Cameron McGill & What Army

Only a handful of times have there been experiences where I am truly entranced by the happenings of a band’s live show, where I have to take a long minute at the end of the set and reflect on what happened because it was such a blur of on-stage magic it’s hard to recall what actually happened. Paul McCartney may be the first instance in which I can recall having this feeling. Witnessing Macca plow through three hours of brilliant hits was unbelievable. And just to know he penned all of them, and can perform them better than anyone can make your head hurt. Anyways, back to the point at hand. McCartney set the bar high, thus, making these experiences few and far between.

Last Saturday night, Cameron McGill & What Army’s performance at Evanston’s SPACE provided one of those incredible experiences. That actually sounds really cheesy, but I can’t think of a more appropriate way to describe it.

McGill and his band took the stage launching straight into a couple songs off their upcoming record, which according to this show is going to be a definite change in sound for the band, and especially from their last record, the excellent Warm Songs For Cold Shoulders. The new sound is darker, edgier, and McGill can really put his Jazzmaster (which is apparently borrowed) to work. From previously seeing McGill do a solo acoustic show, I knew he was an energetic performer who put a lot into his show, but it was even more apparent with his full band. There’s no question, McGill gives it his all, and all the members feed off each other amidst the excellently rehearsed music. One of the new songs, called “Counterfeit” brought McGill to the keyboard, and really brought out the bands fondness for beautiful harmonies between McGill and guitarist Daniel McMahon.

Towards the middle of the set, drummer Darren Garvey and bassist Rodrigo Palma left the stage to McGill and McMahon for some softer acoustic songs to be played. A beautiful version of “Sad Ambassador”, a track off their recent 7”, was played along with a new one called “Loose Tooth”.

With Garvey and Palma back on stage, the band rocked through the rest of their set ending as a band with an older song (of which I didn’t catch the name of). McGill on keys, the band vamped through a part of the song getting the audience to clap along. The final moment of the show was McGill solo at the grand piano. A beautiful and contrasting way to end a set full of loud rocking guitar and gorgeous harmonies (one of the best combinations on Earth). - Tandem Shop Blog

"No stranger to the local indie scene, Cameron McGill & What Army turn in another consistent collection upgrading from Post-Important to Parasol. Warm Songs For Cold Shoulders once again weaves witty lyrics alongside a sonic spread that pulls from the folk of Woody Guthrie, the experimental surf sounds of Brian Wilson, and the political edge of Neil Young."
- Illinois Entertainer

All Music Guide review for Warm Songs...:
"These ten songs spin a web that's compelling and engaging, weaving
back and forth between high drama and subtle passion with a lyrical
strength that rings emotionally true, and McGill's vocals, bobbing
between a whisper and a plaintive, muted shout, are superb... It
certainly helps that McGill is backed by a band that carries this
music with a masters' touch, and on these sessions the band has
expanded into a pocket orchestra whose empathy for these songs is on a
par with the composer himself. Add McGill's spare but intelligent
production and a clear, potent recording and mix from Manny Sanchez
and the result is 41 minutes of rough, sweet beauty." - All Music Guide

WARM SONGS FOR COLD SHOULDERS- (PARASOL)- Chicago (via Champaign) dude who has a bushel of previous records, none of which I’ve heard. This is his Parasol debut and it’s a doozie. This is some of the warmest and most intimate indie folks I’ve heard in quite some time (or since the last Pernice Bros record). Aided and abetted by plenty of pals , McGill offers up 10 songs perfect to lay by the fire. In the vein of Bob Dylan and Mojave 3, McGill‘s warm voice warps around his acoustic picking, wooshes of keys and (Wurlitzer) organ, lightly brushed drums and , of course, pedal steel (what beautiful record does not have it? Ok, so there’s plenty but you know what I mean). Opener “Not on my Side” is too pretty for words while “Please Don’t Let me Down” reaches deeper and comes up with gold. “Dark Times, Dark Times” is a bit more uplifting and “Sold the Rest” shuffles along like the best Gram Parson tunes. 10 songs here and not a bad one in the bunch. Cameron McGill could/should be every bit the songwriter that Conor Oberst is but with one one millionth the recognition. Hopefully with WARMS SONGS FOR COLD SHOULDERS that will all change. - DaggerZine

Beautiful album for lovers of sweet melancholy

Cameron McGill is from Champaign, Illinois but lives in Chicago and this is his first album for Parasol records following three previous self releases.

This is a folky, folksy album of simple effective arrangements and subtle instrumentation with a sly nod to a pop sensibility. The opening tracks feature some lovely vocal trading between McGill and Kathleen Bracken, the notes suggest Gram and Emmylou, it’s not quite but the comparison is not undeserved.
The songs are mid tempo guitar led soft rock with whispered tones and brushed percussion leading to sense of a gentle warmth. This could be soporific were it not for the underlying complexity of the song structures which ‘Keep Things Interesting’ from ‘Please Don’t Let Me Down’ with its jazzy tempo changes , ‘Dark Times, Dark Times’ with its psychedelic guitar meditation to the Josh Rouse stylings of ‘Sold the Rest’ with its gorgeous understated mandolin.

As the album unfolds over repeated listens there begins to be the sense of new friend at the table as the tales of love and melancholy join the others of Waits, Ritter and even Bathgate. There is a purity of vision, complemented by the production that makes this sound very special at certain times of the day.
Highly recommended. - Americana UK