Josh Aran
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Josh Aran

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Press


"Josh Aran - Pulse"

Excerpt:
"The labor-intensive process reaped serious dividends for Aran, with the end result [Between Us There Arose Happiness] being a singer/songwriter record too adventurous to be relegated to mere coffeehouse background status. “I Await You” begins with a simple arpeggiated electric guitar pattern and Aran’s calm croon before being joined by a propulsive bass line, hyper-active drum kit and skittery electric guitar counterpoint. The final product is sped-up electric folk-pop that can’t be easily classified. Nearly every other track on Between Us… shows similar ingenuity and tasteful arranging skills. On one track a stirring violin solo (“Untitled”), the next an expertly shading piano line (“Say Goodbye”).
The whole affair is surprisingly epic for a self-released local pop album ... [and] lives up to its obviously large-scale ambition, which is far from an easy accomplishment."
- Rob van Alstyne

Read the complete article at:
http://www.josharan.com/albums/reviews/index.html
or
http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=1226
- Pulse of the Twin Cities, 28 July 2004


"Josh Aran - Delusions of Adequacy"

Excerpt:
"Josh Aran puts his stamp on this collection of straightforward, melodic pop tunes by applying his knack for mildly quirky arrangements and inventive instrumentation. … This is a fine, well-crafted album that doesn’t make you feel old or tool-like for enjoying it, kind of like the first Counting Crows album."
- George Ford, Delusions of Adequacy, 2/2/04

Read the complete article at:
http://www.josharan.com/albums/reviews/index.html
or
http://www.adequacy.net/reviews/a/josharan.shtml - Delusions of Adequacy, 2 February 2004


"Josh Aran - Impact Press"

Excerpt:
"What a wonderful exercise in sweetness this album is. Track after track of heartfelt acoustic rock ballads fill you with warmth, as Josh's gorgeous vocals wrap you up in a blanket. The underlying theme is of nearly unattainable desperate love that is as deep as the ocean, as high as the mountains. It is full, rich, and heavenly, and the world is a better place with this record in it."
- Don Pflaster, Impact Press, February/March 2004

Read the complete article at:
http://www.josharan.com/albums/reviews/index.html
or
http://www.impactpress.com/articles/febmar04/musicr2304.
html#cdreviews - Impact Press, February/March 2004


"Josh Aran - How Was The Show"

Excerpt:
"As the band broke into "I Await You," the album's second song, I was struck by the good karmic feeling of this music, and it was clear that this quality was no accident. When a band is able to create a vibe like this live, it really helps you as an audience member to feel content with being exactly where you want to be at the time. … It's without any hesitation that I can recommended Aran's album or live show to the discriminating Twin Cities pop music fan."
- David de Young, HowWasTheShow.com, 2/22/04

Read the complete article at:
http://www.josharan.com/albums/reviews/index.html
or
http://www.howwastheshow.com/reviews-2004/josh_aran-02-22-04.html - HowWasTheShow.com, 22 February 2004


"Josh Aran - Pioneer Press"

Excerpt:
"The dreamy sweetness found throughout Josh Aran's new CD, "Between Us There Arose Happiness," easily earns the singer/songwriter comparisons to the critically acclaimed Joe Pernice of the Pernice Brothers. ... Hear Josh Aran at the 400 Bar, and get a taste of the good things to come."
- Amy Carlson and Reggie Royston, Pioneer Press, 9/19/03

Read the complete article at:
http://www.josharan.com/albums/reviews/index.html
or
http://www.philly.com/mld/pioneerpress/entertainment/6803247.htm?1c - Pioneer Press, 19 September 2003


"Josh Aran and Sam Keenan at 331 Club on 2/10/07"

Josh Aran has the thoughtful singer/songwriter thing down. At times, if you blink, you get this Morrissey-meets-Jeff Buckley tinge to his voice. Open your eyes again, though, and you realize that his vocals are purely original.
-- Jen Paulson
- HowWasTheShow.com


"Water to Wash Water Away - February 2007"

Er zit veel zachtheid, weemoed maar ook soms woede in de liedjes van Josh Aran. …De luisteraar krijgt een gevoel van tevredenheid bij het beluisteren van de songs op dit album die ook van uitstekende arrangementen werden voorzien en nooit een indruk van obsessief doordrukken willen geven.

Translation: The songs of Josh Aran span tenderness, melancholy, and sometimes rage. …The feeling of contentment listening to these songs comes not only from the excellent arrangements, but from an impression of a compelling desire for perfection.
-- Valsam
- www.rootstime.be - Belgium


"Sweet Water - Jan 3, 2007"

Hearts float away and drift back together in the fluid world of Josh Aran
Sweet Water
by Michael L. Walsh
January 3, 2007
Josh Aran
Water to Wash Water Away

*Excerpt*

"The 13 tracks of atmospheric, folky pop shuffle along lazily, lulling you into a sort of semi-stoned state of contentment. You'll find traces of Coldplay in the vocals, Matthew Sweet in the guitars, and Counting Crows in the arrangements, but the sound is never too derivative. ... These are the kind of songs that demand long red lights on dark empty roads when there's nowhere in particular you need (or want) to go."
Read the complete article here:
http://citypages.com/databank/28/1361/article15037.asp
- Citypages


"Josh Aran - Sept 21, 2006"

*Excerpt*

"Jeff Tweedy dreaming of Led Zeppelin and waking up next to Radiohead."
- Brian Baker

Read the complete blurb here:
http://www.citybeat.com/2006-09-20/cover3.shtml - Cincinnati - City Beat - Sept 21, 2006


"Water to Wash Water Away - Nov 26, 2006"

*Excerpt*

“This is a great record, full of good ideas and bucket loads of feeling. …'You are here, and the music is the only thing, you can let into your heart', sings Josh on the title track, in this case, letting the music into your heart would be a sensible thing to do.”
8 out of 10, Jason Walnut

Read the complete review here:
http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=2393 - Americana UK - Nov 26, 2006


Discography

Water to Wash Water Away (2006)
Track List:
- Suspended Under Glass
- Blossom
- April
- First of May
- Veni Vidi Vici
- Heartstrings
- Goodnight California
- Moving Pictures
- Unexpecting
- Fade to Blue
- Water to Wash Water Away
- Veni Vidi Vici (reprise)
- Hysteria (available on-line only)

Between Us There Arose Happiness (2003)
Track List:
- Driving Nowhere
- I Await You
- High Like Atmosphere
- Upon Returning To This Country
- One Of These Days
- Beyond The Sun
- Spilling
- Stupid Boy
- You Be The Girl
- Untitled
- Say Goodbye
- Never Enough

Sun Up (2001)
Track List:
- Down To The River
- Friend
- It Will Be
- Your Love
- All I Needed
- September
- Red
- Because (a beautiful life)
- Waltz For Emily
- I Want You
- Down To The River (reprise)

Photos

Bio

With a rare combination of tenderness and outrage, singer/songwriter Josh Aran awakens the complacent while rejuvenating the weary. His new album Water to Wash Water Away draws deep from the wells of inspiration, from the pop sensibility of the Beatles to the lyrical subtlety of Bob Dylan, from the feel-good arena rock of Led Zeppelin to the disillusioned art rock of Radiohead. For Josh, songs are like small streams flowing into a mighty river, always moving and ever changing.

A native of the Twin Cities, Josh grew up singing and playing guitar. He attended a small liberal arts university where he earned bachelor’s degrees in English and Art History, and returned to Minneapolis in 1999. In 2000, Josh recorded his debut album, Sun Up, a warm and loose acoustic album with Tom Herbers at Third Ear Studios. In 2002, Josh met and teamed up with producer and drummer Justin Korhonen. Together they recorded with a handful of musicians, engineers, and producers (including Alex Oana, Tom Herbers, and Erik Appelwick) to create the critically acclaimed 2003 release Between Us There Arose Happiness. In 2005 and 2006 Josh produced and recorded Water to Wash Water Away with friends from the previous album and a new arsenal of talent, including Zach Miller and Sam Keenan.

With a litany of gigs behind him, Josh is a standout live performer, both as a solo artist and with his band. He has that rare ability to command complete attention from a room full of people - and the lyrics and melodies, the sheer songcraft, demand it. He has played clubs, colleges, and festivals from coast to coast in a variety of contexts: including the launch party for internet radio station Misplaced Music, benefit concerts for AIDS and Tsunami relief, and a bluegrass Beatles tribute night.

Josh is hard at work playing shows in support of Water to Wash Water Away and working with his new live band. Check out www.josharan.com for all the latest information and find out what Josh and his band are up to next.