Cotton Jones

Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw used to be members of the acclaimed indie-pop group Page France, and what was once called the Cotton Jones Basket Ride was a side project. When the members of Page France parted ways in 2008, Nau and McGraw continued as a duo, making music that,...

By Tom Murphy

February 2, 2011

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Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw used to be members of the acclaimed indie-pop group Page France, and what was once called the Cotton Jones Basket Ride was a side project. When the members of Page France parted ways in 2008, Nau and McGraw continued as a duo, making music that, while rooted in a lush, folky sound, sounded not fragile so much as expansive, like a lounge band in a Wes Anderson movie. The luminously hazy feel of much of Cotton Jones' most recent material is reminiscent of Edith Frost's penchant for capturing late-night introspection: Shimmering atmospheres rim warm compositions that swirl around Nau's vivid, poetic imagery. Touring in support of Tall Hours in the Glowstream, Cotton Jones impressively evokes a reverential mood in the context of a pop song.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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