Dovecote

October 20, 2009 marks the release of Careful Love, the new album from Brooklyn-based troubadour, Tim Williams.  Following up 2007's acclaimed coffeehouse gem, When Work Is Done, Williams has now hung up his acoustic guitar and has returned with his most assertive recording to date, reinventing himself in “band” form and unshackling himself from the “singer-songwriter” stigma.   Careful Love is a confirmation of Williams' new outlook on life, musical maturity, and poise.

“Finally some warm sun
to heal all my new scars.
Life's what you make it.
Now I can take it.”

-Tim Williams
“I Hit Another Wall”

Tim Williams had a change of heart--literally.
In May 2008, Williams underwent intensive open-heart surgery that left him bedridden in recovery throughout most of the fall.  Once out of the hospital, Williams immediately began writing/rehearsing new material, and joining him this time were keyboardist Misty Boyce and guitarist Matt Welsh (of Phonograph).  Williams also had courage to try new things, like going to Los Angeles for the first time in his life.  He explains “Having lived in Brooklyn for such a long time, I was programmed to hate the sun-soaked city.”  Instead, he loved California.  He also met someone amazing and fell in love. 

For the first time in his life, Williams had some serious life experiences to write about.  The musical upturn on Careful Love reflects this. The up-tempo track “I Hit Another Wall” is a perfect example, as Williams explains, “I wrote the song as a reminder of how lucky I was to make it through.  It was physically the most painful experience of my life.”


Gritty guitars, saw tooth waves and lush harmonies lay down the perfect foundation for Williams’ breathy croon.   “Oceans” with its lush and dreamy swirls of descending delayed guitars surprises fans and illustrates how far Williams has come from his quieter beginnings. The dark, beat-driven “Ozone Street” and the twangy “All In” move around and intertwine with the three-part harmonies of “Murderous Air.”

The tone of the record is upbeat, an obvious testament to Williams’ ability to take an undaunted approach to the past year of his life.

Careful Love was recorded at The Light Garden studios in Los Angeles (owned by Shana Levy of Let’s Go Sailing) with engineer Dave Lynch. Williams also spent hours discussing musical ideas with Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart).  Additional tracking was completed at The Ship in Eagle Rock, CA, and at Studio B and Mission Sound Studios in Brooklyn, NY.  Mixing was done in the UK by Dave Lynch.

Stream "Murderous Air" from the upcoming album, Careful Love

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Other:
Daytrotter Session

"Novel soars on the basis of a singalong chorus and a killer synth line" ~Paste Magazine

"Magical" ~Stereogum

"A damn good record." ~Performing Songwriter

"When Work Is Done splits the difference between the Shins moody acoustic meditations at its lightest and Built To Spill's symphonic guitar rock at its heaviest." ~The Boston Globe

"If When Work Is Done is any indication, he's got what it takes to turn more than a few heads in the indie world: this is an earnest, well-crafted album, grounded with equal parts rustic grit and quirky sparkle." ~Allmusic.com

"Few albums are able to be immediately infectious yet keep a listener interested for listen upon listen, but Tim Williams' When Work Is Done does just that. Built upon a framework of intelligent songwriting and great production, he offers up an album that is easy to get into, yet never grows tired even after weeks of repeated listens. This is the album that should put Williams on the map." ~The Tripwire.com

"Williams has created a collection filled with simple beauty." ~Outburn

"Tim Williams crafts pop gems on his dynamite CD, When Work Is Done, matching allusive wordplay with hook-laden arrangements." ~Philadelphia Inquirer

Press: Jessi Hector - Jessi@GoldestEgg.com

Radio: Dave Heggie - Heggie@DovecoteRecords.com

Band: tim@tim-williams.net