and open, like on the plaintive 'Idaho' or 'One More Mouth'. This guy can sing.
'Thin Blue Flame' manages not to unbalance the album luckily. In fact, there's a nice balance between 'Hello starling' type songs that have a driving rhythm, lighter songs like 'Good Man' and sparse, quiet songs like 'Idaho'.
I'm not a huge fan of songs like 'Lillian', which I find a bit noisy and monotonous. But there are some cracking songs, some that really hit the spot. 'Good Man' is brilliantly put together, catchy, intricate, unusual. 'Monster Ballads' is spacious and deliberate, atmospheric, iconic. There are at least two others that seem destined to become all-time favourites.
So I can't help giving this the full five stars. It's very good. I just wonder though whether I don't LIKE those early albums just a little more. Time will tell.
16 people found this helpful
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F Harding
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2013
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This is a fab cd! Normally takes me a little while to 'get into' an artist or new cd but this was a perfect fit straight away! Currently track seven is my favourite! Definitely worth checking out! Have bought another copy for a friend already!
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Will Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2017
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Ritter + Vinyl = eargasm
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Edwinbwilliams
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2015
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very good
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