~Press

Links to Press for New Ways of Letting Go

Magnet
Firesideometer (both a review of the record and a rather lengthy interview posted as well).
Pitchfork
LA Times
Delusions of Adequacy
Hybrid
Performing Songwriter
Said the Gramophone
Smother.net
Skatterbrain
Babysue
Each Note Secure
Sabad.jud.as
Raised on Indie

The Amplifier review is good too, and can be seen in the magazine!

A few quotes:

"... a masterful blend of piano balladry, multi-genre brilliance, baroque pop lilt, and broad range... it's probably not too much of an overstatement to hang the genius tag on multiinstrumentalist Michael Zapruder.   --Amplifier Magazine

"Collaborating with some 20 musicians, including Jonathan Siegel of Camper Van Beethoven and Nate Query of the Decemberists, Michael Zapruder makes beautiful folk-pop ballads resonant of the voice of Rufus Wainwright and wordplay of Andrew Bird" - Pitchfork

"In the New Chamber Folk, arrangements are key, separating poet-composers from lonesome coffeehouse troubadours.  Zapruder understands this and has built a house of many colors...he explores themes of isolation and eros but without the customary whine." - L.A. Times

"The rewards are vast and varied...akin to hearing Rufus Wainwright croon over Andrew Bird's simmering string arrangements." (Magnet)

"I am excited and aesthetically satisfied. Every sound and word is thoughtfully placed, every dynamic shift is carried out with precision, every sentence (both verbal and musical) is phrased significantly. Michael Zapruder is working firmly embedded in the auteurial model of composition and arrangement, and he is a brilliant director." - Said the Gramophone

"Enveloping artistic visions with clever indie pop ballads and art rock masterpieces, “New Ways of Letting Go” seems to be an album of singer/songwriter glamour that has incredibly catchy hooks that dig in deep. A perfect album if I’ve ever heard one." - Smother.net

"...a full-on orchestral tidal wave." - Skatterbrain

Press for Michael Zapruder and This is a Beautiful Town

"...a damned fine singer-songwriter (and guitarist and pianist) from San Fran, Zapruder's little song-nuggets evoke Ron Sexsmith, Tom Petty (without the obvious roots-rock influence), Rufus Wainwright, [and] newer Elvis Costello."

"Michael Zapruder is part of a rare breed, able to weave sophisticated lyrics into sophisticated songs without losing our interest or bagging the whole thing in some Dylan-esque mad-grab for attention. Zapruder's not vying for some dime-a-dozen "new Dylan" tag like so many of that ilk. There's an ache in his voice and a cut to the cloth of his electric guitar and elaborate grand piano that's more Hunky Dory-Bowie and similarly grandiose glam, and might fit on either of Nick Cave's last two records. One of Zapruder's recent projects was a yearlong journal in which he produced a song per week. If there were any cliches or laspes in writing judgement left in Zapruder, cathartic exercises like this seem to have exorcised them.

"[Zapruder] is a master of mellow, sitting at his piano and playing songs that fit somewhere along the lines of Ron Sexsmith mixed with Paul McCartney and Elliot Smith."

"We always dig it when we come across an artist whose main concern is writing songs above all else. Michael Zapruder is such an artist.This guy will be a major player in one realm or another."

"In a post-post-modern era of retro kitsch and sarcastic posturing, artists free of irony's familiar traps are few. They're far between, as well, so to find a musician like San Francisco's Michael Zapruder... is refreshing."

Praise for This is a Beautiful Town:

Everybody knows that music journalists can be given to hyperbole, but thereís just no way to overstate how good this record is. Michael Zapruder is a writer with a rare gift of uncommon perspective combined with the ability to deliver it beautifully. On the strangely touching and more than a little unsettling ìLittle Ship Bluebellîóa crushingly lovely songóZapruder sings of children sailing away, ìThrowing their crayons into the sea / Theyíll be grist for the glamour mills / Drinking whiskey taking pills,î and somehow makes it so pretty. His voice is similar to Damien Riceís for its uncluttered simplicity, and his lyrics and music are subdued and accomplished. This record belongs on the shelf between Lennonís Double Fantasy and Westerbergís 14 Songs. Go get it.

"This is a Beautiful Town [is] a warm, analog-steeped album of musings by a young poet with a notebook full of ideas.

"This is a Beautiful Town [is] a lean standout."

"This is a Beautiful Town... frequently exerts a quiet and haunting allure. Lacing his songs with vivid imagery and peculiar scenarios is Zapruder's chief talent [and] the emphasis on piano ballads and shimmering acoustics adds to the album's suite-like intimacy. This is a Beautiful Town may well turn out to be a lasting pop pleasure."

"This is a Beautiful Town is a remarkable collection of snapshots depicting a placid if haunted life in a village populated by Zapruder and his aching, well-earned melodies. These are the sort of profound songs that make a songwriter, not the other way around. [This is a Beautiful Town is] deep and seems to lean, at every turn, toward grace."

"...moody and lovely..."

"This is a Beautiful Town is gorgeous, gently sad piano-pop."

"This is a Beautiful Town is one big tasty album. Mr. Zapruder has a beautiful deep voice that reminds us of Ron Sexsmith and Mark Everett (of Eels fame). The songs, however, are pure Zapruder. This entire album was crafted around some piano and vocal tracks that Michael recorded at Neil Young's Broken Arrow Ranch. The initial tracks were taken to New York where they were fleshed out and completed. The music ranges from pensive to poignant to thoughtful to uplifting...and back again. But what drives these tunes are, of course, Mr. Zapruder's melodies and voice. Astounding and beautiful compositions like "Little Ship Bluebell," "Diamond Line," "This is a Sinecure," and the title track are sure to be on a great many playlists for many years to come. An instant classic, This is a Beautiful Town is refreshing, genuine, and pure. Great stuff. Rating: 5++ (out of 6).

"The title cut encapsulates all that is wonderful about Zapruder. The melody is a revelation, the song having a gloss of ë50s jazz. The rich detailed lyrics are irony-free and in combination with the music and Zapruder's sympathetic vocal, it is an instant classic. This album cries out for a larger audience."