The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL NEW MUSIC: AYSANABEE RELEASES NEW TRACK “HOME” FROM UPCOMING ALBUM ‘EDGE OF THE EARTH’ OUT JUNE 20 ON ISHKŌDÉ RECORDS
SPILL NEWS: CHARLOTTE DE WITTE ANNOUNCES “NO DIVISION” FROM LONG-AWAITED DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOVEMBER 7 | 6 NEW YORK SHOWS IN 4 DAYS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: DAN PALLOTTA – “WORKING MAN’S SON”
SPILL FEATURE: FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE WE LIKE IT REALLY STUPID LOUD – A CONVERSATION WITH OLIVER ACKERMANN OF A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: UNCLE STRUT – HOME AT LAST
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: MARTE EBERSON – “PARADISE”
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: SAFARI ROOM – “CUT OUT”
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KILYNN LUNSFORD – PROMISCUOUS GENES
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRIENDSHIP – CAVEMAN WAKES UP
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOW – NOW DOES THE TRICK
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAN MANGAN – NATURAL LIGHT
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – CHET BAKER RE:IMAGINED
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREAM EATERS – THE DREAM EATERS QUARTERLY REPORT: Q125
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ABSOLUTE TREAT – SHATTERED LOVE
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: SCOTT KLEIN – “HEY LADY”
SPILL FEATURE: CATCHING CLUES OF WHAT I’M HERE FOR – A CONVERSATION WITH AMY MILLAN
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
580
Editor Pick
previous article
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: CANADIAN SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME @ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO
next article
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: WE FOUND A LOVEBIRD - "MESS WE CALL THE WEST"

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MICHAEL NAU – THE LOAD

Michael Nau

Michael Nau
The Load
Suicide Squeeze

Sometimes, no matter how good you are or how hard you try — or both — you just have an extremely hard time making it. It can be any reason or combination of them: too little exposure, too much exposure, too much stuff fighting for the ears of the listeners, whatever. At times, you don’t even reach a status of so called cult figures. Just little scratches here and there, and possibly a pile of great reviews. Usually, you can keep them framed on your wall or on your hard drive somewhere.

At the moment, that is where Maryland’s Michael Nau finds himself. He’s been around for a while, ten years, more or less. A pile of great, really great albums as either Cotton Jones Basket Ride (one), Cotton Jones (two albums and an EP) and two brilliant albums under his name – Mowing (2016) and Some Twist (2017). And now he comes with another great (EP) effort – The Load.

As Nau says himself, it is tracks that did not make it as such to either of his albums (mostly the second), at least not in this form. Some musical snippets did get into other songs on Some Twist.

I don’t know, if these are Nau’s leftovers or afterthoughts, what should other musician’s say – some would kill to have some of these seven songs on any of their flagship releases! On all his releases Nau has this easy flowing music that just pours out of the speakers unassumingly, but always tend to grab you unexpectedly at the same time. It just creeps in, presents its musical and lyrical image, and then simply leaves to be succeeded by the next one.

Supported by his wife/keyboard player/,vocalist Whitney McGraw and a cast of various others, most of these songs were pieced up over a weekend (“Big Wind, No Sail” and “Diamond Anyway”), ,live in one take (“Looking for a Crack” and “Old Door”), or in a similar manner with very little additions. Still, Nau comes up with some great music, this time with a bit of a soulful tinge (“Sure It Can”, “Diamond Anyway”). Maybe that is what he had in mind when he said they don’t fit on the previous album, since it has nothing to do either with their quality or the quick recording process.

I’ve no idea whether Michael Nau will get the spotlight, or at least a cult(ish) status. He deserves them both, and The Load is just a bit more proof of that.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016 instagram_flat_2016

Editor Pick
Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MICHAEL NAU – THE LOAD

Author

Ljubinko Zivkovic

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
47.1
9.0
Total Spill Rating
47.1
Total Fan Rating
3 ratings
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewsi rootmichael nausuicide squeezethe load
album reviews, i root, michael nau, suicide squeeze, the load
About the Author
Ljubinko Zivkovic
Formerly a lot of things, including a journalist and a translator, currently a freelance writer living in The Netherlands.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewssuicide squeeze
 
8.0
Uncle Strut

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: UNCLE STRUT – HOME AT LAST

by Joseph Mastel on May 16, 2025
UNCLE STRUT HOME AT LAST SPACEY GRACEY RECORDS Uncle Strut is one of many up-and-coming bands from Vancouver to keep your eye on. They have gained a considerable fanbase in the past few years with their terrific indie pop/indie rock tunes with [...]
 
8.0
Kilynn Lunsford

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KILYNN LUNSFORD – PROMISCUOUS GENES

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 16, 2025
KILYNN LUNSFORD PROMISCUOUS GENES FEEL IT RECORDS Ok, Kilynn Lunsford might seem an unusual name to some, but there are actually two who are currently making music—neither of the more usual kind. The one we’re talking about here though is [...]
 
9.0
Friendship
5.3

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRIENDSHIP – CAVEMAN WAKES UP

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 16, 2025
FRIENDSHIP CAVEMAN WAKES UP MERGE RECORDS There’s this leftfield take on Americana music that has been going on for a while that encompasses quite a number of artists, from Will Oldham and Bill Callahan to the likes of Idaho Pernice [...]
 
8.0
Now

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOW – NOW DOES THE TRICK

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on May 16, 2025
NOW NOW DOES THE TRICK K RECORDS/PERENNIAL RECORDS What could be the key denominator for the artists who record for Olympia Washington’s stalwart recork label, K? Hard to put your finger on it, actually, but a great sense of melody. No matter [...]
 
8.0
Dan Mangan

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAN MANGAN – NATURAL LIGHT

by Bryan Williston on May 16, 2025
DAN MANGAN NATURAL LIGHT ARTS & CRAFTS Dan Mangan’s new album Natural Light is really something. Touted as being a return to his folkie, singer-songwriter roots, it is a work of simple beauty. Recorded with bandmates Jason Haberman, Mike [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: UNCLE STRUT – HOME AT LAST
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KILYNN LUNSFORD – PROMISCUOUS GENES
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRIENDSHIP – CAVEMAN WAKES UP
9.0
5.3
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NOW – NOW DOES THE TRICK
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DAN MANGAN – NATURAL LIGHT
8.0

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ACTORS AT LEE’S PALACE ON MAY 3!
508
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BRYAN FERRY & AMELIA BARRATT – LOOSE TALK
477
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MUMFORD & SONS – RUSHMERE
476
 
SPILL FEATURE: A NEW ERA OF CAR SEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH SETH DALBY, ETHAN IVES & ANDREW KATZ OF CAR SEAT HEADREST
430
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JETHRO TULL – CURIOUS RUMINANT
400
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: FATHER JOHN MISTY w/ DESTROYER @ MASSEY HALL, TORONTO
395
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
391
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES – LIVE AT THE GREEK (25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
368
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: SLAMDINISTAS – “WHERE I BELONG”
363
 
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
353
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE EBO TAYLOR AT THE CONCERT HALL ON APRIL 13!
341
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE
339
 
SPILL FEATURE: IN THE MEANTIME – A CONVERSATION WITH JONNY CRAGG OF SPACEHOG
320
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES