Apart Together

by Tim Minchin

Overview

Apart Together is the first traditional studio album by Australia's Tim Minchin, who built his reputation over the previous two decades as an award-winning comedian, actor, and composer/lyricist. Known for the stage musicals Matilda and Groundhog Day (both Olivier Award winners for Best New Musical) as well as for the comedic songs of his standup act, he alternates humor and earnestness on an album that reflects on four ultimately frustrating years spent living and working in Los Angeles before he moved to Sydney in 2018. Recorded with a host of studio musicians and multiple orchestrators, Apart Together comes off a lot like a rock opera, both in its scale and its mix of rousing power ballads and playful piano rock. A track that falls somewhere in between is "Leaving LA." A narrative piece, it combines poignant melodies, cynical remembrances, and wordplay like "a stoned Emma Stone" and "I've seen your sport and I don't wanna play." The livelier "Talked Too Much, Stayed Too Long" opts for a strutting, bluesy, funky rock, as Minchin, punctuated by female backing vocals, recalls playing keyboards in various clubs throughout his life. Elsewhere, the related "Airport Piano" settles into a catchy, Elton John-like pop/rock to set an evocative scene. While most of the album incorporates humor, he keeps things relatively sincere on songs including the title track and "I'll Take Lonely Tonight," a wistful, piano-based hotel ballad with only gentle, atmospheric accompaniment until it breaks open at the end. If moody and, for better or worse, steeped in theatrical instincts, Apart Together successfully captures the dissatisfaction of a writer separated from family in a grasping city. In fact, its overarching narrative and vivid imagery could have the makings of a show. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2021
Label:	Bmg
UPC:	4050538621068
Rank:	85731

Tracks

1. Summer Romance
2. Apart Together
3. Airport Piano
4. The Absence of You
5. I Can't Save You
6. Talked Too Much, Stayed Too Long
7. Leaving LA
8. I'll Taje Lonely Tonight
9. Beautiful Head
10. If This Plane Goes Down
11. Carry You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tim Minchin   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion
Ted Howard   Strings
Jak Housden   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Daniel Denholm   Bass,Strings,Synthesizer
Niko Schaeuble   Soloist,Trumpet
Brent Clark   Brass,Strings
James Haselwood   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Ben Vanderwal   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Anthony Kable   Trombone
Mark Taylor   Sax (Baritone)
Simon Sweeney   Trumpet
Andrew Jezek   Viola
Graham Jesse   Saxophone
Ben Gurton   Vocals (Background)
Evan Mannell   Drums,Percussion
Phil Stack   Bass (Upright)
Veronique Serret   Violin
Alexander Mitchell   Violin
Stephanie Zarka   Violin
Heather Lindsay   Viloncello
David Campbell   Contrabass
Tom Fisher   Vocals (Background)
Leah Lynn   Viloncello
Monique Irik   Violin
Lachlan O'Donnell   Violin
Georgia Mooney   Vocals (Background)
Victoria Bihun   Violin
Emma Jezek   Violin
Alex Norton   Violin
Glenn Christensen   Violin
Rowena Macneish   Viloncello
Jack Ward   Viloncello
Ike See   Violin
Virginia Comerford   Viola
Mat Jodrell   Trumpet
Sarah Belkner   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Nathan Greentree   Viola
Beth Condon   Viola
Bourian Boubboy   French Horn
Cristina Vaszilesin   Violin
Georgin Mooney   Vocals (Background)
Ilya Isakoyich   Violin
Milen Boubbov   French Horn
Pluto Jonza   Strings

Technical Credits

Ted Howard   Engineer
Daniel Denholm   Engineer,Producer,Orchestration
Ryan Smith   Engineer
Tim Palmer   Mixing,Engineer
Brent Clark   Mixing,Engineer
Steve Smart   Engineer,Mastering
Damian Bennett   Photography
Richard Belkner   Mixing,Engineer
Eric J. Dubowsky   Mixing,Engineer
Veronique Serret   Leader
Andrew Murabito   Design
Tim Minchin   Composer
Iain Grandage   Orchestration
Rose Mackenzie-Peterson   Assistant
Sarah Belkner   Score Wrangler