Midwest Dilemma
Timelines & Tragedies
© 2008 Midwest Dilemma (687474196127)
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Earthy, up-tempo folk ballads with extraordinary story-telling, played to a lilting waltz beat, combining strings, woodwinds, brass and other nontraditional chamber instruments give this recording a rootsy-symphonic feel.
tracks
- 1 Montreal
- 2 Françoise
- 3 Fur Trader
- 4 The Great Depression
- 5 Generals Orderly
- 6 Good Samaritan
- 7 Chicago and North Western
- 8 Timelines & Tragedies
- 9 Lucille
- 10 Renault
- 11 Sioux City
- 12 Omaha
- 13 Damage Is Done
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notes
-- Timelines & Tragedies was nominated "Album of the Year" for 2008 at the Omaha Entertainment Awards (OEA)!
-- Timelines & Tragedies charted CMJ Top 200
-- Timelines & Tragedies was selected to be featured on Roadtrip Nation on PBS
MIDWEST DILEMMA – A guitar, cowboy cut shirt, red trucker hat, and an old passenger van on open road. Justin Lamoureux has been performing under the name Midwest Dilemma for nearly a decade. Many know Midwest Dilemma as Omaha based folk-rock band who's debut release Timelines & Tragedies won the title Album Of The Year at the Omaha Entertainment Awards show this year. The album also charted CMJ Top 200 based on college radio play shortly after the release.
Lamoureux enlisted friends, family members, and musical acquaintances to help create the music on Midwest Dilemma's Timelines & Tragedies album. Twenty-three members to be exact. Such instruments as Flute, Clarinet, Tuba, Trombone, Saxophone, Accordion, Cello, Viola, Trumpet, Singing Saw, Upright Bass, Vibraphone, Pedal Steel, Mandolin, Piano, Percussion, and Electric Guitar give the record an orchestral folk and chamber pop sound, similar to Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, and Bright Eyes.
Timelines & Tragedies is a time line of family history. Tracing Lamoureux's ancestors to their days of French Canadian fur trading, the Great Depression, the struggles of his parents' generation with Vietnam, and eventually concluding with his life in Sioux City and Omaha. Timelines & Tragedies is the perfect outcome of Midwest Dilemma's vision.
"Timelines & Tragedies does an extraordinary job of telling the immigrant’s story, one that distills the shared experience of severed roots and the dismembering and intimidating shift out of the safe boundaries of home into an uncertain future." - Frederick Foxtrott
"Midwest Dilemma has created a brave, introspective and genre-bending first offering with Timelines and Tragedies." - Tracer Magazine
"Acoustic Americana, with a subtle instrumental backing that dips from old folk to stylized cinescape." - Song, By Toad
"Midwest Dilemma has constructed a journey for the spirit." - Canadian Audiophile
"Lamoureux is a stream, it doesn’t matter if for a time he is only trickling through rocks and soil, his conviction is the rainfall, pouring much needed force sustenance to the stream – it can’t be stopped. He will find his ocean; it’s inevitable." - CityWeekly
"Using strings, woodwinds, guitars, accordion and a musical saw this album catapults itself to the upper echelons of folk music." - Here Comes The Flood
"Midwest Dilemma feels like a band that must not only be heard, but witnessed." - Enough Cowbell
"Above all, there is an inexplicable power to Timelines & Tragedies that gives it such an epic quality." - Radio Indy
"If you would have told me earlier in the day that I’d kick off the start of my weekend sitting around listening to 400 years of family history, I probably would have told you to piss off. After learning that factoid from the press sheet for the release of Midwest Dilemma’s Timelines & Tragedies, I’m pleased to report that I’m doing exactly that." - Rock Sellout
"This is an album for our times." - Metric Reflection
reviews
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thumbs up
author: Lincoln DickisonSprawling, gorgeously orchestrated chamber folk. Admirable in concept and execution. Worth purchasing just for the cover art.
Intelligent and Cinematic Folk CD with Strong Songwriting
author: William and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team"Timelines & Tragedies" by Midwest Dilemma is an acoustic folk album that features strong songwriting and orchestral elements. This album has a great layering of sounds and fantastic arrangements. The orchestral elements add such power that it tugs right at your emotions. Along with the intriguing sound, you'll hear some great vocal performances and lyrics that are based on the many trials and tribulations of the ancestry of singer/songwriter Justin Lamoureux. Above all, there is an inexplicable power to “Timelines & Tragedies” that gives it such an epic quality. The recording quality is superior and will win the challenge against any medium. Highlights include "Françoise," with a powerful arrangement that is well performed by the chamber orchestra. "The Great Depression" features great rhythms, wayward guitar, and more wonderful orchestral elements. The title track, "Timeline & Tragedies," is a beautiful duet and a great story. If you enjoy intelligent and cinematic folk music, give Midwest Dilemma a try.
Exceptional!!
author: Cory DumontI knew this was going to be good but...WOW! I am excited to follow Midwest Dilemmas musical career. Highly Recommended for eclectic folk/rock fans... or anyone for that matter! Beautiful melodies and arrangement.
- author: Linda Rowland
This isn't usually the type of music that I listen to, but it is amazing. Very good job.
Really Really Great
author: Scott SmithI expected this album to be good, but it exceeded my expectations. The recording quality and arrangements are excellent. The material is very cohesive and comes together to make a great album.
Great Album!!!
author: AdamI just got this CD Saturday night & haven’t been able to turn it off since. It is really an epic album. From beginning to end you embark on a great journey through the past. I can truly feel the lead singer (Justin Lamoureux) is deeply connected with each song & can visualize each tail he is trying to portray with each melodic song.