reviews of new singers & singer-songwriters page 8

Fat-Cat Rec.Nina Nastasia & Jim White : You Follow Me (UK,2007)****

It is always a pleasure to hear a new album by Nina Nastasia. The gifted percussion (by Jim White, also known from Dirty Three,..), with guitar and voice only, has a lot to tell. This is more than once with more variations of stories and themes within just one song. This is not such a release of someone unprepared in creating songs. The combination of both artists uplifts the individual quality. Only a shame I don’t have the lyrics available for reading. I can only say that the songs give the impression of twice thought over experiences. Jim White’s percussion is not always obvious in it’s rhythmically playfulness, which makes the music more surprising, fresh and moving. A fine album.

One audio track on http://www.myspace.com/ninanastasia

Label info with audio : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=223

Review with 3 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/artist.cfm?a=13722

Introduction : http://www.prefixmag.com/blog/nina-nastasia-jim-white-you-follow-me/5078

& http://harpmagazine.com/news/detail.cfm?article=11214

Fat-Cat Rec.Nina Nastasia : What She Doesn't Know / Your Red Nose -single- (UK,2008)***°

During the sessions of Nina Nastasia’s last album with Jim White on drums, she wrote and recorded some other songs that were originally supposed to be ideas for a next album, but in the end Nina found that these two songs (of which one was recorded with her own drummer Jay Bellerose), still fitted well as complimentary tracks to the previous album, so here they are published as a limited vinyl single of 500 copies with a comparable cover to remind us to which album this fits.

“What she doesn’t know” is a consciously sung quiet song with guitar, a simple but powerful song, as a dramatic statement in a love affair, saying “what she doesn’t know couldn’t hurt her anyway”. “Your Red Nose” has the recognisable brushed drumming of Jim White, is a short, a bit more sober song around the same subject.

Audio : http://www.juno.co.uk/products/301007-01.htm

Info on artist : http://www.alwaysontherun.net/ninanastasia.htm

& http://www.discorder.ca/oldsite/features/02aprilnastasia.html

& http://www.southern.com/southern/band/NASTA/biog.html

& http://www.drownedinsound.com/bands/5815

Label info : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=244

Info : http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/8177/Nina-Nastasia-New-Single.html

Review with audio on http://www.boomkat.com/...

Other review : http://normanrecords.com/records/96950

Rec.90 Erlend Ropstad : The Magnetic Tapes (N,2006)****

I started reviewing the singer-songwriter albums that I airplay on my radio show. I started with descriptions, but people expected some real reviews instead, and I realized that could help better the artists than just putting together likeminded artists. I still don't feel that I'm the most gifted person for this genre, because I can hardly follow all the lyrics, while I'm easily very distracted by the musical qualities. But sometimes even more detailed descriptions can not be enough to give the listeners an idea of the inspirational area.

In Norway Erlend was known before under his group (?) project 'Driving Diana', this is a first solo release that surely takes him into the international market. After some listens which still left me rather wordless, I checked some other reviews to see what they wrote about him. They all describe the singer as gifted in a more American styled singer-songwriter style, a description which I still do not find very satisfying. "All Right when you're near" even much more has something of the singing of early John Martyn to me, and also "Come on back in the morning" has emotional contrasts in the singing, both with an beautiful voice and second vocalist, the beautiful voice of Maria Due Tonessen, while other tracks have a kind of soft rock ability and strength. Oystein Greni accompanies on drums, banjo and telecaster ; -he is the singer/guitarist of an, in Norway, very famous band Big Bang-, and Eugen Shapov and Nicolai Eilertsen on bass. I don't have a grip on the lyrics yet. "Winona and I" are about a daydream fantasy of an imagined personal contact with Winona Ryder, as a very human and warm expression, while the other tracks recall in a similar affectionate way some memories, true or not, it does not really matter to what you can have feelings and thoughts for, it is the expressions themselves which are or become the most real reality.

A very strong debut.

Audio : http://www.myspace.com/erlendropstad

Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=23387

Homepages : http://www.erlendropstad.com & with audio :

Label (with audio of "Winona and I") : http://www.rec90.com/

German review : http://www.nordische-musik.de/... & http://www.musiknews.de/reviews/...

Fat-Cat Records Nina Nastasia : On Leaving (US,2006)***°'

Nina Nastasia has succeeded once more to make a, in all ways great and mature singer-songwriter album. The accompaniment is sparse, but that’s all that the album and the songs need. Still there are some favourites, which is mostly the middle of the album, like “Dumb I am” where the words participate in the rhythm, and the more melancholic “Why don’t you stay home”, powerful with just voice and acoustic guitar and a few notes of piano, similar like “Lee”, which also has a bit of cello. The “Threehouse Song” fits with the powerful symbolic image on the CD cover illustration. Only afterwards I noticed it was a rather short album, but it felt like a proper full release.

Audio : "Brad Haunts A Party", "Counting Up Your Bones"

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/ninanastasia

Anouncement : http://drownedinsound.com/content/view/970497

Label info : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/artistInfo.php?id=108

Label listing with audio : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=197

2 previous releases were reviewed on http://singersong.homestead.com/newwriters.html#anchor_91

Other review : - review of her next 2007 release ->

Travelling Music Hoepffner : La Suffocation du monde (=the suffocation of the world) (F,2006)****

When the label released this album, I don't think they expected much interest from people who do not have French as their native language. But I told them, even when I understand sufficiently the language, that the music sounds interesting enough to make appreciation from outside the French areas more than just possible. First of all what is attractive about it, are the double layers of the rhythmic repetitions of guitar pickings (acoustic and amplified) with sparse rhythms and piano or harmonica and other sounds (like slide guitar,..), combined with the slightly narrative and melancholic voice, a quality which I know also from Rale and their guitarist master Vladimir Vaclavek from the Czech Republic (with a poetic result that makes their music amongst my favourite acoustic music examples, where it doesn’t matter at all any more what is understood in the words, because there the musical concept does the work for it; see reviews on next page). The same kind of poetic undertone is here. (One of the songs is in English). About the title : I personally believe that amongst people, nowadays there is a communal suffering of all the global things that are happening (tyranny ideas from many governments and politics, environment, nature,..), even despite this background many creative expressions are at work. “This recording is meant to be listened to on a hammock” reveals already that this part of loss is less serious than we might think, because beauty can still be revealed, here in miniature musical forms, and with its recognition of it all suffering disappears with love. This is such a song book of love.

Audio : "Feuilles d’algue", "Loups dents saillantes", "Jeanne Moreau Tokyo Live"(or on next page)

Info : http://travellingmusic.free.fr/releases.php3?id_rubrique=35&lang=en

Matchbox Rec Mary : In the head of a dreamer (DK,2006)**°

This release is much more pop and poprock related than all the other items listed on these pages, with a strong band sound, good voice, some good sax and bass clarinet additions by Torben Snekkestad and much more. The singing is done with such variations and repetitions that benefit that sound, with a certain influence from some poprock groups like perhaps Cranberries and with some ideas from certain soloists with a rockband like perhaps Kate Bush, with most focus on the “good” performance, and on the keeping the “strong”, attractive poprock sound, sometimes becoming a bit cleaner in the deeper content (the phrase “will you be there” for instance is overly repeated, but almost everywhere the effect has the focused and very solidly produced result with a certain dynamic roll). To uplift this to something more special a slightly jazzy touch is added here and there in the band performance. Enjoyable.

Audio : http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marysongs

Homepage (with audio in song section) : http://www.marysongs.dk

Other reviews : http://www.guitartools.co.uk/cd_reviews/cd/album_reviews/... & http://www.marysongs.dk/reviews.htm

& http://www.ejazznews.com/...

& http://lunakafe.com/moon119/dk119.php

& http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=3358

& http://www.thisisull.com/music06/albums/seanmary.html

Label info : http://cnb-host2.clickandbuild.com/...

Interview : http://www.matchboxrecordings.co.uk/artists/mary.htm

Pure Rec.Roddy Woomble : My secret is my silence (UK,2006)****

I had to listen many times before I was able to review this album, and each listen made it a grower on me. Almost each song sounds like a wartmth-bringing ballad, from quiet acoustic styled tracks to the Indierock style with a Smiths and REM touch, both very attractive in an almost poprock ability. Never the less also Scottish and Irish folk influences peep through, with second vocals by Kate Rusby and perhaps Karine Polwart and the folk violin by John McCusker, and a few other arrangements, making the range of expression conjure the land from where it comes. The lyrics are thoughtful, and especially the title track lingers. A promising independent release and talent that deserves to be heard on bigger popular radiostations. Roddy Woomble is known before from his group Idlewild. Members of this band as well as from Sons and Daughters participated. Produced by John McCusker.

Audio : "Every line of a long moment", "My Secret Is My Silence", "Waverley Steps", "Under my breath", "I Came In From The Mountain" & http://www.hmv.co.uk/...

Info : http://www.purerecords.net/artists/roddywoomble/index.htm

Homepage : http://www.roddywoomble.com/ & with audio : http://www.myspace.com/rwoomble

Other reviews : http://www.musicomh.com/albums5/roddy-woomble_0706.htm

& http://crackersunited.com/blog/index.php/2006/07/07/roddy-woomble-my-secret-is-my-silence/

& http://review.azlyrics.com/r/mysecretismysilence-by-roddywoomble.html

& http://www.musicscotland.com/...

& http://www.comfortcomes.com/?page=reviews&id=1110

& http://www.play.com/Music/CD/RRR/3-/1094230/My_Secret_Is_My_Silence/Product.html

& http://www.stayfun.co.uk/2006/07/roddy-woomble/

& http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1081932006

demoSister Suvi : The Leaf demo (CAN,2006)****

It took me a while to review this CDR demo, -the same one which was submitted to Leaf records-, (lack of quality here was not the reason, but I must admit I’m often much slower and less enthusiastic with CDRs, also because there’s no visual aspect to it).

Sister Suvi for me, very much is like a theatre-rich troubadour group, with as much variety in singing and moods as in a whole theatre piece. They sing as if telling stories, with the right mood and nice arrangements to dig deep enough, always with a sweet warm mood, and are sung with very convincing warm hearted voices, with fantasy and some humour, and with strong songs in various moods.

Sister Suvi is ukuleleist, violinist, guitarist, lead singer Merrill Garbus and guitarist, lead singer, vocalist Patrick Gregoire, and drummer Nico Dann (not on the demo).

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/sistersuvi

Performance reviews :

http://www.relativetheoryrecords.com/reviews/2006/10/25/islands-sister-suvi-socalled/

& http://www.harmoniummusic.com/2006/10/23/live-review-islands-w-sister-suvi-blueprint-101606/

Clapping Music Orval Carlos Sibelius (F,2006)****

It is difficult to place Orval’s music into a simple description. This song music has rather intelligent-colourful and varied arrangements. The vocal arrangements and complexity remind me of Sufjan Stevens. Sometimes keyboards (clever electronica) are the fundament to build other instruments around it, but elsewhere there are stringed and plucked instruments. The vocal harmonies are very nice too, with the sweet voice of Zoé Wolf (clouds and stairs, The Konki Duet, O Lam, all groups related with the label) or choir like vocal arrangements by Kumi Okamoto (The Konki Duet). The release invites repeated listens. On “Finally” I can notice a very clear Robert Wyatt reference and interest in his music (voice and keyboards). This tracks is just a detail in the inspired melodic compositions. Very nice. There's more in the music than my review can describe.

Audio "Mr.Heart of Stone" and here

Homepage with audio : http://myspace.com/orvalsibelius

Label : http://www.clappingmusic.com/accueil/acc-set.html

Review with audio (click "listen") : http://shop.ascorpus.com/orval-carlos-sibelius-p-240.html

French reviews : http://www.indiepoprock.net/review.php?id=1719

& http://www.nocritic.net/article/309/snark-nest-plus-welcome-to-orval-carlos-sibelius

& http://www.benzinemag.net/musique/orval_sibelius.htm

& http://perso.orange.fr/ondefixe/OrvalcarlosSibelius.htm

& http://neospheres.free.fr/disques/orval.htm

& http://www.autresdirections.net/article.php3?id_article=911

Sfeericle RecordsVitaminsforyou : The legend of bird's hill (CAN,2006)***°

Vitaminssforyou is a project lead by Bryce Kushnier, and this is his second album. The music surely will take advantage of the success of the acoustic folk movement with complex subtle rock arrangements (Sufjan Stevens, Adem, Brendon Anderegg,..) and uses also clever modern electronica. With a bit of help from the laptop (electronica, rhythms, modern production and mix) Bryce is using also some up-to-date DJ-like mixing techniques. Anyhow, the arrangements have a complex mix of instruments and ideas, tightly woven together, but flow very constant without changing the mood very much or without any sharp contrasts. It needs various listens and an attentive listen and a deliberate focus to lift out certain moments of songs out of the overall really very nice song-driven but still carpet-like feeling, like with moving lights around giving a nice mood, but also confusing and making almost forgetful to hear the details, blurring the attention. Of course some of the songs have more modern and attractive electropop rhythms that attract a pop sensibility, and could easily flourish up a mood during a party, with a bit more peace and time to adapt the sphere other than the wish for dancing. I made the effort of various listens and I'm surprised how much is really happening all the time. I'm sure there must have been much work done on it, with an ear for perfection.

19 songs and 75 minutes is a long time, but unless the music has no exaggerated global contrasts, it still invites the listener to put it up more than once, because it's impossible to have assimilated it all, even after a few listens.

Audio : "Six O'clock whispers"(or here), "Being away fame"(or here), "It's always raining in Dublin", "Nothing never is", "The Ukraianians" (or here), "Wishing I lived near water"

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/vitaminsforyou

Label related homepage : http://www.sfeericle-records.com/vitaminsforyou/

Info : http://www.observatoryonline.org/releases/view_release.php?sku=os045

& http://www.newmusiccanada.com/genres/artist.cfm?mode=longBio&Band_Id=9303

Article : http://xjam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/07/27/1704700.html

& http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/music/2006/07/vitaminsforyouclublambi_063006/

Label : http://www.sfeericle-records.com

Review with 3 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=22062

and on http://obscuresound.com/?p=201

Other reviews : http://www.groovesmag.com/review_item.php?id=00000308

& http://www.lefthip.com/...

& http://www.earshot-online.com/reviews/DisplayReview.cfm?DiscID=41154

& http://www.harmoniummusic.com/2006/05/22/vitaminsforyou-the-legend-of-birds-hill/

Interview : http://www.autresdirections.net/article.php3?id_article=89

Concert review : http://www.lefthip.com/...

Sony Big Yellow Taxi : Unknown and famous songs of Joni Mitchell (DK,2006)****

When I heard a few fragments on CD Baby I couldn’t believe that this Joni Mitchell tribute group didn’t contain any Joni Mitchell herself, because the group is much more than a Joni-alike. They’re almost like twins, in soul and matter. Of course it is because singer Christina Friis has not only a similarly coloured voice, she is able to give the same range and singing technique. I’m not surprised this is Joni Mitchell approved. Besides that the arrangements have their own vision, and everything reveals a purity and honesty which counts heavily. While I began to get embarrassed by hearing Joni Mitchell reinterpret her own songs, with orchestral versions, with some kind of variations of older patterns, this is the kind of renewal I was waiting to hear. I cannot recommend this release enough to all Joni Michell fans of the early years mostly. Actually this could have been an example of an evolution after these years into this century.

Bringing on just a little bit or even rather new variation the group manages to perform slightly different versions that don't lose anything of the original songs. -Four unreleased Joni Michel songs were also interpreted !-

Christina Friis : vocals ; Hennig Olsen : acoustic and electric guitars, bass, electric slide dobro, acoustic and Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, percussion ; Frede Ewert : piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer ; Finn Gustafsson : electric guitar, wah wah ; T.Skovgaard : electric guitar, sitarguitar, dobro, acoustic 12-string guitar ; Michael Klinke : mouth organ; Rune Olessen : percussion, congas.

Audio : http://cdbaby.com/cd/bigyellowtaxi3 and here

Homepage : http://www.bigyellowtaxi.dk/

Other review : http://www.ink19.com/news/2006/33/872.html

Joni Mitchell homepage : http://jonimitchell.com/

About the 'Big Yellow Taxi' track : http://www.bobdylanroots.com/bigyellow.html

& http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Yellow_Taxi

& http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1005.html

Joni Michell releases which I have and appreciate : -these are her early acoustic releases-

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Joni Mitchell/Song to a Seagull (US,1969)*****

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Smoke (US,1970)****'

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Ladies of the Canyon (US,1971)****°

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Clouds (US,1973)****°

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Blue (US,1976)****

* Reprise Rec.Joni Mitchell : Heijra (US,1978)****

Private CD Ora Cogan : Sparrow (CAN,2004)****'

In the light of sparkling water, Ora’s looks on the images seeing mankind’s habits, and is moved by personal feelings, while her voice moves like a leaf on the water, propelled by her own attentive ideas, that show a very distinctive and personal kind of tone-moving emphases. She has a remarkable, slightly jazzy/heart-bluesy soulful voice that guides her songs, hinting of an almost gospel-desire on tracks about other people. Her voice, once heard is not easily forgotten because the vision and movements are rather different and still recognisable as if deeper rooted in older jazz and blues, and who knows other genres from inside or real. She’s accompanied by different people on several songs. On “All God's Children” there’s the jazzy upright bass from Ryan Trigg (like also on “Think for yourself”), with drums by Kenton Loewen (like on the next track, “Manufactured Freedom”), and Irish flute by Nadia Blanchfield using a jig for the rightly-measured-for-a-change, detail of an arrangement. Lead guitar on “China Doll” is by Pépé. Snare drum on “Follow me down” is by Kevin Wilkie, while two other tracks, “Brandy” and “Drown in the line” are arranged solo.

Private CDR Ora Cogan : Tatter (CAN,2006)****'

It’s been two years since her last release, so now Ora released herself a CDR published in old cut-in-four LP covers (mine came from a library music record). Her voice, only accompanied by acoustic guitar comes a bit closer to Jolie Holland this time. There’s a slight dark shadowly melancholic veil over them. Beautiful and pure. Recommended.

Audio : "Old Black Swan","Take Me Home" & on http://www.myspace.com/oracogan

Homepage : http://oracogan.com

Info and two unreleased tracks : http://www.newmusiccanada.com/...

Update : "Tattar" has been released on CD now. New review expected soon.

Fat-Cat Rec. Ensemble : Ensemble -collaborations with Lou Barlow & Cat Power (F/US/UK/D,2006)****'

Although Olivier Alary had send firstly a demo before to Fat-cat Records, (“it was the first demo we ever received" the label states), Olivier finished his first album for Rephlex Records in 2000, called ‘Sketch Proposals’. This led to some writing collaborations with Bjork, along with several remixes of her work. Of course that experience might have influenced this second album. As vocalists, Chan Marshall from Catpower (on “Disown, Delete”), Lou Barlow from Sebadoh & Dinosaur Jr (on “One Kind Two Minds”), UK based Mileece (on Summerstorm” and “All we leave behind”) and Camille Claverie (on Loose”) were attracted. Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) plays drums, and Erik Hove sax on “Summerstorm”.

The titletrack, “Summerstorm” is loaded from energy, with some electronic rhythms, distorted recording effects, strings and a bit of trumpet, with a sound and new century modern rich production comparable to Sufjan Stevens, Tunng, The Books, and many more of the winners with acoustic and some electronic elements and beautiful vocal arrangements, also Ensemble really is such a perfect winner. The full-massive production and ideas are almost stunningly perfect. This incredible track builds up to a layer with beautiful hysterical trumpet. Wonderful !! The combination of song and the ideas with sounds is done very playfully and with a lot of care. The so called noise related elements are always very clever, like some malfunction and sound manipulations, natural sounds as beautiful material-like drones like rain with wind and seashores. Analogue (?) keyboards are used for ambient touches. The chosen popfolk voices gives human hearted emotionality through the voice, with a calm intuitive soulful effect. Also the few orchestrations performed by the Babelsberg Film Orchestra in Germany by Johannes Malfatti are also worth giving extra praise to, especially on the wonderful “Loose”, Recommended !

Audio "One kind two minds"

Info on band : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/artistInfo.php?id=106

and release with audio : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=195

& : http://fat-cat.co.uk/fatcat/release.php?id=198

Homepage : http://www.ensemble-home.com/

& with audio : http://www.myspace.com/olivieralary

Reviews : -

More on Mileece : http://www.mileece.net/ & http://www.myspace.com/mileece