This is a RSS file. Copy the URL into your aggregator of choice. If you don't know what this means and want to learn more, please see: http://platial.typepad.com/news/2006/04/really_simple_t.html for more info. http://platial.comhttp://platial.com/map/Music-you-should-hear/1955 I'm a huge fan of indie artists and laid-back electronic music that can be categorized more specifically under "indie pop" and "downtempo". This map is a compilation of artists (and their hometowns) that I absolutely love. Indie pop refers to indie music which is considered to be based on the conventions of pop music. The term is nebulous. Pop is seen as being radio-friendly and disposable, two things that indie music generally eschews. Indie pop is thus the pop music that operates outside the boundaries of conventional pop music. It is often lo-fi, or otherwise unusual. Downtempo music is an umbrella term for a laid-back electronic music style slower than house music (less than 118 beats per minute, possibly beatless) but separate from ambient music. This can encompass specific genres such as lounge music, chill out, trip-hop, or acid jazz. It is usually intended more for relaxing and socializing than dancing, though some releases are produced for the dance floor. http://platial.com/post/38246 Before they became the buzz of Portland, OR, as the duo Dahlia, Jennifer Folker and Keith Schreiner were semi-successful artists on their own, the former as a vocalist-for-hire and the latter as an ambient producer. Folker had laid down vocals for Banco de Gaia (the club hit "Obsidian"), Tweaker, and King Black Acid; Schreiner had released an album as Auditory Sculpture. Yet while the success they garnered on their own was modest at best, when the two teamed up for Dahlia -- Folker handling vocals, Schreiner crafting soundscapes -- they suddenly became the trendiest act in Portland. It was the duo's weekly gig at the club Ohm that drew a crowd -- each week more and more people showing up to see what all the fuss was about. Local publications such as the Portland Tribune, the Oregonian, and even the Rocket in Seattle wrote flattering and mystique-building stories on the duo, setting the stage for Emotional Cycles, Dahlia's recording debut. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:43:20.074725+00:00 http://platial.com/post/80242 Bath, England's singer/composer/keyboardist Allison Goldfrapp began exploring music as a part of her studies as a Fine Art Painting major at Middlesex University, mixing sound, visuals, and performances in her installation pieces. While she was still in college, she appeared on her friend Tricky's 1995 debut Maxinquaye, which led to appearances on albums from other cutting-edge electronic artists, including Orbital's Snivilisation and Add N to X's Avant Hard. By the late '90s, Goldfrapp began honing her own compositions; one of her friends passed some of her demos on to composer Will Gregory. Finding much in common in their musical tastes and approaches, the duo took Allison's surname as the name for their collaboration. After signing to Mute in 1999, Goldfrapp delivered their debut album, Felt Mountain, in fall 2000. Felt Mountain went on to nealry universal acclaim and spawned several singles, including the Utopia Genetically Enriched EP, which arrived in early 2001. After spending most of that year touring, Goldfrapp spent most of 2002 recording and returned with Black Cherry in spring 2003. 2005 saw the release of the Ooh La La single and the full-length Supernature, both of which continued the disco and glam-rock influences of the duo's previous album.

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]]> 2006-05-09 00:55:39.471628+00:00 http://platial.com/post/80252 Norwegian duo Röyksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Tromsø by making some of the warmest, most inviting downbeat electronica of the new millennium, exemplified by early singles like Eple and Poor Leno. The pair, Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge, both grew up in Tromsø and began recording in the early '90s. Local-made-good Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) provided tutelage and almost convinced the duo to record for R&S sublabel Apollo. After a few years apart, Brundtland and Berge met up again in Bergen and re-formed Röyksopp in 1998. The group released a few singles on Tellé, then signed up to the big beat label Wall of Sound. The Röyksopp debut was 2001's Eple single; both "Eple" and another track ("Poor Leno") earned slots on over a dozen chillout compilations that year or the next. Their first full-length, Melody A.M., appeared in late 2001. After spending a few years performing live and remixing artists including Beck and Annie, Röyksopp returned with new material in 2005: the single Only This Moment heralded the summer release of the duo's second album, The Understanding, which featured more traditionally structured songs than their earlier work. The live EP Röyksopp's Night Out appeared a year later. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-08 19:51:55.351343+00:00 http://platial.com/post/84659 Videos: Dogs Hal9000 Puracane began as a duo in 1999. Vocalist Ali Rogers and producer David Biegel co-wrote the album 'Things you should leave alone', released by Ubiquity records in 2000. Ali Rogers decided to take the project from the studio to a live act and in 2000 Puracane played shows with Sting and Duran Duran and in 2001 with Jane's Addiction and Depeche Mode. Puracane's music featured in the films Driven Felicity, Road Rules and Real World. Today Puracane are Ali Rogers on vocals, Juan Masotta on guitar and electronics, Drew Thurlow on bass, Andrew Griffiths on drums and Brett O'Mara on violin. The band just released a new album: 'In Limbo', a collection of songs composed and produced by several satellite members during Puracane's hiatus. Currently the band is working on new material for the next album and upcoming shows. -puracane.com

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]]> 2006-05-20 00:26:05.982991+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38100 Blue Monday (Quicktime / 7.8Mb) Flunk is a Norwegian electronic band consisting of members producer Ulf Nygaard, guitarist Jo Bakke, drummer Erik Ruud, and vocalist Anja Oyen Vister. The band began as a project between Ulf, and Jo in Oslo, Norway in winter 2000/2001. Beginning as an instrumental and sampled vocal project, they were signed for a track on a compilation by Beatservice Records in winter 2001. On hearing the finished track, label manager Vidar Hanssen signed the unnamed band for a full album. During early summer 2001, Ulf and Jo recorded most of the album and Anja improvised the vocals. After their vocals, Jo layered the guitars, but it would be a year before the album would be completed and released. In spring 2002, the band was known as Flunk and they released their first single, a cover of New Order's Blue Monday in April. The track was well received in the UK and was included on numerous compilations in North America and Europe. Later in April, their debut album For Sleepyheads Only was released which garnered great reviews in Norway. With the success of their album, BBC invited them to do a recording session for the Radio 1 show The Blue Room in London. Shortly after Notting Hill Art's Club would become the location to their live debut. In the United States, they became signed to Guidance Recordings. By summer 2002, raving reviews were being returned by British electronica magazines and in July they played Norway's finest rock festival. In October For Sleepyheads Only was released in the US through Guidance Recordings. By November they played the London Jazz Festival. Throughout 2003 their debut, For Sleepyheads Only was still being echoed across the globe in staggered releases with special editions released to Russia and Greece. Beatservice Records then went on to release Treat Me Like You Do - For Sleepyheads Only Remixed in June. While their debut continued to make it's way around, the band wasted no time and began work on their second album for the majority of the year, which was recorded in Paris in October. Their sophomore album, Morning Star was finished in March 2004 and saw a Norwegian release in May while the rest of the world received it in June. In 2005, Play America was released on Beatservice Records which included bonus tracks from the US version of Morning Star along with remixes.

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]]> 2006-05-05 22:01:02.627637+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38101 The epitomy of the quieter, coffee-table side of singer/songwriter electronica and trip-hop, Olive was formed by producers Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth (former members of, respectively, Simply Red and Nightmares on Wax) with vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle. Kellett connected with Boyle while playing keyboards for a live incarnation of the Durutti Column (he manipulated her tape-looped vocals while on stage), and asked her to join him in a new recording project. With Kellett writing lyrics and the addition of Taylor-Firth, the trio recorded three songs and found plenty of labels ready to bid for their services. RCA Records won out and released "You're Not Alone" in 1995. Though it took almost a year to catch on with British audiences, the single eventually hit number one and sold half a million copies. America proved passingly fond of the track as well, making a home near the Top 40 for it. Their second album Trickle arrived in 2000 on Maverick Records. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:51:48.012857+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38102 Durham, NC-based queercore trio the Butchies reunited singer/guitarist Kaia Wilson and drummer Melissa York, who previously teamed in the pioneering Team Dresch. Joined by ex-Poor Valentino bassist Alison Martlew, the Butchies signed to Mr. Lady (the independent label Wilson founded with girlfriend Tammy Rae Carlson) to issue their 1998 debut Are We Not Femme?. A year later, the Chris Stamey-produced Population 1975 was released. The Butchies didn't waste much time in between albums; Wilson kept herself busy with Mr. Lady and issued albums by Le Tigre and Sarah Dougher in the early millennium while the band prepared for a third album. Getting back together with producer Greg Griffith, the aptly titled Three appeared in 2001. Stateside dates with The Indigo Girls' Amy Ray followed that summer. A fourth effort, Make Yr Life, was recorded in ten days before hitting shelves in spring 2004. It marked the Butchies' first release with Yep Roc. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:48:03.030814+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38104

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]]> 2006-04-11 19:53:31.198531+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38105 Comprising three sisters and one brother of the Corr family -- vocalist Andrea, drummer Caroline, violinist Sharon and guitarist/keyboard player Jim -- the Corrs blend the music of their Irish background with contemporary pop/rock and occasional use of synthesizers. The quartet formed in 1991, and was confined to regional popularity in Ireland until 1994, when the American ambassador to the country invited the Corrs to perform at the 1994 World Cup in Boston. The attraction led to a support slot on Celine Dion's 1996 tour, which the group joined just after an appearance at that year's Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Corrs' debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten (released on Lava/Atlantic in America) became internationally popular, but nowhere more so than their homeland, where the LP's four-times-platinum status made it one of the most popular debuts by an Irish group. Talk on Corners followed in 1998, and was reissued in expanded form early the following year. Andrea Corr, who had made a small appearance in the 1991 film The Commitments, returned to acting five years later with a role in Evita. The group returned to the studio and produced a fourth album in 2000, In Blue. VH1 Presents the Corrs: Live in Dublin was released in 2002 while the band took a break. Caroline had a baby and Andrea appeared on the In America soundtrack, performing vocals on the Bono/Gavin Friday-penned "Time Enough for Tears." A new version of the Oscar-nominated song appeared on the Corrs' 2004 return, Borrowed Heaven. Home arrived in 2005, followed by All the Way Home: A History of the Corrs in 2006.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:45:21.642432+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38129 Borrowing their name from a British new wave group, the Softies were formed in 1994 by singer/guitarist Rose Melberg following the dissolution of her previous band, Tiger Trap. Upon relocating from Sacramento, CA, to Portland, OR, Melberg first established the trio Go Sailor, still a going concern when she teamed with Pretty Face alum (and publisher of the fanzine Sparkly Kitty Sticker) Jen Sbragia to found the Softies. The indie-pop duo bowed in early 1995 with "Loveseat," a single issued on the Slumberland label; their gorgeous debut LP It's Love followed later in the year on Calvin Johnson's K label. After a self-titled 1996 Slumberland 10", the Softies returned to K in early 1997 to issue their sophomore effort, Winter Pageant; at the same time, both Melberg and Sbragia also teamed with Class' Peter Green in the Three Peeps. Fall 2000 saw the release of their third album Holiday in Rhode Island. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:42:18.449793+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38130 San Francisco band led by Alicia van den Heuvel (also the bassist in Aislers Set) and Stephen Visecky (though SV has just moved to New York). New Order influenced indie-pop sound.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:31:11.544617+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38131 2006-03-07 12:23:21.484967+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38132 More: The Only One That Matter This Life (Brittle Stars remake) California Snow Story is from Glasgow, Scotland, and their debut 5-song EP rocks out like a fellow Scottish band, Belle & Sebastian. I love the track "Summer Avenues", a fun little pop song with perky background of "ba ba bada"'s.

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]]> 2006-05-05 22:11:25.172528+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38176 Yet one more outgrowth of the ever-expanding Elephant 6 family tree, Athens, GA-based psychedelic pop combo the Great Lakes began as the high school project of longtime friends Dan Donahue and Ben Crum. Multi-instrumentalist Jamey Huggins (also the drummer for local favorites Of Montreal) later joined the core roster, with Todd Kelley and Joel Evans also serving as frequent collaborators; the live Great Lakes lineup often expanded to as many as 11 members, among them the Gerbils' Scott Spillane and Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, Dottie Alexander and Derek Almstead. The group's self-titled debut LP followed on Kindercore in mid-2000. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:19:47.409292+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38177 With a finished record in hand and musical connections before she even set foot in the city, Alison Breitman packed up her New York City apartment and headed west to the windy city of Chicago. There, she met with drummer Shawn Rios to form her new band. Rios, a veteran of the Chicago music scene, had already become familiar with the record through various friends and musical contacts that had been talking up her 2004 album, "The Game". Hearing that Ms. Breitman was going to start up a backing band in support of the album (and wishing to write new material), Rios called upon Griffin Baron, a trusted session musician with whom he'd worked previously. With Griffin on bass, Alison playing piano, guitar and holding court on the microphone, the lineup finally filled out with the addition of Shawn's former band mate and childhood friend Dave Jakalski on guitar. With the first show being only a week and a half away, the new lineup (under the moniker of "Now Now") worked to the core to get the first set sounding like a professional, polished band who'd spent years playing in a room together. The sold out set at Chicago's Hideout was a smashing success, and the grins across the faces of the members of Now Now proved that this was in fact a band to stick around and watch grow. The band, now working on new material and gigging around the Chicago and outer lying area, have already started to put their name on the musical map while receiving airplay on WKQX (Q101), WLUW (88.7) among various podcasts and college stations. -myspace.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:16:28.797454+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38178 Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Blake Sennet (guitar, vocals), Pierre de Reeder (bass) and Dave Rock (drums, later replaced by ex-Lassie Foundation member Jason Boesel) formed Rilo Kiley in 1998 in Los Angeles. Three years after its formation, the band released Take Offs and Landings on the Barsuk label. The supporting tour found the band opening for the Breeders, Pedro the Lion, and Superchunk. Rilo Kiley's follow-up, The Execution of All Things appeared on Saddle Creek in fall 2002. The quartet earned major-label distribution (through Warner) for third album More Adventurous.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:13:20.32079+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38179 Soul Meets Body (Real / stream) Bellingham, WA, indie pop quartet Death Cab for Cutie began in 1997 as the solo project of singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard, who previously recorded under the name All-Time Quarterback. The underground success of the cassette You Can Play These Songs' Chords inspired Gibbard to recruit a full-time band including guitarist/organist Christopher Walla (who recorded the early DCFC sessions as well), bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good, and in the summer of 1998, Death Cab for Cutie issued their debut LP, Something About Airplanes, to much acclaim from indie circles. Just prior to completion of the 2000 follow-up We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, Good left the group and was replaced by drummer Michael Schorr. In fall 2000, the band released the Forbidden Love EP. A solid selection of new cuts were found on The Photo Album the next year. In 2003, Eureka Farm's Jason McGerr joined the group and the band's stunning fourth album Transatlanticism appeared in October. While touring in support of that album in spring 2004, Death Cab For Cutie recorded seven brand new tracks. The John Byrd E.P., which was named for the band's touring sound engineer John Byrd, was issued on Barsuk in March 2005. After a lengthy courtship with Barsuk, the group inked a deal with Atlantic and released their label debut, Plans, in August of 2005. It sold nearly 90,000 copies during its first week of release, entering the US album chart at number four. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:11:01.034221+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38180 The Magnetic Fields are a bona fide band, but in most essential respects they are the project of studio wunderkind Stephin Merritt. Merritt writes, produces, and (generally) sings all of their material, as well as plays many of the instruments, concocting a sort of indie pop synth rock. While the Magnetic Fields may draw upon the electronic textures of vintage acts like ABBA, Kraftwerk, Roxy Music with Eno, Joy Division, and Gary Numan, Merritt's vision is far more pointed toward the alternative rock underground. His songs are also far warmer and more pure pop-oriented than the above reference points might lead you to believe, sounding at times like late-20th century equivalents to Phil Spector or Brian Wilson. Merritt had been recording on his own four-track from a very young age, but didn't issue the first Magnetic Fields album until 1990, when he was well into his twenties. The first pair of discs featured the choirgirl vocals of Susan Amway, and are probably the most accessible offerings for general listeners wary of electro-rock. On subsequent releases, Merritt handled the vocals himself in a deep croon not far removed from his European influences. The synth pop quotient also became heavier, although Merritt has always taken care to mix in quite a few natural instruments with the electronic ones, often with the help of Claudia Gonson (percussion) and Sam Davol (cello, flute). The emphasis has always remained on the pop hooks and eccentric, romantically reflective lyrics rather than the bedrock synthetic rhythms and textures. In addition to his work with Magnetic Fields, Merritt has involved himself in several side projects, the most notable being the 6ths' Wasps' Nests album (1995). Merritt sang only one track himself on this disc, for which he acted as composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist, employing well-known alternative rock singers like Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham (Luna), Lou Barlow, Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Chris Knox, and Robert Scott (the Bats) to handle the lead vocals. After releasing 1997's New Despair as the Gothic Archies, Merritt finally returned to the Magnetic Fields aegis for 1999's 69 Love Songs, released as both a trio of separate discs as well as a limited edition three-CD box set. Merritt spent the next few years releasing more side projects, including records from the Gothic Archies, Future Bible Heroes, the 6ths, as well as numerous soundtracks. It wasn't until May 2004 that Merritt and his Magnetic Fields finally got around to making i, a collection of songs that begin with the aforementioned vowel. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:00:41.608861+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38181 2006-03-07 17:09:00.096632+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38182 With their combination of electronic pop and sixties sunshine pop/rock, Call and Response's cheerful harmonies and good-time fun reflect the happier side of their native California. Added to their influences of The Cardigans, Stereolab and Weezer, Call and Response's junction of dual male/ female vocal exchanges are featured on their first single "Rollerskate," which was released on Shelflife Records in January of 2000. The self-titled debut followed on Kindercore a year later. Winds Take No Shape marked the band's first release for Badman in 2004. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 14:56:07.587302+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38184 Sharing a fondness for sophisticated soul and pop artists (the Smiths, New Order, Marvin Gaye, et al.), Stars was formed by Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman in New York. Along with friends Evan Cranley (also of Big Rude Jake) and Amy Milan (who contributed to the soundtrack for the film Drowning Mona), the band relocated to Montreal. Its debut full-length, Nightsongs, was released in early 2001, followed by an EP, The Comeback, later that year. Besides playing with Stars, Torquil has appeared in films, plays, and television (including Law & Order and Sex and the City). Seligman has performed with several orchestras, including the orchestra for the Broadway musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. Before 2002 came to an end, the band headed back into the studio to record a sophomore effort. The soft-hued Heart was released to critical accliam in the U.K. before Christmas; Heart appeared stateside on the Canadian label Arts & Crafts during summer 2003. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 14:52:58.178829+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38185 Knives of Baravia (WMV / 9.8Mb) Night Nurse (WMV / 7.2Mb) Dean Wareham was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He emigrated first to Sydney, Australia, and then to New York City on July 31, 1977, where he attended high school with Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang. Later the three became known as the Boston band Galaxie 500, who made three albums between 1987 and 1991 (currently available on the Rykodisc label). In 1992 Dean formed Luna, who went on to record seven studio albums before finally disbanding in 2005. What Dean is listening to (1-13-06): Parsley Sound Parsley Sounds Madonna Confessions on a Dance Floor Judy Henske & Jerry Yester Farewell Aldebaran The Sand Pebbles Ghost Transmissions The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Michael Holland Tomorrow's American Treasures Mimi & Richard Farina Reflections in a Crystal Wind Bill Wells Trio Also in White Once upon a time, Britta Phillips.... ...was the singing voice of cartoon rock-star JEM... ...co-starred in the silly coming-of-age movie, "Satisfaction," with Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Justine Bateman, Scott Coffey & Deborah Harry... ...moved to London with her first band, Belltower and released an album & several EPs before signing with Atlantic records and promptly disbanding... Britta met Dean in March, 2000 when she auditioned for his band, LUNA. They toured the world together. Dean heard some of Britta's songs, and together they made an album called L'Avventura. Luna finished their farewell tour in February, 2005. Dean and Britta are now working on songs for their next album tentatively scheduled for a spring 2006 release. - deanandbritta.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 14:44:10.567741+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38186 Influenced by cool jazz,'60s pop and classic film-soundtracks, the trip-hop duo Mono formed around vocalist Siobhan De Maré and producer Martin Virgo, a one-time member of Nellee Hooper's production team which worked on Massive Attack's seminal "Unfinished Sympathy" as well as Björk's Debut. After Virgo hooked up with De Maré in mid-1996, the pair recorded the Life in Mono EP and signed to Mercury by the end of the year. After working on their debut album Formica Blues, Mono gained a comparatively high profile through an appearance on the soundtrack to the American film Great Expectations. Formica Blues was released in America in February 1998, six months after its British appearance.

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]]> 2006-05-06 14:29:55.421895+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38187 With a name that means "new wave" in English and "bossa nova" in Portuguese, Nouvelle Vague's moniker neatly sums up the group's concept: remaking classic new wave singles with a Brazilian pop twist. Nouvelle Vague is the brainchild of French producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Prior to this collaboration, Collin played with the trip-hop outfit Ollano; composed film soundtracks such as The Kidnapper's Theme; and released electronic music ranging from club-oriented material for Paper Recordings to more eclectic fare for Fcom and Output Records (under the aliases Avril and Volga Select, respectively). Libaux played with various French pop bands during the '90s and began working with Collin in 1998. For Nouvelle Vague, Collin and Libaux recruited half a dozen French and Brazilian vocalists who were unfamiliar with the original versions of songs like Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel" to ensure that their renditions had their own identity. Nouvelle Vague was released in Europe in 2004 and received U.S. distribution in spring 2005, which coincided with tour dates in locales as far-flung as Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, and Rio de Janeiro.

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]]> 2006-05-06 03:30:33.836466+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38188 The 6ths are a side project of the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt, who produced and wrote all of the material on 1995's Wasps' Nest, as well as playing much of the music. He only sang one of the tracks, however, giving all of the remaining lead vocal slots to alternative rock faves like Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham (Luna), Georgia Hubley (Yo La Tengo), Chris Knox, Lou Barlow, Robert Scott (the Bats), Chris Knox, and Mary Timony (Helium). Brighter and poppier than his contemporaneous efforts with Magnetic Fields, it demonstrated (intentionally or inadvertently) that his principal talents are as a producer and composer, rather than a performer. Hot on the heels of the well-received Magnetic Fields project 69 Love Songs, Merritt released his second 6ths album, Hyacinths and Thistles, with vocal help from Marc Almond, Bob Mould, Gary Numan, and Sarah Cracknell, among others. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 03:27:36.284179+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38190 2006-03-07 17:21:00.086855+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38191 Videos: Like a Summer Rain (Quicktime / stream) Echoes (Quicktime / stream) The indie pop unit Ladybug Transistor was led by vocalist/guitarist Gary Olson, a onetime string stretcher and key inspector at his family's piano factory; the group debuted in 1996 with the LP Marlborough Farms, titled after Olson's Brooklyn-area home recording studio. After a line-up change which left only Olson and drummer Edward Powers remaining from Ladybug Transistor's original roster, Saturnine guitarist Jennifer Baron and her bassist brother Jeff were recruited prior to recording 1997's Beverly Atonale, issued on Merge. After completing the LP, Powers exited, and was replaced by Individual Fruit Pie drummer San Fadyl. The group's wonderful third album, The Albemarle Sound, followed in 1999. Argyle Heir, with its indie kitsch stylings, was released in spring 2001. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 03:20:33.347596+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38192 Danish electronic quartet Bliss create ambient soundscapes riddled with cinematic textures and downbeat bravado. Often compared to artists like Massive Attack and Sade, the group was the brainchild of writer/producers Marc-George Anderson and Steffen Aaskoven. Vocalists Tchando and Alexandra Hamnede provide Bliss with soulful performances that reflect their alternately African-tinged and jazz-based foundations, resulting in an ethereal stew of pan-global atmosphere. The group has been a European fixture for years, debuting in North America in 2005 with Quiet Letters, a 12-track collection culled from both the first and second editions of the European release. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 03:14:05.719597+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38239 Taking their name from a word meaning a drunken serenade, the trio Shivaree is led fronted by Ambrosia Parsley. Born in the San Fernando Valley and inspired by her grandmother, who would play ukulele around town, Parsley's first gig was singing with a 99-piece senior-citizen banjo band at a local pizza place. At the age of 13, she left home, traveling the country and pursuing her love of music. She met guitarist Duke McVinnie, whom had worked with Exene Cervenka, Johnny Otis, and J.J. Cale, at a recording studio where Parsley was tracking, and he began to work with her after making some suggestions. When keyboardist Danny McGough, who had toured with Tom Waits, heard Parsley's music at a party, he introduced himself, completing the trio which was initially known as Junebug. With their name changed to Shivaree (Parsley came across the word in a Jesse James bio), they recorded a debut which was promptly discarded. Enlisting singer/songwriter Joe Henry as a producer, they recorded I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump in Henry's backyard. Released in 1999, the album was well-received, with Parsley's striking looks and their quirky take on Americana and alt-country drawing comparisons ranging from Tom Waits to Cowboy Junkies to Billie Holiday. The band spent a lengthy stint on the road where Parsley, overcoming stage fright, captivated crowds, particularly in Europe where they were drawing enthusiastic praise. Shivaree returned with Rough Dreams, which bowed on Capitol in September 2002. 2004 saw the realese of an EP, Breach, featuring two originals as well as covers of songs by Brian Eno, the Waterboys and John Cale. Later that same year, the group put out the full-length Who's Got Trouble? - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 03:11:08.156475+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38240 Ex-Thieves instrumentalist Saul Freeman aimed for his own dream-pop aesthetic when he placed an ad in the now defunct music weekly, Melody Maker. He had already worked with David McAlmont, but wanted his own creative outlet. Searching for an ethereal voice similar to the likes of the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser and Shara Nelson (Massive Attack, Presence), solo artist Nicola Hitchcock ended Freeman's search when answering his request. The two instantly clicked, for Hitchcock also had a debut album under her belt and the two formed Mandalay in the mid-nineties. Incorporating trip-hop loops similar to Portishead and Hitchcock's vocal perfections, the duo earned props throughout the latter part of the decade in their native U.K., specifically with the albums Empathy and Instinct. Madonna even called Mandalay her new favorite band in fall 2000. Mandalay had signed to V2 by mid-2000 and prepped for their stateside major-label release, Solace, in spring 2001.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:33:52.090746+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38242 Jenny Toomey (Tsunami, Grenadine) and Dan Littleton (Hated, Ida) had played together on and off for seven years before Ivo Watts-Russell (the head of 4AD Records) approached Toomey about doing a side project. She agreed and traveled to Livonia, MI, with Littleton to record at the basement studio of Warren Defever, guitarist and producer for His Name Is Alive. HNIA drummer Trey Many became the third member of Liquorice during the recording sessions. 4AD released Listening Cap in mid-1995.

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:57:00.195527+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38243 The Swedish group Cinnamon -- not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name -- was formed in 1994 by songwriters Jiri Novak (guitar, keyboards) and Frida Diesen (vocals, synthesizers, guitar). The duo soon added bassist Samuel Laxberg and drummer Christian Ekwall. Their debut EP, Vox, was released in 1995; the full-length Summer Meditation soon followed. The 1997 album The Courier was accompanied by a European and American tour. The EP Many Moods of Cinnamon was released in June 1999; the full-length Vertigo followed in October of that year and was issued in the U.S. early in 2000.

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:54:38.896645+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38244 Mooi are Welsh duo Rachel Lloyd and Laura Dickinson. The pair write heartfelt and intimate songs, with both members playing guitars and singing. The name is pronounced 'moy', and is Dutch slang for pleasant.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:33:31.760148+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38263 Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink met at 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and have been making music together ever since. Before Azure Ray, the two were in a band called Little Red Rocket. After playing an accoustic set in Athens, Orenda and Maria were approached by Brian Causey of Warm Records. Soon after, Little Red Rocket disbanded, and Azure Ray became their main project. Azure Ray has released four albums--two on Warm Records (Azure Ray and Burn and Shiver) and two on Saddle Creek Records (the November EP and Hold on Love). Although they started out in Athens, Georgia, Maria and Orenda are now based out of Omaha, Nebraska, where they moved to take part in the growing music scene. In addition to playing in Azure Ray, Orenda and Maria are involved with side projects such as Now It's Overhead, and Orenda works with Japancakes. They have also collaborated with artists such as Moby (they co-wrote and performed "Great Escape" on 18) and Bright Eyes.

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:23:30.926418+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38264 Nico Tobias of Berlin based duo Naomi has vivid dreams. When a strange but knowing voice whispers into his sleeping ears: “By the way, King Kong is not dead!“, he feels so happy and relieved that right the next day he writes a song about it. This touching and witty piece of Electropop is typical for the second Naomi album "Pappelallee". Sometimes bizarre but always catchy. Serious but never downcast. Melancholic but comforting. Full of drama but with ease. Everything’s gonna be alright.. While “Pappelallee“is highly accessible and feels familiar at first contact, repetitive listening reveals an amazing abundance of details. The warm and profound songs on the album cross electronic structures with acoustic guitar, vocoder vocals with playful melodeon, beatbox House with Jazz broom ballads and computerised Reggae with singer/songwriter appeal. A whole sound universe. Dinosaurs of the glorious 1970s and 80s Pop/Rock era have left their traces. Obscure voice samples in “Exit Song“ evoke comparisons with British cult bands Lemonjelly and Bent, while the sinister lackadaisical shuffle of "Paravent" bears resemblance with Mogwai. On “Three Stars No Match“, singer Selda Kaya (known from the band’s first album and the much acclaimed Naomi song „Go“ from the Amnesty International movie and TV spot) lends her graceful voice. The song radiates a romantic serenity which so far could only be ascribed to Air’s classic "Moon Safari". But at the end of the day, all comparisons crumble. All songs on "Pappelallee" sound exactly like Naomi. This time even more elaborate and intense than on their smashing debut „Everyone Loves You“. A closer look at the lyrics is rewarding. “Rainfall“ connects seven city names with a single word and still reveals a telling story. "October" leads us through a storm of images into apocalyptic cinema. The philosophical and danceable "Option" while dealing with the spell of indecision delivers the great lines “I can’t say no and I can’t say yes - it's just another way of saying no, I guess.“ It’s worth to listen. Tune in once more to “King Kong Is Not Dead“, smile, and sing along. “Pappelallee“ is pop music how it is supposed to be: heartfelt, witty and consoling. -mole.de

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:19:06.283457+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38265 More apt to cite stately rock paragons Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson as their inspirations than Derrick May or Aphex Twin, the French duo Air gained inclusion into the late-'90s electronica surge due chiefly to the labels their recordings appeared on, not the actual music they produced. Their sound, a variant of the classic disco sound coaxed into a relaxing Prozac vision of the late '70s, looked back to a variety of phenomena from the period -- synthesizer maestros Tomita, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Vangelis, new wave music of the nonspiky variety, and obscure Italian film soundtracks. Despite gaining quick entrance into the dance community (through releases for Source and Mo' Wax), Air's 1998 debut album, Moon Safari, charted a light -- well, airy -- course along soundscapes composed with melody lines by Moog and Rhodes, not Roland and Yamaha. The presence of several female vocalists, an equipment list whose number of pieces stretched into the dozens, and a baroque tuba solo on one track -- all of this conspired to make Air more of a happening in the living room than the dancefloor. Though Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel both grew up in Versailles, the two didn't meet until they began studying at the same college. Dunckel, who had studied at the Conservatoire in Paris, played in an alternative band named Orange. One of Dunckel's bandmates, Alex Gopher, introduced Godin into the lineup. While Gopher himself departed (later to record for the Solid label), Dunckel and Godin continued on, becoming Air by 1995. During 1996-1997, the duo released singles on Britain's Mo' Wax ("Modular") and the domestic Source label ("Casanova 70," "Le Soleil Est Prés de Moi"). Though Air often evinced the same '60s Continental charm as Dimitri From Paris -- due no doubt to the influence of Serge Gainsbourg -- the duo had little in common musically with other acts (Daft Punk) in the wave of French electronica lapping at the shores of Britain and America during 1997. That same year, Air remixed Depeche Mode and Neneh Cherry and joined French musique concrète popster Jean-Jacques Perrey for a track on the Source compilation Sourcelab, Vol. 3. Signed to Virgin, Air released their debut album, Moon Safari, in early 1998. The singles "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars" became moderate hits in Britain and earned airplay on MTV. Later that year, Godin and Dunckel mounted an ambitious tour throughout Europe and America, though they had originally decided to forego live appearances. Their early singles were collected in 1999 under the title Premiers Symptomes; the duo's soundtrack to the Sofia Coppola film The Virgin Suicides followed in early 2000. Air's second studio effort, 10,000 Hz Legend, appeared in spring 2001 with a subsequent tour of the U.S., but critics and fans alike didn't appreciate the darker, more experimental direction. They bridged the gap between the pop of Moon Safari and the experimentalism of 10,000 Hz Legend with their 2004 release Talkie Walkie. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:12:26.076111+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38266 Thinking About You (Quicktime / stream) The New York-based pop group Ivy came together in 1994 when multi-instrumentalist Andy Chase placed an ad in the Village Voice in an attempt to start a band. Musician/songwriter Adam Schlesinger answered Chase, for the two had mutual musical tastes -- both liked Prefab Sprout and the Go-Betweens. Within months, the two met Parisian-born Dominique Durand. Durand had come to New York in 1989 to learn English, not join a band. Ironically enough, Durand was a massive music fan and adored the sounds of the Smiths, the Pastels, and House of Love. This allowed her to click with Chase and Schlesinger. She'd never sung before, but Chase and Schlesinger encouraged her to sing on the demo for "Can't Even Fake It." It was a pleasant surprise -- Durand had found her voice -- one that would become one of indie rock's finest and most artistically well-regarded voices of the decade -- and Ivy was born. Ivy inked a deal with local label Seed Records in 1994 and issued the "Get Enough/Drag You Down" single. Melody Maker in the U.K. jumped on it immediately and Ivy's debut earned props as the Single of the Week. Several months later, the trio released the Lately EP. Their rendition of Orange Juice's "I Guess I'm Just a Little Too Sensitive" was a moderate hit among the indie rock circuit. Ex-Orange Juice frontman Edwyn Collins also enjoyed the track and asked Ivy to be the opening act on his North American tour in 1995. Ivy's first studio full-length, Realistic, appeared that same year. Tours with fellow indie darlings -- Saint Etienne, Lloyd Cole, and Madder Rose -- allowed Ivy's name began to soar. By the time the band readied for a sophomore effort, they'd signed to a major label. In 1997, Ivy issued Apartment Life on Atlantic. This particular album highlighted Chase and Schlesinger's impressive studio skills. Ivy was winning critics over with their sugary, sweet sound and Apartment Life was regarded as one of the year's standout albums. Their star power was unstoppable, but gracefully so. "I Get the Message" and "This Is the Day" were featured on the soundtrack to the Farrelly Brothers' comedy There's Something About Mary. Their cover of Steely Dan's "Only a Fool Would Say That" was also included in the Farrelly Brothers' soundtrack for Me, Myself and Irene. Fashionistas got a taste of Ivy, too. A worldwide Volkswagen campaign catapulted the band's name into stardom. Ivy never lost face, though. What made them so impressive was how they kept things simple and followed their own formula. It would work against them in the majors, but it wouldn't break up the band. Ivy founded Stratosphere Sound, their studio with Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, before the '90s came to a close. Chase and Durand had also married; Ivy was focused on the band's musical atmosphere and the texture of their sound, and this space allowed them to focus. Sony let them go, so they had complete creative control. Unfortunately, things didn't go so smoothly. Stratosphere Sound was subject to arson while the band was recording a third album in 2000. Countless dollars and valuable recording equipment were lost in the fire, but this didn't delay the completion of the record. Long Distance arrived in fall 2001, four years after Apartment Life. This marked Ivy's first release with Nettwerk and the trio's classic pop sensibility was at its finest. Durand and Chase became parents of daughter, Justine, while also finding a new home with the Nettwerk label. That same year, the band composed the film score for the Farrelly Brothers' Jack Black comedy Shallow Hal. In fall 2002, Ivy returned with an all-cover album, Guestroom. On December 17, Chase and Durand welcomed their second child, Julien. Over the next few years, Schlesinger released another album with Fountains of Wayne, 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers. Durand and Chase collaborated on a trip-hop album in 2004 under the Paco moniker. A year later, Ivy issued In the Clear. - allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:07:57.830532+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38267 I Was Made To Love You (Quicktime / stream) Over The Hill (Quicktime / stream) Live Review: Slaughtered Lamb 26th January 2006 17 February 2006 reviewed by Rich Barnard on the VAC website www.thevac.co.uk The last time I saw Polly Paulusma, she was playing a packed out Lock 17, sporting full band and string quartet. Riding high on good reviews for her debut album 'Scissors In My Pocket' and after a summer of festivals, she was about to embark on her first tour of America, and would land support slots with Jamie Cullum, Divine Comedy and Joseph Arthur. Eighteen months on, it's an unbelievable treat to see her back, playing solo in the kind of small, cold, candle-lit acoustic club that she started out in. It's a conspicuously low-profile gig, showcasing all new material, but there is standing room only at the back and you get the sense that quite a few people have been turned away. The basement of the Slaughtered Lamb has an understated cool, far removed from the clatter of the city clientele rattling their jewellery upstairs. Down below it's a black brick-walled affair with an eclectic assortment of bohemian seating (when was the last time you saw a chaise longue at a gig?) It reminds me of the River Bar on Tower Bridge before they tarted it up and took its soul. The setting suits the sophisticated and intimate nature of Paulusma's poetic and often dark songs. Weaving smart rhymes like 'bathroom / half-gloom' and 'extinguish / unencumbered English' against complex-but-not-in-the-least-bit-jazzy chord progressions is evidently (still) what Polly does well. Her secret weapon though has to be her exquisitely English singing voice, which when pushed is on the verge of '60s singer Melanie; and when soft, is as sultry as Suzanne Vega. But back to basements and gloom... This is Paulusma's first gig in six months and she has pre-warned us that her second album - which has already been some time in the making - will have a darker, louder edge. Although there is (deep breath) an electric guitar on stage, I'm glad to discover that the new material does not reveal any Cradle of Filth or similar influences. And aside from the gloriously discordant moments in a song about killing babies, which features the aforementioned electric axe, there is seemingly little change in her style. That is not to say that there is no evidence of evolution, because Paulusma is the kind of songwriter that will challenge herself as a matter of course. Anyone who brings out three guitars and a piano to play a solo half-hour set is someone who has constant development on their mind. Likewise the subject matter veers far and wide from identity, love and quarter-life crises; to being invisible, hide-and-seek and yes, you did read it right the first time, killing babies. It's nice to see the rawness of an artist grappling with new, freshly arranged songs, especially as none of these are basic three-chord wonders. One of the songs has been in Polly's live set for a while, but in the others you can just catch the concentration of a performer whose music so often seems effortless. These have a vitality to them that will inevitably be diminished after another two years of hard touring gets its hands on them. You can tell that this crowd, myself included, feel lucky to be here at their inception. UNCUT Magazine Dec 2004 01 November 2004 Never mind all the fuss about Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse. As far as Uncut is concerned, the finest young British female singer-songwriter to emerge over the last 12 months is the brainy Cambridge graduate Polly Paulusma, with a debut album of mature and literate songs brimful of emotional resonance, potent melodies and meltingly heartfelt vocals. ROLLING STONE Magazine (USA) 10 October 2004 Polly Paulusma Scissors in My Pocket (One Little Indian) by Leslie Hermelin From the charming opener Dark Side, Polly Paulusma declares herself in league with articulate folk-pop contemporaries such as Paula Cole and Shawn Colvin. And while these comparisons, as well as those to Joni Mitchell and Carole King, are well deserved, Paulusma's talent is strong enough to stand on its own. Scissors in My Pocket is an enchanting debut of understated, intelligent folk pop from a promising newcomer. Holding true to the singer-songwriter ethos, Paulusma opts for authenticity over production wizardry. Many of the album cuts were recorded in only one take, and some, including Dark Side and the stunning One Day, are the original demo recordings. She Moves in Secret Ways is an intimate, softly spun bit of folk poetry as is the bittersweet Anywhere From Here. This Cambridge educated songstress proves once again that a well-penned ballad trumps an over-produced pop song any day. PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Online (USA) 26 September 2004 * * * * Polly Paulusma Scissors in My Pocket (One Little Indian) by A D Amorosi Given her arcane sound, you could easily assume that Polly Paulusma is part of the dark British folk revival. But she is lighter. She's also sexy and spare. The quiet psychedelia and queer optimism of her gauziest vocal melodies are touched by faint curlicues of jazzy interplay. She weathers the impending storm of Dark Side with a whispery voice, promising "golden lips" for her lover's final approach. Through rushes of acoustic guitar, bubbling double bass, or cosmopolitan chamber-jazz arrangements (I Was Made to Love You), Paulusma's smoky yet vivid voice is so alive that the sadness of Perfect 4/4 resounds through your head. She cries on your shoulder without playing to your sympathies. PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER 26 September 2004 Polly Paulusma fits the bill as ideal singer-songwriter by Jonathan Takiff I'll gladly admit it. I'm a sucker for a smart, poetic, darkly melancholic and slightly unhinged female singer-songwriter. For an artist with a smokey, soulful sadness in her voice and a rejuvenating melody in her heart, with a vibrant vision for how she wants her life to soar and the will to make it so - at least within the context of a four-minute song. Joni Mitchell set the mold for me with her classic album "Blue." Young disciples like Dar Williams, Beth Orton and the late Kirsty MacColl have kept the fires burning. Now I bow in supplication to another English export by the name of Polly Paulusma (pronounced pallsma) who'll be popping up Sunday at the Point to showcase material from her altogether compelling album "Scissors in My Pocket." One of my favorite debuts of the year, the disc is chock full of feather-light, but delicately filigreed songs that are at once literate and emotional, tender and tough-minded, like "She Moves in Secret Ways," a song about not giving up her willful nature, personifying herself as a hoof-stomping horse. At other extremes are spritely entreaties for gentlemen friends to explore her "Dark Side" and take her "Over the Hill," blessed with super catchy choruses you can't get out of your head. And the set caps with haunting, bittersweet ruminations about life's brief passages (this from a 28-year-old!) like the riveting hospital bedside refrain in "Perfect 4/4." Daughter of a noted portrait artist (who did all the highly evocative pen sketch illustrations for the album package) and a Cambridge University professor dad who specializes in crusading (ecclesiastical) history, Polly Paulusma has gleaned from both sides, she allowed in a recent chat. She's been making music since she was 10 - first "improving" on a classic Paul McCartney song with new lyrics, later singing in college in a soul cover band that was "a bit like the Commitments," before discovering her own, more pensive voice while singing backing vocals for an album by her friends Ben & Jason. And yet, Polly was also being her father's daughter by majoring in English lit at Cambridge, pursuing a career in journalism with the BBC, writing a novel and then returning briefly to university for a Ph.D program, before giving it all up to pursue music full time. "I spent a lot of time denying I should do this, but it wouldn't let me run away. It kept coming back and biting me in the ass, so I eventually gave in," she shared with a laugh. When Paulusma started the writing and recordings that would turn into her album, "trashy pop" was still all the rage in Britain, while like-minded singer-songwriters such as the long-suffering David Gray were just starting to make a belated breakthrough. "Now there's a whole scene going, with lots of clubs to play and buzz artists like Tom Baxter and Adem. But four years ago, no one would fund my project, so (as Gray did)] I set up a recording studio in the shed at the end of my garden and started doing it all myself. I wasn't trying to make it sound low-fi, just the music I could hear in my head with the equipment I had available - basically one good microphone feeding into a computer hard drive. I played almost all the the guitars, did all the vocals and also added funny litle things like shakers and tambourine, mandolin and the sound of tinkling wine glasses." Friends came in to dress up the works with brush-tapped drumming, jazzy acoustic double bass, a hammered dulcimer flourish, and chamber music styled strings and brass evoking the likes of Damien Rice (a major Polly fave) and vintage Beatles recordings. The origin of the album's title "Scissors in My Pocket" relates to an incident that happened when Polly was just 8, and "obsessed with sailing," (a theme that's still showing up in her lyrics). "I wanted a boat, so I decided to build a raft in our back garden on a piece of old, flat fencing. My parents could see it wouldn't float, but I didn't believe them. After decorating it with a cabin and putting on lights, I somehow persuaded my mom to take me to the river to launch it. She was great, I was adamant. I tied a piece of rope to the raft and gave her the other end to hold, ostensibly so she could pull me back when I got to the middle of the river, to calm her nerves. But I didn't tell her I'd put scissors in my pocket. I was going to cut the rope and run away to London. But of course, the boat sank instantly as soon as I pushed it into the water. "When I started making this record, I felt a similar kind of condescension," Polly added. "A lot of people saying 'That's very nice dear, but you can't really make your own record.' You have to stick fingers up to people like that. 'I know this will float, so up yours.' And luckily, this time it worked." LA DAILY NEWS 21 September 2004 by Rob Lowman, Entertainment Editor Polly Paulusma took a novel approach to becoming a heralded up-and-coming singer-songwriter. OK, maybe that's a bad joke. After graduating from Cambridge University, the 28-year-old British singer-songwriter began a Ph.D program and turned her attention to writing fiction. But that novel was packed up and put in the attic about a month ago. "I hadn't touched it in four years, and I was quite curious to see what it was like ... so I peeked at it. It was really bad,' says Paulusma, being her own worse critic. Luckily, music critics are raving about "Scissors in My Pocket,' Paulusma's self-produced album that was released early in the year in the U.K. and last week in the U.S. When talking about the album, with its winning acoustic sound and clever lyrics, heavy hitters like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake are often evoked -- and with good reason. There are many colors on Paulusma's palette as she moves from the intensity of "One Day,' with her voice nearly cracking with emotion, to the dreamy "She Moves in Secret Ways." Nic Harcourt of KCRW-FM (89.9) has been featuring songs from "Scissors' on his show, "Morning Becomes Eclectic,' for a while now, calling it "the best thing I've heard from a songwriter out of the U.K.' A Brit himself, Harcourt says, "I hear a lot of music from everywhere, and most of it I don't like, but once in a while a record like this comes along that grabs you. ... (Paulusma's) songs have depth to them, and she has a singing style that's very engaging.' (Paulusma will be at the Troubadour on Monday night as well as on Harcourt's show that day during the 11 o'clock hour.) Since "Scissors' had "such humble beginnings,' Paulusma, who has been into music since the age of 10, says she is amazed at its reception. "I have this little shed at the end of my garden, and that's where I made most of the record. So it seems incredible, thinking there I was last summer, without a record deal, just really making it for myself. I knew I could sell it at shows. I was doing a lot of gigs and selling a lot of records to people who came around the stage. I could see I could make a little living out of it. That's all I ever thought it would be.' Now "Scissors,' which is on Bjork's record label, One Little Indian, is the hottest acoustic album in Britain since Damien Rice's "O.' "I think what happened was the music industry became so closed that there was a backlog,' says Paulusma about why she and artists like Rice are gaining popularity. "It's like there was a dam put up, and it's suddenly bursting now. But in fact, that sound never went away -- it was always there. It's just because it was ignored for so long and unnurtured.' That sound is the sound of people like music legends Mitchell and Drake. "There was a real purity to what they were doing then. And you can see almost a family tree down to various people now like Wilco that I find inspiring. ... I've always really loved recordings where the instruments are all acoustic. ... I think there is something that doesn't date about music like that.' But it isn't easy to pigeonhole Paulusma, and it's clear she wants to keep it that way. She says she was looking forward to visiting the U.S., because a woman with a guitar in England is "often typecast as a folk artist, which is rubbish. They don't do that to men like Van Morrison. It's acoustic music; it's pop music on the guitar. I get the feeling there is a deeper understanding over here.' So here she is, guitar in hand, touring America, which she doesn't mind at all. ("It helps your understanding of your own material.') It's also something she's used to. The daughter of a college professor, Paulusma moved around a lot as a kid before going off to a boarding school at a convent. "My closest friends are the ones from that school still. It's amazing when you live with 500 people. It was all-girls school, so you have a lot of sisters.' But she's not writing more songs here (and certainly not a novel), saying she finds it hard to write when she's away from her friends, who she calls her "motivation.' In the meantime, "I know when I'm traveling I pick up lots of bits that end up coloring things in my songs. I'll just let things sink in for now." BOSTON GLOBE 09 September 2004 Polly Paulusma's acoustic appeal by Christopher Muther You can't blame Polly Paulusma for holing up in the garden shed. After all, she performs in a style of acoustic pop that can't be easily contained in a single category. It's not exactly folk, and it's not at all rock. As a result, record labels weren't exactly queuing up to offer the 28-year-old fame and fortune after she dropped a journalism career in favor of music. So she did what any reasonable musician would do: set up a make-shift studio in the shed at the back of her garden and started recording an album herself. Just as she finished the disc, "Scissors in My Pocket," she landed a deal with Bjork's record label, One Little Indian. Now, the album recorded in the garden shed is becoming one of the most buzzed-about acoustic discs in Britain since Damien Rice's "O." On Saturday, Paulusma brings her hard-to-categorize sound to T.T. the Bear's in Cambridge, opening for the Divine Comedy. Sound Bites: Because your music doesn't fit neatly into a single category, has it been difficult for you to find an audience? Paulusma: Not exactly. I'm very lucky that I can dip my toe in all these musical swimming pools. I can kind of jump around between them. In some ways it has been an advantage. People still put labels on my music, which I actually think can be useful. It can be useful for people to have comparisons, but some of the comparisons have been quite wide of the mark. I hear endless Norah Jones comparisons, which I find very odd. I think she's got a beautiful voice. But as far as I can make out she's doing jazz, which is something completely different from me. As long as people are saying something, even if the comparison is a bit weird, I'm happy. Sound Bites: Does your audience tend to be a younger, Damien Rice-type of crowd, or more hippie holdouts trying to catch the next Joni Mitchell? Paulusma: It's a real cross section. I just did this gig in London on Wednesday, it was for about 200 people. Over the summer I had been gathering more and more people who are loyal and want to come along to hear my music. There are people in the front row who know all the words to my songs, which is quite terrifying. They almost know them better than I do. I was looking at the front row at this gig, and I was just really gobsmacked at the range. There were two young girls, one with dreadlocks and one with dyed bright red hair, very punk. There was an older guy, and there were some younger guys in their 20s. Sound Bites: Careerwise, you did many things before you settled on music. Were you hesitant to make singing a full-time job? Paulusma: Music has been not easy. Well, making [music] has been easy, but making it a full-time job was a really big hurdle for me to overcome. I think I was led to believe that acoustic-y pop music was not really a worthwhile calling. It just took me a bit of time to work out that it was really important to me. Because I had no formal training in it, I felt that I just wouldn't be good enough. Now I feel like I have plenty of support. Email Christopher Muther at muther@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company NOW (Toronto) 09 September 2004 Gloss-free Polly - Cambridge grad Polly Paulusma takes a stand against superficial pop by Sarah Liss There's a sudden renaissance in the softer end of the pop spectrum happening across the pond of late. From the tinkly piano stylings of Jamie Cullum to the soulful crooning of Katie Melua to the baroque acoustic ballads of Damien Rice, the UK's cultivating a slew of singer-songwriters who, while not slick enough to give Sir Elton a run for his money, appeal to more, er, 'mature' crowds than to those with art-school haircuts and ironic t-shirts. The interesting thing about this current crop of soft-rockers is that they're barely into their 20s. Like me, they're the kids of the 80s who spent their formative years listening to their parents' Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez LPs. The latest edition to the new acoustic generation is Polly Paulusma, a wickedly wordy guitar-toting belter whose debut disc, Scissors In My Pocket, recently dropped on One Little Indian (home to Bjork and Greg Dulli) and who's already opened for Dylan (!). Similarly raised on passionate, intelligent strummers (Nick Drake is her hero), Paulusma claims she and her peers are reacting to Britain's lamentable tradition of pre-fab pop. "When I was making my record, the music industry, especially in the UK, was all about Pop Idol," she says ruefully over her mobile, en route to check out the Edward Hopper exhibition at London's Tate Modern. "It was so depressing - they just wanted glorified karaoke and had no interest in anyone who played their own music and wrote their own songs. All these talented people washing about in London, and nobody was signing them. "What came out of it were loads of self-sufficient people. Katie Melua went through the same thing. Necessity has forced us back to basics, because the industry let us down. It gave us a chance to explore things by ourselves and find a whole different voice that we wouldn't necessarily have found if we'd been scooped up by a label after the second gig." The result is a record that, like Paulusma herself, doesn't pander to trends. Scissors In My Pocket is charmingly quaint, with none of the saccharine overproduction that makes folks like Jamie Cullum hard to stomach. Recorded in a shed in Paulusma's backyard, the album homes in on gently strummed acoustic guitar and quiet piano, with periodic flourishes of Hammond and dulcimer alongside the singer's terribly sweet girlish coo. Several tracks are fleshed out by string and horn sections, but unlike the high-drama orchestration on, say, Damien Rice's O, Paulusma ... keeps them low-key, which works well with the disc's intimate folkiness. It may not be the most efficient way to work, but Paulusma insists on keeping a 'wobbly' homespun aesthetic. "All of the songs are done in one take," she crows proudly. "I worked with a producer recently and watched him clumping a track together - he'd do five takes and then take the best bits of each one and hack it all together like a patchwork quilt. I'd rather have a full performance, cuz even if there's a little blemish in it, it's real." Paulusma's also mastered a subtly spiky wordplay - lead track Dark Side nods to Pink Floyd with a chorus about "the dark side of my moon" - which is no surprise, considering she graduated from Cambridge with a degree in English lit. With the horror stories I've heard about the icily snotty profs peppering UK academia, I figure the experience must've been good preparation for dealing with cranky critics. "Um, no," she states matter-of-factly. "I think a lot of gigging in London did, actually. London crowds are so standoffish - they just fold their arms and stare at you with these blank looks on their faces. "But you know, out of all my friends, I'm the only one who uses my degree every day," she continues. "Alll these people studied these obscurely wonderful things, like medieval history, or some proper academic subject, and then they end up becoming accountants." AllMusic.com 11 August 2004 * * * * Nearly 35 years on, and the folk and twining soft rock of the early '70s is being birthed again in a stylized new version. Suddenly young women with unruly mops of dark hair and a flair for dusky vocal phrasing are handily making their way in pop music. They're clad in comfy boat-neck sweaters, dainty scarves, and those boots Emmylou Harris wore on the cover of Elite Hotel; their antidote to plastic club/dance divadom is a holistic amalgam of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, and Tim Buckley. Englishwoman Polly Paulusma joins their ranks with Scissors in My Pocket, her charming debut for One Little Indian. It always starts with the voice, and Paulusma's never disappoints. Mitchell is a significant influence in both vocal style and phrasing, but there's a bit of Edie Brickell's reedy grace in there, too. Accompanied principally by subtle acoustic guitars or piano, she doesn't need to prove how strong her voice is, and doesn't skip through styles on the whim of a marketing director. This means Scissors lacks the pretentiousness that tinges some of its contemporaries' work. "Perfect 4/4" is a gorgeous piece that had to be recorded live -- you can hear Paulusma's voice echoing off the walls, almost see her hand resting on the piano's lacquered finish. Opener "Dark Side" unfolds one of the album's prettiest melodies, its bed of robust acoustic instruments supported with slight vocal overdubs and clever Pink Floyd lyrical references. Conversely, the powerful, string-tinged "One Day" moves toward some smoky cabaret. Rich acoustic bass and softly brushed percussion appear for "She Moves in Secret Ways," and stick around for the quietly confessional "Carry Me Home." Though it's nearly flawless, that very trait can also make Scissors in My Pocket lack sharpness and threaten to become one long nap in the sunlight. Luckily, Paulusma inserts a track like the rousing "Give It Back" just in time, getting carried away in its horns and the keening organ of its overture; she sounds like Phoebe Snow covering the Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." All in all, Scissors in My Pocket is a spectacular debut. It's a child of past masters, no question. But Polly Paulusma knows what's what, and how to make the sky come tumbling down again. RIP IT UP (Australia) 04 July 2004 From the first moment I placed this debut release called Scissors In My Pocket from London-based singer-songwriter into my CD player, I was captivated. A sweet love song, Dark Side, boasting a moving Celtic feel, is the opening gambit and the album continued to impress me. Recorded independently before joining the ranks of Indian Records in the UK, 28-year-old Polly has created an impressive collection of hook-laden melodies wrapped around insightful lyrics and her own distinctive vocals. From Celtic to jazz through to pop and folk. Scissors In My Pocket highlights Polly's talent for blending word and music to create some very sweet listening. Polly plays most of the instruments on the album, which include acoustic guitars, piano, mandolin and wine glasses, while Oli Hayhurst plays double bass with Rastko Rasic on drums. Mea Culpa is delightful and you could almost hear Norah Jones singing her own rendition of it one day. Anywhere frmo Here is thought-provoking while Dark Side is my favourite. Polly possesses great imagination that has allowed her to create some enchanting songs. Musically she can be compared to Joni Mitchell, The Corrs and The Waifs and vocally she's a blend of Ani Di Franco, Macy Gray, Norah Jones and even Bjork. The pencilled artwork on the album booklet was drawn by Polly's mother, an artist by trade, and has really helped to capture the naturalness and simplicity with which Scissors In My Pocket was recorded. Lovers of the female voice are really going to enjoy this quirky, self-produced album. Birmingham 101.com review 21 June 2004 The latest slightly skewed girl singer-songwriter to challenge for a place on the scene, Cambridge grad Paulusma's made a strong start with her debut album, Scissors In My Pocket (One Little Indian). Confessional stuff built around strong melodies, literate wordplay and breathy vocals, she draws on such influences as Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Victoria Williams, and even Stephen Duffy while injecting the occasional jazz inflections into the arrangements. There's brass and strings too, giving extra rich textures and emotional resonance to such breezy, sometimes dark tinted English pastoral songs as I Was Made To Love You, Over The Hill, She Moves In Secret Ways and Something To Remember Me By. Poignant shivers can be felt on Perfect 4/4 as she details someone hooked up to drips and monitors in a hospital bed while fragile insecurity ripples through the bluesy Anywhere From Here but it's the way she captures the giddy whirl of being caught up in love and life on the acoustic strummed Carry Me Home and gloriously folk pop waltzing debut single Dark Side (shades of Fairground Attraction here) that really shows you just how brightly her star is beginning to glow. Amazon.co.uk review 25 May 2004 by Kevin Maidmen Recorded in the floricultural intimacy of a Clapham garden shed and warmly etched with breezy acoustic guitar, fathomless double-bass, light string arrangements, recorders, brass ensembles and even wine glasses, Scissors In My Pocket is the lovely debut album from Cambridge University English literature graduate Nick Drake-afficionado and former Ben & Jason backing singer Polly Paulusma. Scholarly rock analysts, much taken with Paulusma's vocal style and folk-jazz idiom, are already drawing flattering parallels with deities such as Joni Mitchell, while also suggesting that Alanis Morrisette and Norah Jones ought to be glancing over their chick-pop shoulders. While none of these comparisons are discreditable, Polly Paulusma is patently not hanging onto anyone else's petticoat tails. Yes, there's something about her kittenish voice, which recalls Rickie Lee Jones or a more effervescent Beth Orton, and at times her technique suggests that the world may have found Damien Rice's lost spiritual sister. However, the songs - bustling pictorial narratives which unpeel with every listen to reveal an intuitive personal core - are fragrantly fresh pleasures. One Day finds our heroine jettisoning a bottle of negative thought processes from a hot air balloon in an act of pyschotherapeutic detoxification while Something to Remember Me By nods at Percy Bysshe Shelley and ponders the viability of artistic expression as a means of immortality. BlueYonder.co.uk review 13 May 2004 They say that the UK's music scene is currently in retrograde. That the new zeitgeist is in an easy listening mood, demurely reclining in a comfy armchair, quietly dozing off into middle of the road territory. Thankfully, it seems we're slowly edging away from cheap, manufactured 'music' for the lowest common denominator - you've only to look at the album charts as it's a veritable hotbed of precocious, seminal twenty somethings setting a different spin on the way records are made. Enter Polly Paulusma, who looks set to follow Katie Melua and Norah Jones into modern easy listening legend when the world gets to hear 'Scissors In My Pocket'. Like Melua and Jones, Paulusma's music is delicately interwoven with warm, sensual vocals that suggest a talent that has been around for decades. Her first single 'Dark Side' opened proceedings with a rich melody that nags relentlessly at your pleasure zones and is joined by another ten tracks of equally affecting beauty. 'I Was Made To Love You', 'She Moves In Secret Ways' and 'Give It Back' also standout, but this isn't an album about individual tunes, rather it is a fully complete work of true genius that will mark Paulusma out as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her generation. Polly recently showcased her album at a packed out Bush Hall, London. With only a smattering of songs to perform, you'd be inclined to think she couldn't carry the gig alone, but this lyrical impresario had other ideas. Characterised by hook-laden melodies, insightful lyrics and distinctive vocals, Polly ploughed her way through her repertoire with consummate ease and style - leading many to draw comparison with Joni Mitchell or Norah Jones. Anybody would be flattered by the comparison. Yet Polly is also an unique voice. Whilst belting out her new single, Give It Back, Paulusma grabbed hold of her acoustic guitar, tossed back her curly mane and threw herself into the music. Witnessed by a crowd of enthusiastic listeners, she seemed to be having the time of her life; giggling and chatting to the audience between songs. As with any great artist, Polly is very much about the lyrics. A Cambridge graduate who got a first in English, it's easy to understand her ability to craft sophisticated lyrics where every word has resonance. Combine this with hook-laden melodies and lush vocals, and you have the makings of a great singer who is already winning over music taste-lovers. DAILY TELEGRAPH 12 May 2004 No clone of voice by Nick Cowen A little more than half way through her performance at Bush Hall, Polly Paulusma tells her rapt audience a white lie. As the lights dim on her backing band, the young London-based folk singer says, "this is the part where they abandon me," and begins picking out the opening chords to the sombre Mea Culpa. As anyone with a set of ears in the venue knows by now, Paulusma's band isn't so much abandoning her, as much as getting out of the way. This is to take nothing away from the talent of her ensemble of musicians, but the fact is that the finest instrument up on that stage is Paulusma's voice. Over the last year or so, thanks largely to Norah Jones's sweep at the Grammies, any folk album released by a new female artist seems to creak under the weight of comparisons to the North American chanteuse. In the case of Polly Paulusma, this comparison is less deserved than most. Unlike a great deal of what's on offer from most folk-jazz crossover divas currently being shovelled onto mainstream radio, Paulusma has two outstanding qualities that set her apart. The first is that her music contains enough varying moods and catchy hooks to keep you interested. The second is her aforementioned voice, which in a live setting stamps authority on every song far more thoroughly than was managed her debut album, Scissors In My Pocket. The music in some numbers - most notably the haunting, jazzy She Moves In Secret Ways, and the breathy single Dark Side - seems to act like an anchor for Paulusma's vocal acrobatics, turning her voice into an extra instrument. Other songs, including the searing One Day and the mournful Anywhere From Here, derive their power from her passionate delivery. Whether Paulusma's vocals on her debut album have been deliberately pressed into the mix to stop them overriding the musicianship on display, or whether they turned out that way because the album was recorded in the shed at the bottom of her garden is hard to say. What is clear is that her talents would probably have been enough to gain her a sizable following even without the likes of Norah Jones hitting the jackpot. THE TIMES 07 May 2004 A couple of years ago, Polly Paulusma might have been stuck to playing folk clubs and festivals. With female singer songwriters back in fashion, however, the 28-year-old South Londoner has a pretty good chance at the pop charts. Her debut single, Dark Side, was a near miss recently, while her album Scissors In My Pocket, released a fortnight ago, has been picked up by Radio 2, received rave reviews and won the singer a prestigious slot supporting Bob Dylan in Belfast next month. There have been other tour supports already – notably with Jamie Cullum and Gary Jules – and it’s live that Paulusma’s songs really come to life. Rather than appealing to the cosy, middle-aged masses like Katie Melua’s, her songs, at a well-attended Bush Hall, were raw, sparsely accompanied and surprisingly sassy. During the show’s opener and forthcoming single, Give it Back, Paulusma attacked her acoustic guitar, shook her dark curly hair and jumped about on the spot. Wearing an odd combo of trousers and shiny, knee-length dress, she was certainly no wallflower, chatting to the audience between songs, giggling at what a good time she was having, constantly switching guitars and taking a turn on the electric piano and introducing a band who, to be honest, didn’t get much of a look-in otherwise. Part of Paulusma’s strength is her lyrics. Admittedly it was hard to know what the Cambridge graduate and one-time novelist was on about a lot of the time, but there was clearly some clever thinking behind what were never traditionally love songs, On the sweet, slightly jazzy She Moves in Secret Ways Paulusma sang of girls who move with grace and guys in choirboys’ attire: on the striking, stripped down, country-tinged One Day she crammed on lines about sailing boats and whiskey bottles: and on the stand out song Mea Culpa, skirted around a friend’s suicide. Although she has been compared to Norah Jones, Paulusma’s poetic lyrics – and, at times, her vocals – had mush more in common with Joni Mitchell. Then again, a couple of her numbers recalled Aimee Mann, you could hear Sophie B Hawkins in her ballads and you wouldn’t go far wrong calling her a female David Gray. Presumably, she just wants to be Polly, and it’s fair to say that she could certainly have carried the gig alone. As it was, she had a bass and double-bass player and a drummer crammed in a corner, and a trio of songs brought out a string quartet. She should have used the strings players more, but no doubt there will be other opportunities. Paulusma has the potential to be a huge word-of-mouth success. Rockfeedback.com 06 May 2004 Bush Hall, 5th May 2004 The ground beneath your feet is shaking, your pint visibly disturbed on the table. And you’re a little confused, given that your line of sight encompasses only audience members sat, similarly, at their tables, and a rather pretty girl on the stage with an acoustic guitar. For a moment you wonder if, as Carole King so famously sang, you’re feeling the earth move under your feet… but in fact this curly-haired songstress is merely stamping with such forceful enjoyment in her simple chords, you can feel it three rows back. The smile on her face, the rhythmic strumming and her exemplary stomping already have most tapping their feet, but it’s now that it kicks in: her voice has been slowly turning attention from the bar with its palpable honesty and melody, but it suddenly breaks into full flight, along with the drums and double-bass you hadn’t noticed before… and it’s indefinably breathtaking. What it might be is the contrast. Polly Paulusma’s been blessed with many talents… superb songsmithery and lyrics, the looks and locks of a Greek goddess, and angelic tone. But she also laughs as abrasively as a cockney cab-driver, screws her face up like a leprechaun when she’s enjoying herself, and describes having her own guitar technician as ‘like wiping your ass with silk’. Her outfit is a shimmering display of flawless wardrobe, until rockfeedback catch a glimpse of her trainers as she walks to the piano. These attractive contradictions are not in such evidence in her songs, however. Every number Polly sings is simultaneously heart-rendingly and heart-warmingly sincere. In ‘Mea Culpa’, a song of rail-track suicide, she’s practically in tears, emotion welling in her voice. It’s a mood she revisits later, but elsewhere she’s vibrant and grinning, singing of love for old loves with infectious happiness. It is, in fact, a string-quartet, hired in for the night’s performance, which provides the most captivating moment. Abandoning both guitar and piano for the encore, we’re left with an exquisite rendering of ‘Perfect 4/4’, with but the quartet and Polly’s tortured vocals echoing the agonies of the song’s hospitalised subject. But, best of all, even with such an unfathomable well of empathy and a beneficent muse, she still can’t help but introduce the song by exclaiming, ‘Ah bollocks, it’s the last one’. The gig ends as it should: Polly’s debut album, Scissors In My Pocket sells out, and those who already own it are left with the pang of desire for more material, despite it only having been released last month. The girl is certainly on the train to acclaim. But there’s that feeling in your stomach, as if something internally has been challenged and changed during the course of the night, that leaves you confident that Polly Paulusma could soon move on to become groundbreaking, not long to be content with merely moving the earth beneath our feet. UNCUT Magazine (UK) 01 May 2004 Astonishingly mature debut from Britain's brainiest new singer-songwriter * * * * by Nigel Williamson Frighteningly clever with her first in English from Cambridge, Polly Paulusma might have become and academic or a novelist. Fortunately, she turned instead to music. Scissors In My Pocket is an album for connoisseurs of grown-up songwriting, littered with arresting references, both literary and musical. Something To Remember Me By is inspired by Shelley's Ozymandias. The lovely string arrangement on One Day subtly acknowledges Eleanor Rigby. Yet Paulusma's songs are also strikingly original, and full to the brim with potent melodies, unusual chords, meltingly heartfelt vocals and sharp emotional resonance. Joni Mitchell gave up songwriting after 1994's Turbulent Indigo. A decade on, we may finally have found a worthy successor. MOJO Magazine (UK) 01 May 2004 Ben & Jason/Beth Orton associate steps out alone * * * * by Martin Aston With chart-topping Katie Melua reaping all that Radio 2 support, by rights, Polly Paulusma should join her. Parkie's a fan, and you'd imagine R2's DJs should concur, given that she belongs more to the John Martyn-Nick Drake school of folk-jazz intimacy than Melua's Mike Batt-created MOR. Polly's extra arranging, producing and engineering skills explain why this debut feels complete, pure and personal. Give It Back swings while Over The Hill is as carefree as larks, but the girl's a born troubadour. Buoyed by elastic bass and the lightest of strings, the album's four key ballads One Day, Mea Culpa, Perfect 4/4 and Anywhere From Here are irresistible. Lyrically an unashamed romantic but rarely too florid ("wires fan before you, they draw you/In deep troughs and sharp peaks of green" is a gorgeous image) and vocally a smokier, breathier Melanie, she's got the tools for scaling giddy chart heights. INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 30 April 2004 She’s just finished touring with Jamie Cullum (“He’s so brilliant at what he does – a real fire cracker!”) and Michael Parkinson loves her (these days, a sure sign of success), but it was a while before singer songwriter Polly Paulusma realised her future lay in music. “For ages I was convinced I’d be a journalist,” she admits. “Then I started an MPhil, hated it and started writing a novel in between playing gigs at a pub, I got an agent and was on draft seven when I realised that I hated that too and had to do music.” So the 28-year-old Cambridge graduate swapped dusty libraries for her garden shed, where she wrote and recorded the folk-pop album Scissors In My Pocket. Paulusma (pronounced “Pole-sma”) is hoping it will be well received: “My parents have always been a bit funny about me doing music,” she says. “I had to upset a lot of people to do it.” Still, at least if it goes horribly wrong, at least she has a career plan C to fall back on. “Although,” she whispers, “I had a look at the novel the other day and it was awful.” The same, luckily, cannot be said for her debut album, out this month. Logo-magazine.com 26 April 2004 There’s something disconcertingly familiar about Polly Paulusma, and it’s immediately obvious. Though her voice is unique, it bears the hallmarks of every female singer-songwriter of note to have emerged in the last thirty years: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Suzanne Vega, even Alanis Morissette. It’s disconcerting because she’s adept at summoning the spirits of all of them, yet never quite descends into homage, pastiche or parody. Far from it, her poetic lyrics are the result of a good education (a first in English at Cambridge), her presence the result of an apprenticeship served as backing singer for Ben & Jason, and her impact the result of that charismatic, chameleonic voice. Jason and The Argonauts were warned about the Sirens whose irresistible songs would lure them onto the rocks; it seems one of them has been reborn. MSN.co.uk 26 April 2004 The singer-songwriter is something of a resurrected breed for the 21st Century. Particularly the laid-back female variety. Polly Paulusma is the UK's latest and fits firmly into the old school bracket with cryptically poetic lyrics (she has a first in English from Cambridge and knows how to use it!) and gently lilting melodies. Her voice is decidedly distinctive. Inevitable Norah Jones comparisons aside, this is a girl with a south London accent, giving her songs such as Dark Side and One Day an endearing naivety with an underlying sense of experience and passion. Musically she's closer to many a female vocalists icon, the young Joni Mitchell rather than the jazz and country greats often referenced by other singers. She's adventurous enough to incorporate elements of Latin (Mea Culpa) and rock (Perfect 4/4). An enchanting debut from a very bright British talent. UNCUT Magazine (UK) 01 February 2004 Also, listen out for the forthcoming debut album on One Little Indian from an extraordinary new British singer-songwriter called Polly Paulusma. And remember you read the name here first. Polly Paulusma: The Making of Scissors In My Pocket 01 January 2004 Polly's first album, released on One Little Indian in April 2004, was recorded largely in Polly's garden shed during the glorious summer of 2003. Polly had sung backing vocals on Ben & Jason’s 2001 album ‘Ten Songs About You’. “It was meant to be one last hurrah in my musical career before I got a proper job,” she recalls. “Instead, after singing with them it became blindingly obvious to me that I had to do music. Everything else felt wrong. I realised I wasn’t facing up to the truth.” It wasn't long before she was making her first album by herself. As chance would have it, while she was making the record, One Little Indian heard an earlier demo and approached her. “It was ironic, really,” she says. “It was only once I’d decided to make the album on my own that a record label came along.” By the time the deal was done, the recording had already been finished, entirely on Polly’s own terms. Oli Hayhurst on double bass and Rastko Rasic on drums came in “to colour in all the black and white parts”. And thanks to some tolerant neighbours, organ, dulcimer, trumpet and a variety of other textures were added in the garden shed during the summer of 2003. There are 11 songs on the album, and all are characterised by hook-laden melodies, insightful lyrics and Polly’s distinctive vocals. Scissors In My Pocket is a record that has led many to describe her as a modern-day Joni Mitchell. On some of the tracks Polly, who produced most of the album herself, went back to her original demos. Dark Side, the album’s captivating opener, is the original recording from her first demo three years ago, produced by Ben Parker (Ben & Jason). One Day and Over The Hill are also the original demos. “There was such a vibe to them that it seemed ridiculous to try and redo them,” she explains. Together with newer songs such as the lyrical She Moves In Secret Ways, Mea Culpa and the intoxicating Anywhere From Here, the result is a debut album of extraordinary craft and imagination from a naturally gifted storyteller. Where do these enchanting, insightful, beautiful songs come from? She really isn’t sure. “I’m mystified by it. I’ve no idea how it works. You have to make a window of time every day and hope something comes in. And you can't allow life to get in the way.” But mystery or not, you surely won’t hear a better new singer-songwriter in the whole of 2004. Polly Paulusma: Biography 01 January 2004 “When I was eight, I built a raft at the bottom of the garden from a bit of old fence,” Polly recalls. “I nagged my mum to take it down to the river. She eventually gave in but she insisted it had to be attached to a rope and she would hold on to it. So I hid a pair of scissors in my pocket. I was planning to cut the rope and sail off to London. I didn’t get very far. But I had the same feeling towards making this record. It was about defiance and taking your life in your own hands. I was a real handful, I can tell you.” Which perhaps explains why soon after the raft incident, Polly was packed off to an all-girl's convent school. But if the sisters entertained hopes of taming her maverick spirit, their ministrations had a different effect. "They taught me how to be self-contained, how to stand on my own two feet. I also had a pretty wild time," she recalls. She also began to find her musical voice. Polly rebelled against formal piano lessons at an early age and wrote her first song at ten (actually a re-write of a Paul McCartney track - “I liked the tune but I decided he’d written the wrong words, so I wrote my own. Something about swans. Much better than his”). The onset of her teens coincided with the rise of 'baggy' – the musical scene that grew out of the clubs in Manchester, England. She loved everything about it, learned guitar and was soon "entertaining everyone at school and showing off," as she puts it. Baggy didn't last long. But it was the starting point of a musical journey. "I began to work my way back through the annals and I came upon people like Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. That moment of discovery is amazing. It's something you can never recapture," she recalls. It inspired her own songwriting, although when she left school and went up to Cambridge she joined a ten-piece soul-funk covers band, “a bit like the Commitments,” and suffered regular bouts of laryngitis shouting herself hoarse doing Janis Joplin impressions. After graduating, she moved to London and formed a new band doing original material. But music was still only a hobby. “I convinced myself I had to have a proper grown-up respectable career,” she remembers. She considered becoming an academic and began a PhD, only to abandon it after a term. She could have been a journalist, and briefly took a job at the BBC World Service as a researcher. She also considered a career as a novelist, and even got as far as placing her manuscript with a literary agent. By the time she was asked to sing backing vocals on Ben & Jason’s 2001 album ‘Ten Songs About You’, she had quit the band. “It was meant to be one last hurrah in my musical career before I got a proper job,” she recalls. “Instead singing with them it became blindingly obvious I had to do music,” she recalls. “Everything else felt wrong. I realized I wasn’t facing up to the truth. I was like a moth going round a flame and I had to plunge in.” The novel was cast aside and she began playing solo gigs at acoustic venues such as the late-lamented Kashmir Klub. Two years of gigging and selling hand-made recordings from the stage meant that when she came to record her first album, she had 40 songs to draw upon. Oli Hayhurst on double bass and Rastko Rasic on drums came in “to color in all the black and white parts”. And thanks to some tolerant neighbours, organ, dulcimer, trumpet and a variety of other textures were added in the garden shed during the summer of 2003. The basic philosophy was no click tracks, as few edits as possible and as much playing live as was feasible. On several tracks, Polly, who produced the album herself, went back to her original demos. Dark Side, the album’s captivating opener, is the original recording of the song from her first demo three years ago, produced by Ben Parker (Ben & Jason). One Day and Over The Hill are also the original demos. “There was such a vibe to them that it seemed ridiculous to try and redo them,” she explains. Where do these enchanting, insightful, beautiful songs come from? She really isn’t sure. “I’m mystified by it. I’ve no idea how it works. You have to make a window of time every day and hope something comes and not allow life to get in the way.”

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:32:47.768171+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38268 Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti form the Milan-based downbeat group the Dining Rooms. Both came of age playing for numerous bands in the city's alternative/punk scene before switching over to producer-based trip-hop and the breezy updated lounge of the Dining Rooms. The duo's first full-length, Subterranean Modern, appeared in 1999 on Milano 2000. Numero Deux earned American distribution through Guidance upon its release in 2001, and the subsequent Remixes LP featured contributions from Soulstance as well as Ghittoni and Malfatti themselves. Tre followed in early 2003. - John Bush, All Music Guide

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:55:02.948551+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38269 Videos: They (Quicktime / stream) Jem was born in Wales, a Celtic haven bordering England known as 'the land of song'. Wales is renowned for its magnificent coastline, for its patriotic rugby, and for bringing the world such talented performers as Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, and Jem, of course! From the age of thirteen she was singing and writing songs, basic recording equipment was ever-present and she decided that one day she would be a singer. Keeping her dreams of this future career mostly to herself however, after finishing school she headed to Sussex University. Whilst in Brighton, Jem's great passion for music drew her into the music industry, but at this point it was the behind-the-scenes side that attracted her. She hurled her energies into club and festival promotion, became a DJ agent and finally helped set-up and run the specialist breaks label 'Marine Parade'. After a time however, it became clear something was missing. She realized that she'd been circling her own artistic instincts and it was time to take a leap of faith. But that great leap forward first required a small step back. In November of 1999 Jem surprised her colleagues by leaving everything behind and retreating to the creatively inspired air of Wales and a lifestyle of sofa surfing. Moving from the limits of her dictaphone, she assembled a mobile studio and got cracking on her songwriting and music production craft. This turned out to be a fruitful time. She completed a strong collection of 4 demos and things began to move quickly from there. Jem moved to London where she continued her nomadic existence and started collaborating with other writers/producers. Two days into her first writing session with acclaimed electronic producer Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Frou Frou), the song 'Nothing Fails' was born. This collaboration between Guy, Jem and subsequently Madonna, appears as track 6 on Madonna's 'American Life' album. Her love of beats and bass also lead her to Brooklyn where she teamed up with NY hip-hop producer Ge-ology (Mos Def, Talib Kweli) and in autumn 2002 she met her now co-producer Yoad Nevo. Together they have succeeded in fusing her many musical influences to create a fresh and distinctive new sound. Jem's music is a combination of bright melodies, soul searching lyrics and diverse rhythms that grab you from the first listen. Her seemingly innocent lyrics contain those closely observed details that are as much about optimism as they are about discovery. The aptly titled song 'Finally Woken' found its way to influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW 89.9 FM. Music Director Nic Harcourt began spinning Jem's demo on the nationally acclaimed program "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and it created a proper stir. "As soon as I heard the demo from this Welsh songstress I had no choice but to put her on our playlist," said Nic Harcourt, and the beautiful 'Finally Woken' first made its way across our airwaves in March 2002 and 'Flying High' has become one of my favorites." With each play causing an assault on the station's telephones, her demo tracks quickly made her one of the most listener-requested artists at the station and landed her in their coveted top 5 played artists, and all prior to any record label being attached. As fate would have it, A&R Bruce Flohr was one of those listeners and he wooed her to sign onto Dave Matthews' ATO record label, which has enjoyed successes with David Gray, My Morning Jacket and Ben Kweller. Jem's EP 'It All Starts Here...' was released by ATO Records in Autumn 2003 and her full-length debut CD 'Finally Woken' followed in March 2004. After a long and winding road to becoming a full-fledged and working artist, Jem has finally woken, indeed.

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]]> 2006-05-06 15:32:24.202701+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38270 Videos: Eighties Fan (Real / 7.63Mb) Keep It Clean (Real / 2.47Mb) Teenager (Real / 6.41Mb) I Love My Jean (Real / 12.1Mb) Hailing from sunny Scotland, Camera Obscura have ploughed their furrow writing slightly offensive pop melancholy. Perhaps the best example of this on their debut release, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi, is Eighties Fan. If you haven't heard it (and you undoubtedly have), it is probably the best pop song ever. The aforementioned melancholy runs through its string veins with the lightest of bobbing flows. An impossibly pretty and well-recorded string section (arranged by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian) provides the soul here, in a way that Tompaulin have surely learnt from and replicated. This song could mean something to everyone, such is its grace and deftness of craft. You too will think that 'life will be the death of you'. Unfortunately, having Eighties Fan as the second track on the album means that the listener is consistently under-whelmed by everything that follows it. This isn't to say that any of the material is spectacularly bad, but it inevitably fails in comparison to the glory of that one song. The album does enough to suggest that Eighties Fan wasn't a fluke (the terribly sad tale of a Smiths-obsessed boyfriend in Pen and Notebook probably comes closest), but there is a definite lack of the extreme coherence that would catapult them into the indie-pop superleagues. There are flashes of arch-knowing that take them steps closer to that special kind of personal relationship between band and listener, but there is also the feeling that they are capable of so much more. The sullen beauty of Tracy-Ann Campbell's voice could be the charm that wins the day with the casual listener, but the longevity really needs to come from the songs. A fine testament to the influence of Belle and Sebastian, Camera Obscura could be something pretty special if they get out of first gear. -TweeNet

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]]> 2006-05-05 14:33:24.739442+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38271 Videos: Do What You Want To Do (Quicktime / stream) Sweden’s no 1 guitar pop band. Acid House Kings was started by the teenagers Joakim Ödlund {also in Poprace, Starlet and Doubledan}, brothers Niklas {also in Red Sleeping Beauty} and Johan Angergård {also in Club 8, Poprace and The Legends} back in 1991 inspired by the English anorak scene {most bands on labels like Sarah, Subway and Heaven would be considered as favorites at this time}. The band recorded their first songs and sent them only to one label, the German pop label Marsh-Marigold. A few months later their debut single »Play pop! EP« was released. In 1992, Acid House Kings set up a 10 year plan: a trilogy of albums with one album released exactly every 5th year. Each album was to be filled with catchy guitar pop songs but with new themes and a growing maturity from album to album. The first album in trilogy was the twee »Pop, look & listen« released on Marsh-Marigold in 1992. The album was followed by the 6-track ep »Monaco G.P.« and a European tour in 1994. With the 2nd part of Acid House Kings album trilogy the band wanted to create catchy quality pop {a bit like The Smiths for summer days instead of lonely autumn nights looked up in your room}. That album was »Advantage Acid House Kings«. The band changed labels for this album to Shelflife in the US and Harmony in Japan. On this album the singer Julia Lannerheim was introduced in the band as a guest singer on a couple of songs. The album was released in rather small quantities and sold out quickly. It's now been re-released by Labrador Records. In 2001 Acid House Kings built a studio of their own, Summersound Studios, in order to make a perfectly sophisticated pop production for the 3rd installment in the trilogy. Joakim was unable to make it to the recording studio because of the fact that he was living too far from it. But on the other hand Julia became a full-time member of the band. The year was a creative burst for the Kings. The result was »Mondays are like Tuesdays and Tuesdays are like Wednesdays«. It's an easy, breezy, beautiful album with more lasting qualities than any of the other albums in the trilogy. It was released in 2002 on Parasol (US), Quince (Japan), Magnum (South East Asia) and Labrador (Europe). ALL MUSIC described ‘Mondays...« as “…yet more proof of the emerging, Swedish indie pop scene. “ and gave it Rolling Stone praised it as regal and “full of sugary, yet bittersweet hooks”. Spurred by the wide acclaim for »Mondays... « Acid House Kings immediately begun working on the plan for the second 10 year period and on what was to become »Sing along with Acid House Kings”. The new album also saw the return of founding member Joakim Ödlund on guitar. Combining the aesthetics of Kraftwerk with Motown girl groups from the 60’s and musical influences from Burt Bucharach to The Smiths, Acid House Kings have created a classic album of timeless pop perfection. True to their Swedish origin, the Kings cannot hide a certain debt to the stylish arrangements and crystal clear melodies of ABBA. Though the »Mondays...« album sounds just as great today as when it was first heard, there’s no doubt the new album is a big step forward. The vocal duties are charmingly shared between the two singers, Niklas and Julia, the melodies direct and timeless and the arrangements multifaceted and rich in detail. »Sing along with Acid House Kings« is not only a proof of the emerging Swedish pop scene, it’s the cream of the lot. And yes, you can sing along. They’ll even include a free karaoke DVD with the album {the very first in musical history} to help you do so.

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:46:38.541724+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38272 Videos: Wrapped Up In Books (Flash player) Lazy Line Painter Jane (Flash player) Belle and Sebastian were formed in an all-night café in Glasgow, January 1996. Stuart Murdoch (singer/songwriter) and Stuart David (bass guitar) met on a government-training scheme and recorded some demos, which were picked up by a Jeepster scout who was taking part in the Stow College Music Business Course. The course, run by ex-Associate Alan Rankine, produces and releases one record every year on the college label Electric Honey Records, usually a single. However in the case of Belle and Sebastian they had enough songs to record a whole album, and so the elusive Tigermilk was born. Recorded in three days and one thousand copies released on vinyl only, it now changes hands for up to £400 per copy. Belle and Sebastian then signed to Jeepster in August and the critically acclaimed LP "If You're Feeling Sinister" (JPRCD/LP/MC001) was released November 18th. The Support slot for the Tindersticks ICA Gigs, Followed by a headline show at the Borderline in early November brought the joys of Belle and Sebastian live to the south for the first time. The band then set about with the plan of spending the summer of 1997 releasing EP's, the first of these being "Dog On Wheels" on 28th April. This release contained early demos of the band, previous to all the current members joining, including the demo version of "The State I Am In". Mark Radcliffe had played the mastered Tigermilk version of this track relentlessly and for those without a copy of the vinyl masterpiece, the Dog On Wheels EP (JPRCDS/12/7001) appeased the fans thirst enough to put the single in at Number 59 on the singles chart. The second EP "Lazy Line Painter Jane", was released on July 28th, the Week of the seminal Union Chapel gig in Islington, London. Despite the poor sound, the band had the crowd dancing in the aisles (and pews) of the chapel. For most, this gig was their first B&S gig and a religious experience was shared by all. The "Lazy Jane" EP narrowly missed the top 40, crashing in at number 41, much to Chris Geddes (keyboards) amusement, as he had made bets with Jeepster boss Mark Jones that it would not get in. The band played two more gigs on their mini tour of the south-west in Oxford and Colchester, preparing them for their American debut. The "Sinister" LP had been licensed in North America by Virgin subsidiary label the enclave since February. Belle and Sebastian journeyed over to New York in September to take part in the CMJ (College Music Journal) festival. They played two gigs at the Angel Oransanz Foundation Centre For The Arts, an old chapel in Greenwich Village. The excitement levels were so high, parts of the ceiling decided to join the band onstage, as Belle and Sebastian - literally - brought the house down. The band were also invited to play at the Barcelona BAM festival in late September. This time their venue was an ancient courtyard at the Plaza Del Rei, and under a starry moonlit sky, beneath the gaze of a thousand gargoyles they captivated, yet again, another audience. "3..6..9 Seconds Of Light" was the last of the summer EP's released on October 13th, and the music press finally realised just how important B&S are, when both the Melody Maker and the NME made it their single of the Week. Despite the lack of radio play, it became the bands' first top 40 hit, debuting at number 32 on the charts. 1998 saw the release of "The Boy With The Arab Strap", which became the biggest hit yet, hitting the charts at number 12, before disappearing without trace. The band disappeared too, but fortunately left a trace which led to the US and Europe on their first overseas tour. Oh, and the band won "Best Newcomer" at The Brit Awards, much to the chagrin of Dennis Waterman, whose re-mix of "I Could Be So Good For You (Theme From Minder)" was deemed ineligible on grounds of being shit. However, Waterman's tears turned to cheers the next year when he was presented with an honorary award for "Best Thing To Happen To Rula Lenska". The fourth single "This Is Just A Modern Rock Song" was released, backed by the sublime "Slow Graffiti". 1999 was a reasonably quiet year for the band. The only highlights were the re-release of "Tigermilk" and The Bowlie Weekender, Belle & Sebastian's own festival. Held at Pontin's Holiday Camp in Camber Sands, the festival featured Mercury Rev, Teenage Fanclub, Flaming Lips, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai and Broadcast among others, and spawned All Tomorrows Parties. The rest of the year, and the first half of 2000 saw the band locked up in CaVa with Tony Doogan, recording the songs that would eventually make up B&S' first Top Ten LP "Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant". The accompanying single "Legal Man" was a Top 15 hit, and gave the band their first "Top Of The Pops" appearance, and their first brush with the law. It was a riotous appearance that degenerated into a blur of monkey butlers and roses. The ever-expanding B&S line-up had a bit of a blow when Stuart David departed to concentrate on Looper and writing books. But it's alright. Playing the bass isn't exactly rocket science. The members of the band took the rest of the year off to concentrate on other projects; Bel's Gentle Waves; Mick with The Amphetameanies; Beans and Stevie with V-Twin and Richard with Snow Patrol. They reconvened in January 2001 to record some new songs, again with Doogan. The first of these, "Jonathan David", was released as a single on June 18th 2001, becoming a minor hit in the UK and a major hit in Brazil. The band celebrated by playing a 13-date tour of the UK, as well as sell-out trips to the USA, Spain, Japan and Brazil. Having survived various gruesome tour initiation tests, "Belfast" Bobby Kildea was poached from V-Twin, joining the band as full-time bassist. He lacks the boy David's dry, cutting wit, but is somewhat easier on the eye. The second and final single of the year was called "I'm Waking Up To Us", and was released in November 2002. It was the first time the band had collaborated with a producer; the producer in question being Mike Hurst, the man behind several great '60s hits, and loads of dodgy '80s stuff. Large chunks of 2002 were also spent recording "Storytelling", the soundtrack album to Todd Solenz's film of the same name. As it turns out, a lot of the album doesn't feature in the film, but the film at the very least, inspired all the music. Alright? The rest of 2002 was spent on the road, or so it seemed, performing shows in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, the USA, Canada, Norway, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain. Sadly there was another casualty along the way; Isobel was the next to falter, returning home midway through the US tour. She’d never tried to pretend the rock’n’roll life suited her, and the cons had started to outweigh the pros. So that was that. Another significant change occurred, with the band leaving Jeepster Records. Times had changed for both parties and there was a mutual understanding that everyone would be better off trying something new. As far as B&S were concerned, that something new was Rough Trade Records. For Jeepster it was ceasing to release B&S records, in favour of a long-planned B&S DVD compilation. One of the highlights of the year was in December, when B&S went to London to play at John Peel’s Christmas party. Some new songs were aired, and a drunken choir joined the band for some carols. For many though, the climax was a unique take on “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” where Richard finally got to do his bird impressions. In 2003, Belle & Sebastian completed their 6th studio album. Recorded in palatial splendor in Sussex and London with ‘80s maestro Trevor Horn (Buggles, Yes, ABC, TATU, Frankie Goes To Hollywood), “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” was the first album to feature Bobby and not Isobel and was released worldwide on October 6th. The band played their biggest ever headline shows in NYC, LA and San Fran in August 2003. They weren’t sure whether Neil Diamond’s “Love at The Greek” was recorded in the LA or San Fran Greek Theater, so they did both to be on the safe side. The Jeepster “Fans Only” DVD was released in October 2003, and it tells the story of B&S 1996 – 2003 in a far more eloquent and entertaining way than this. There’s loads of unreleased and unseen footage – as well as a few dodgy haircuts – on there which should hopefully make you giggle as much as it did us. In November 2003, the band released their first ever single from an album in the form of “Step Into My Office, Baby”. The video is in the style of the seventies “Confessions…” films and stars Richard as the Window Cleaner come Office Piece of Fluff. Graham Linehan – he of Father Ted fame – graciously accepted B&S’s request to write and direct the video, which instigated the biggest amount of back-slapping “Love your work” you could imagine. The next 9 months were spent on the road, taking in two trips to Japan, two to America, the first visit to Australia plus the usual UK and mainland Europe jaunts. After playing some amazing outdoor venues around the world, the band desperately wanted to replicate the success of these shows in the UK and set about organizing a free show in the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow and two nights at Somerset House in London. Anticipating the usual Glasgow rain for a mid-summer June’s day, B&S branded Rain Mac’s were manufactured. This was duly noted by a higher power and Glasgow had it’s hottest day of the year, bringing 10,000 people out of the tenements to enjoy the sunshine. The Somerset House shows in July were just as special, the setting within a beautiful London courtyard and a fabulous light show rivaling the best headline performances at the festivals. The release of “I’m A Cuckoo” from DCW in February 2004 saw B&S enjoying unprecedented radio play, and their biggest UK hit to date with a number 14 smash. The EP was also memorable for the first-ever B&S remix; Australian mavericks’ Avalanches unique take on “I’m A Cuckoo” which has to be heard to be believed. “Wrapped Up In Books” was released as a AA-side with new track, the epic “Your Cover’s Blown”, as the final album single in June, netting the group their 3rd Top 20 hit. The success of the “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” album and singles led to B&S being nominated for both the Mercury Music Prize and the Ivor Novello Award, but failing to win either. More oddness was to be experienced in November when Trevor Horn threw a party/concert to celebrate his 25 years in the business and asked B&S to perform. The band finally threw off their indie shackles and shared a stage with Pet Shop Boys, ABC, Grace Jones, Seal, Yes and Frankie Goes To Hollywood! Highlight? Probably Stuart inadvertently addressing the “I’ve got no claims to your crown” line of “I’m A Cuckoo” to Prince Charles, who was watching from sidestage. And catching Camilla stealing the rider when we were watching Yes. 2004 ended with the band back in Glasgow, ensconced in the studio, writing the next album, which will be recorded in California in Summer 2005. Before then however, a double-CD, triple-LP compilation of all the Jeepster EP’s and singles called “Push Barman To Open Old Wounds” is released on May 23rd 2005. -belleandsebastian.com

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]]> 2006-05-05 23:11:18.037481+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38273 She's been variously described as "a bummed out angel in the badlands of love" (Details), "the clear eyed oracle of London's breakbeat scene" (Spin) and "Queen of the heartbreak vocal" (Mercury Music Prize judges). There must be something special about Beth Orton that makes people attempt poetry. Ever since her debut solo album Trailer Park was released to critical acclaim in October '96, people have been enchanted by the tall Norfolk broad with the acoustic guitar. 1997 was good to Beth. From working with her all time hero, folk-jazz legend Terry Callier, to singing on the Chemical Brother's number one album Dig Your Own Hole, to touring America with Sheryl Crow and Emmy Lou Harris as part of the Lilith Fair, to performing to a packed-out tent of 10,000 muddy Glastonbury-goers. Not to mention scoring her first Top 40 single with "She Cries Your Name," selling-out her UK tour, and experiencing the perfect movie moment of driving down a sun-soaked Hollywood Boulevard in an open-top convertible and hearing her cover version of The Ronette's "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine" played on KROQ - then heading home to celebrate a Mercury Music Prize nomination for Album Of The Year! At six foot tall and disarmingly sharp, Beth Orton is not exactly what you'd expect. With an ability to reduce grown men (and women) to tears with her songs, Beth is more likely to steal your last cigarette than cry on your shoulder. As she says, "I don't think my songs are as miserable as people make out. There's a lot of hope in there as well. It depends if you're a half-empty or half-full person." Born in Norfolk, England in 1970, Beth moved to London with her mother at the age of 14 where they settled in Dalston. Her older brothers being punk rockers, the most rebellious thing the teenage Beth could do was "get into folk." She spent her late teen years immersed in everything from Nick Drake to Dexy's, The Stone Roses to Rickie Lee Jones, before toying with the idea of acting and a drama course at the LSU. After a couple of years in fringe theater she hooked up with dance producer William Orbit for her first musical project, a cover of John Martyn's "Don't Wanna Know About Evil." Having worked with Mr. Orbit for two years she co-wrote the first two Red Snapper singles and teamed up with the (little known at the time) Chemical Brothers on "Alive: Alone," the haunting final track from the Brothers' ace debut album. Signed to Heavenly Recordings, Beth blended her guitars with samples and beats on an album of starkly personal songs of breathtaking beauty. Working with producers Victor Van Vught (Tindersticks, Nick Cave) and Andrew Weatherall (producer of the classic Screamadelica) she created her own brand of rhythm-infused folk. Trailer Park struck a chord with everyone from seasoned folkies, country aficionados, teenage clubbers and the brokenhearted, earning her the title (her favorite yet) of "The Comedown Queen." Happiest in charge, she led her new band on a year-long road trek supporting The Beautiful South, John Martyn, John Cale, Mark Eitzel and Everything But The Girl before selling out her own headline tours. The Best Bit EP - released in December 1997 - was Beth's biggest chart success yet and saw her hooking up with her musical hero Terry Callier. It's success won Beth two Brit Award nominations ("Best British Female Artist" and "Best British Newcomer") and the e.p. went on to sell over 40,000 copies. Trailer Park soon went gold and it seemed that suddenly the whole world was talking about the intriguing English girl with the spine-tingling voice and pocketful of heartache. From virtual unknown to magazine front cover star by whispered word of mouth in under two years seems an unprecedented feat, and Beth's latest album Central Reservation will only help cement her growing reputation. She has recorded her second album with producers Victor Van Vught (producer of Trailer Park) and David Roback (from eerie US duo Mazzy Star). Central Reservation features guest appearances from jazz hero Terry Callier, Ben Watt (of Everything But The Girl), Ben Harper and Dr. John. An album of starkly beautiful songs, including the Modern Rock radio hits "Central Reservation" and "Stolen Car," Entertainment Weekly perhaps summed the collection up best by simply calling it "stunning." -artista.com

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:34:32.456216+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38274 Videos: Breath In (WMV / stream) Must Be Dreaming (WMV / stream) It's Good To Be In Love (WMV / stream) Part cool 'n' collected statuesque beauty, part thrilled eight year old, Imogen Heap is struggling to contain her excitement. "For the last year, I've had a mission to accomplish," says the former Frou Frou lass, kicking her pink stiletto-ed heels with joy. From the pride glowing from the songwriter's grin, it's clear "Operation Imogen" has been a resounding success. After twelve months of graft in her studio, the bubbly twenty-seven year-old is finally poised to release the glorious 'Speak For Yourself''. Filled with grace and passion, and loaded with hooks, it's a captivating Bjork meets pop-Squarepusher gem of a record and the thoroughly deserving source of her exhilaration. Following on from her 1998 debut 'I Megaphone' and her 2002 Frou Frou collaboration with Guy Sigsworth, 'Details', this is Heap's second release in her own name. But it is her first truly solo album. Out on Heap's own label, Megaphonic, 'Speak For Yourself' has an almighty cast of just one, but it is a triumph of Oscar-winning proportions. Startling lead single "Hide And Seek" is already taking the States by storm. One week after it was played-out in the closing sequence to the season (2) finale of cult drama series 'The O.C.', in a prize slot which last season used Jeff Buckley's heart-rending version of the Leonard Cohen-penned 'Hallelujah', 'Hide And Seek' leapt from No. 98 to No.32 in the Official Billboard Hot 100 Download Chart, making Imogen the No.1 Electronic Act on the chart. Impressively, the track – which was only available on iTunes as oppose to the many music sites which make up the Download Chart – sold 9,700 copies as a download in one week alone, and more impressively, gave Megaphonic the only independently-released track in the entire Hot 100 chart that week. Sitting among the chiffon curtains and butterfly fairy lights of her Bermondsey studio – the very same one in which Dizzee Rascal recorded 'Showtime', though now significantly girlied-up – Heap is the picture of satisfaction. Armed with Pro-Tools, some geeky toys and a room full of instruments ranging from a cello to carpet tubes, she wrote, recorded and produced every glistening note of her remarkable electro-poprecord herself, fulfilling a life-long dream. "I always wanted to find out what I was capable of," she says smiling broadly. In 2003 Heap parted ways with Island records, who released Frou Frou's "Details", though they were keen to put out the next solo album she felt it was "time for a change of scenery". Imogen recalls "I signed my first deal when I was just 17 and I've been on one label or another since then. I didn't think I'd end up releasing it on a label of my very own but once I'd finished I didn't want to give it all away again, specially as I'd put everything I had into it". Working with Frou Frou partner, Madonna and Britney producer Guy Sigsworth had been "an apprenticeship in making amazing records," says Heap. But Heap was adamant that with her next project, she should get the recognition she deserved. "It's not Guy's fault, but with Frou Frou, everyone assumed the man did all the production and engineering, mixing and programming and that the girl – me – just sang," explains Heap. "And I have to say that really irritated me. We did everything together. I'd been programming on Macs since I was twelve and that was more of a love to me than singing ever was." After her break-up with Universal/Island, Heap felt the time had come for change. "I loved working with Guy," she says. "I'd learnt so much from him and all the other various collaborations I'd done over the years. Now I was bursting with ideas and just wanted to get my hands really dirty!" Writing, recording and owning your own music is a noble aspiration. But as Heap discovered, record labels do have their uses and summoning together vital funds was proving a tad problematic. "I traipsed my way round every bank but I couldn't get a loan," she says. "I had £10,000 on my credit card and I couldn't pay my bills" but just before despair could stick in its claws, Heap's luck changed. Clocking a "For Sale" sign outside her block of flats was, she says, like a little light bulb going on: "I couldn't help wondering just how much I could sell my flat to myself for." From that moment on, it seemed as though Fate was smiling on Heap. The artist set about re-mortgaging her flat and thanks to a sympathetic surveyor ("I couldn't believe it," says Heap, "but he turned out to be a Frou Frou fan!") she got exactly the valuation she needed. The value of her humble flat had grown by a hundred grand, and with money to burn, Heap kick-started her year-long mission on her 26 th birthday, December 9, 2003 . "I had all my new gear delivered as a birthday present to myself," remembers Heap, "then I booked my mastering for December 7 a year later. That was my deadline – I was going to make sure I had my new album done in time to celebrate on my next birthday!" The songwriter set about experimenting. "I just wanted to see what kinds of sounds were coming out of me," she says reliving her excitement. Alone with her new toys, the singer found a voice she didn't know she had. And it was a discovery that was to unexpectedly shape the new album. Halfway through the album she set up an online blog www.imogenheap.com to help keep herself in check. "Somedays I wouldn't get much done as I didn't have anyone to answer to," says Heap, "so I thought if I wrote a diary on-line people could see if I'd been crap in the studio and it would keep me from slacking. If I got really stuck on something, just seeing the problem up there would help me tackle it better and one time I even asked those reading the blog to choose a lyrical direction from a poll I set up on my website!" The soundtrack to Heap's cycle rides between her Waterloo home and her studio may partly explain the cross-pollination of genres that is 'Speak For Yourself'. Pedaling to the glitchy electro-sparks of Avril, Squarepusher and Cursor Minor, to contemporary classical composers Arvo Part and Ryuichi Sakamoto to the pop/punk/rock of Cornelius and the Foo Fighters. And though the album's dominant personality is electronic, Heap says, it's also intrinsically vocally-lead. The lyric-based songs are accompanied by vocal segments, layered over each other and treated just like the pianos, strings, guitars, and harps are. And like all the other live instruments, her voice is tweaked, compressed or put through harmonisers to achieve the perfect sound. "I write in terms of the voice being a part of the score more than one vocal line hovering over a backing track," she explains. "I'm so lucky I've ended up with such a bizarre voice. It's distinctive enough to hold itself in whatever music I throw at it." However the real emphasis here is on the minutiae; the fluctuating dynamics beneath the soaring sounds. Aside from textured incidental noises, like trains rumbling past the tracks outside Heap's studio, breaths, sighs, whispers and intimate vocal quirks make this electronic wonder sound human again. And this warmth compliments the intensely personal nature of Heap's songs. 'Speak For Yourself' is vulnerable, exposed and flooded with emotion. So what's it all about? Heap pauses for thought…"It's quite tricky writing lyrics for "love" songs when you are happy and content with your man," she laughs. "The subject matter can get pretty repetitive, so sometimes I found myself running away with a naughty thought or stealing a friend's situation and eventually the song would turn itself into something all by itself". And yet Heap's cinematic vignettes are remarkably vivid. Elusive little fantasies or based on real life? For example, epic closer, "The Moment I Said It" is a tumultuous scene of badly-broken news; stark electro-a cappella "Hide And Seek' a hymn to disbelief, betrayal and grief awhile "Goodnight And Go", which features Heap fan, Jeff Beck on guitars, is a wistful ode to forbidden love. With the album done and dusted, Heap can't help but revel in her serendipity. "Ever since I decided to do this on my own, great things have come my way," she says sitting back in her fluffy studio chair. Not withstanding her star-struck surveyor, other factors have also seemingly conspired in her favour. Last year, Scrubs-star Zach Braff personally selected the Frou Frou track 'Let Go' for the soundtrack to his critically acclaimed indie-hit and directorial debut, 'Garden State', helping fuel the Imogen Heap fire. Musical directors across a variety of television outlets have clamoured for her tracks; in addition to 'The OC', 'CSI' and 'Six Feet Under' have also featured her music and LA's influential KCRW station is already spot-playing album tracks. For a couple of months before release "Speak For Yourself" has been floating in and around the music business and a few household names have been in touch with Heap since hearing 'Speak For Yourself", hoping to book her for knob-twiddling duties. "I thought I might like to get into producing other artists records one day but it seems one day is already here and I'm really enjoying it". It's no surprise Heap emanates a burning self-belief. 'Speak For Yourself' has been a test of her abilities; a test she's passed with glowing colours: "In the past there were times when I wished I had been listened to," she says, "but I've never really known if I was right. This time, from the start I've done things my way." Part cool 'n' collected statuesque beauty, part thrilled eight year old, Imogen Heap is struggling to contain her excitement. "I feel nothing can stop me," she says through a huge grin. "This is just the beginning and I can't sit still with excitement to see how things are going to pan out."

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:30:13.846732+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38355 "Nouvelle Vague" is a french project initialized by Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Marc Collin was a genuine "french touch" figure (with his band Ollano).he moved from movie soundtrack ("the kidnapper's theme") to club music (he recorded for Paper recordings) until becoming a creative and eclectic producer (Avril on Fcom ,Volga select on Output records) Olivier Libaux was involved in many french pop acts all along the nineties and started working with Marc in 1998. He recently released his first solo album "L'héroïne au bain" on french label naïve. "Nouvelle Vague" ( means « New Wave « in french, « Bossa Nova » in portuguese) revisits number of both Marc and Olivier's favourite tracks of the early eighties, from Joy Division to XTC. Their idea was to forget the initial punk or new wave background of each song,keep simple fundamental chords,work with young singers who never heard the orginal versions,and make the quality of original songwriting happen in a completely different way.(bossa nova,jazz style and sixties pop) For their debut on this compilation, here is their version of "Guns of Brixton" performed by Camille, one of the most talented french vocalist at this time.

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:15:21.722408+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38356 On the heels of critical success for her sublime debut U.S. album, Not Going Anywhere, released on Metro Blue Records, an imprint of Blue Note Records, Paris and New York-based singer-songwriter Keren Ann follows with Nolita, another intimate collection of quietly sung lyrical gems this time with more diverse, multi-textured soundscapes. Six of the 11 songs are sung in English; the rest, including the graceful yet urgent album opener "Que n'ai-je?" ("What Don't I Have?"), in French. Recorded in Paris and New York, the CD, both beautiful and mysterious, pays homage to New York, her adopted home where she spent much of last year. 2004 was a pivotal year for Keren Ann, whose full name is Keren Ann Zeidel and is the daughter of a Javanese-Dutch mother and a Russian-Israeli father. In the late summer, she made her U.S. debut with the release of Not Going Anywhere (the English-language CD was her first album to be released overseas, the first two comprising originals sung in French). Self-described as her "very soft folk record," it made an immediate impact with critics and fans. The New Yorker noted: "Not Going Anywhere is well and truly written-a generosity at a time when technology makes it easy to release an album that is more wish than act…Like a series of epigrams, the music has a masterly brevity…The singing is quiet but drives the arrangements. It's the work of someone who has learned what she's good at." Prior to its release, Keren Ann created a buzz in New York with an extended residency, beginning in May, at the Lower East Side boutique club The Living Room and showcases at Joe's Pub, where she unveiled her songs described by scribes as "luminous," "precise, not wispy" and "captivating." Her whisper-like voice was characterized as "refreshingly unadorned, lacking any studied vibrato or artsy phrasing" and full of "serene mystery and subtle melancholy: cool but never detached." Concurrently Keren Ann was already working on Nolita. Earlier in the year, she spent February and March in the city. She returned to Paris and in her studio recorded pre-productions for each tune-guitar, drums, bass and some vocals. "But I had to get back to New York to fully record the songs," she says. "I had to get back to that atmosphere." So, with her residency on the horizon, Keren Ann set up shop in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of Nolita (North of Little Italy), renting a studio and loft. "When I record, I need to feel a familiarity with the space," she says. "So I hung some of my things on the wall and recreated a home space for myself. I like the idea of having a calm, quiet room to work on my music while knowing that outside there's noise and a lot happening. It's reassuring to know the "everyday" continues even though inside the studio you feel so disconnected from it." A few weeks into her residency, Keren Ann injured her hand, tearing ligaments in her thumb that required her to wear a cast. Initially she felt dismayed by the prospect of delaying the recording. "But a friend told me, 'It's not a big deal; it's just a change of plans,'" she says. "So I went out and bought keyboards and programming equipment that I probably wouldn't have used if I hadn't injured my hand. Naturally, I'd just play my guitars." While the original guitar parts remain, they are embellished with layers of colors and textures as well as cello, violin, guitar and trumpet parts contributed by new acquaintances on the New York scene. Keren Ann cites two examples: electric guitarist Jack Pettruzzelli on the longing "One Day Without" and jazz trumpeter Avishai Cohen on the quietly fingerpicked beauty "L'onde amère" ("Bitter Wave"). When asked about the melancholic vein in her music, Keren Ann hastens to note that it's not necessarily sadness. "I don't think the two have a direct relationship," she says, emphasizing instead a reflective sensibility. "When I think of melancholy, I'm thinking of vocalists like Caetano Veloso, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday. It's there with rock artists too, like Tom Waits, Blur, Velvet Underground. It's true, I'm doing melancholic music, but it's not down." Keren Ann says that Nolita thematically returns to the feel of one of her earlier albums, 2002's La Disparition (The Disappearance): "The themes come back," she says. "I guess I get obsessed with certain things like absence, lust, longing. They come back through different stories and different characters. But I also like how it stays mysterious." Nolita opens with "Que n'ai-je," a tune about a woman who is being stalked, according to Keren Ann, "either by someone she loved in the past or by who she herself was 20 years ago. The song is about that fantasy where people want to erase all the evidence of their existence." The English-language numbers include the slow-smoldering "Chelsea Burns" with a country tinge (violin, mandolin and harmonica); the haunting title track about suffocation and burial; the optimistic pop melody "Roses & Hips," with its sweet sense of longing; the dreamy and indelible "For You and I," a collaboration with longtime writing partner Bardi Johansson (of Icelandic pop band Bang Gang, and Keren Ann's side project band "Lady & Bird"); and the fascinating end piece, "Song Of Alice," where actor/film director Sean Gullette gives a dramatic narration of a Keren Ann story about a disturbed resident of 23rd Street in Chelsea. The tunes on Nolita add up to another remarkable outing for Keren Ann, still a Parisian and now also a New Yorker. "I like to capture moments," she says. "It's like a photograph. Ten years from now you look at the photograph and you don't remember it but rather the whole week or month around the photo. That's what this record is like. Thirty years from now, I'll look back at Nolita and remember that it came from the atmosphere I was longing for in New York." -EMI Music

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:10:15.29754+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38357 The orchestral folk-pop of the Gentle Waves was primarily the brainchild of singer/songwriter Isobel Campbell, best known as the cellist and occasional vocalist for Scottish twee phenoms Belle and Sebastian. Recorded with the aid of fellow B&S members Stuart Murdoch, Richard Colburn, Chris Geddes, Mick Cooke, and Stevie Jackson following the group's 1998 U.S. tour, the Gentle Waves' debut LP Green Fields of Foreverland was released on Jeepster Records the following spring. Swansong for You was issued in fall 2000. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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]]> 2006-05-06 01:01:12.043191+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38360 Videos: Heartstopper (WMV / 8.4Mb) Session KCRW 2005 (Real / 60Mb) "Home alone and happy / Nothing brings me down" So opens Emiliana Torrini’s second album, a soft-yet-searing collection of twelve intimate and atmospheric songs that will whisper their way into your bloodstream. Back in 1999, when the singer released the critically acclaimed Love In The Time Of Science, Emiliana came out with a gorgeous, electronic trippoppin’ vision of endless summer and moonlit nights out. Following her departure from One Little Indian, there’s a new introspection, closer to Nick Drake or Jolie Holland than Portishead or Goldfrapp. "This whole record is about these four years I was away," explains Emiliana " Very life-changing times. A lot of things happened. I just couldn"t at this stage go back to writing a record like I did before." Indie HQ Rough Trade clearly approved of her new direction: they signed Emiliana immediately after hearing the first demos from Fisherman's Woman. The 27-year-old singer and writer has nonetheless been busy since Love In The Time Of Science. She moved to Brighton, joined the cast of Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers to perform the enchanting ‘Gollum Song’ wrote and toured with Thievery Corporation, and wrote a Number One Hit for Kylie Minogue in the shape of huge-selling pop smash 'slow". "It was a very fun thing to do," she says. "It was an opportunity to dust off my dancing shoes and write music that I don"t normally write but love, and then keep the smokey-little-bar-music to my self." 'slow" was written and produced with Brixton-based producer Mr Dan, midway through the sessions that became Fisherman's Woman. After writing with a number of different artists, Emiliana was introduced to Mr Dan – and they clicked immediately. "it had been so long since the last album, and I was in two minds of doing it again," she says. "I was very nervous about going back, but we had so much fun doing it. It is just one of those collaborations I have been waiting for all my life." Emiliana decided to go back to basics and write with just a guitar and no electronics or programming. The pair jammed out the songs in Dan's dark Brixton basement with Dan on guitar and Emiliana conjuring up the lyrics and melodies. After that they recorded the record in The Exchange in Camden, " well one thing I knew very well is that I wanted a very intimate vocal sound," she says. "This album was recorded with candles, laughing fits and my duvet. We were sad leaving Brixton. I love it there," she says. "It can suck the life out of you and then blow you full again. Depends what mood it's in. Brixton is like a huge "me me me show"." Intimate. It sounds like it: opening gambit "Nothing Brings Me Down" gradually builds from sparse beginnings; Dan's acoustic guitar, light touches of piano - to a textured, gentle circle. Album highlight 'sunny Road" sounds as if it could have leaped out of a dusty, lost Leonard Cohen session, while "Lifesaver" floats along a mysterious, fairy-tale accordion melody, accompanied by the ambient creak of boats on water. "Thinking Out Loud" whispers of Eastern Europe and the Appalachians before album closer, 'serenade" multi-tracks the listener into a moonlit dream which references clouds, dark vines, temptations and new tomorrows. It's evocative and heart-felt – a handcrafted jewel of a record. Fisherman's Woman also includes a song, "Honeymoon Child" written by smog's Bill Callahan, who Emiliana spent some time writing with in America. Emiliana Torrini is half Icelandic, half Italian. She grew up in Iceland in a town outside Reykjavik and spent her childhood summers with her grandmother in the far east of Iceland out in the wild, spacious countryside. Her teen summers were spent in Germany with her Italian uncle. She joined a choir aged seven and sang soprano till she was 15, when she went to opera school. "I got into other music rather late because we didn"t have any records, well except lots of classical, my mum's Greatest Love Songs compilation from the TV and Leonard Cohen whom I love. Then we got MTV. We were the first people in our town to have it and I would stay up all night to record from the late night alternative shows, making tapes to take to school to brag about my musical findings." She recorded a few jazz and blues songs for her father's 50tth birthday which then became an album that sold 15,000 copies in Iceland and remained at number one for many months. She followed this with an equally successful album of which 50% was co-written by her and hence the beginnings of her writing career. "I spent this period singing in restaurants, bars and hotels all over Iceland," and that is how she was discovered by One Little Indian where their MD happened to be eating. Emiliana consequently moved to England where Roland Orzabal from Tears For Fears co-produced her worldwide debut. " I wanted to move to India, learn the classical techniques there, then move to Bulgaria, be a gypsy, and learn the techniques, and keep moving and learning new ways of singing - but instead I came to England and made a pop record." Fisherman's Woman is a very different beast. It is themed around loss, and how it feels to lose people; sometimes it's dripping with sadness but more frequently imbued with almost magical optimism. "Fisherman's Woman is a letter I wrote to a person that I lost at that time. I coped by thinking I was with a fisherman. They can go on sea for months like my friend's dad. Her mum saw him twice a year maybe for a fortnight at a time," she says. "It was a little bit like Alice in Wonderland. The falling into a hole, the madness of it all." Despite the sadness, Emiliana remains positive. "I could never write a wholly sad album," she says laughing. "There are too many moon rivers to see and life to live. Fisherman's woman has been a way of making things whole again." This album is sincerely honest and as endearing as they come. And it's lovely, too. -emilianatorrini.com

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]]> 2006-05-05 23:50:17.583393+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38363 Videos: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Ramblin' Man Isobel's wistful manner and sensational talent and taste makes her an absolute Indie Pop icon.

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]]> 2006-05-05 22:31:18.764871+00:00 http://platial.com/post/80236 Vocalist Esthero was born Jen-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978, in Ontario, Canada. She moved to Toronto in 1996, and quickly became a fixture at the city's open mikes. There she met Doc (real name: Martin McKinney), an engineer and producer, and the two began working on a demo featuring his programming and her vocals. Sony eventually took interest, and suddenly Esthero went from a fledgling idea to a duo with Esthero's name as their own and a record, Breath from Another, issued in spring 1998 on the label's Work imprint. Breath's mix of beats, lush vocals, and fractured bits of programmed samples caught on perfectly with the trip-hop trend of the time, and Esthero had success with singles like Heaven Sent and the hip-hop-flavored title track. However, it would take nearly seven years for a follow-up to appear. In the interim Esthero parted ways with Doc and struck out on her own, contributing vocals to projects like Black Eyed Peas' "Weekends" (2000). Signing with Reprise, she began work on new material, and returned officially in summer 2004 with the club single O.G. Bitch. Esthero followed the single in November of that year with We R in Need of a Musical Revolution, an EP that found her collaborating with Sean Lennon, Cee-Lo, and producer James Robertson (Skye Sweetnam) on a 21st century version of Breath's assemblage sound. The EP set up a full-length entitled Wikked Lil' Girls, which was slated for release in early 2005. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-08 19:08:54.167934+00:00 http://platial.com/post/80264 Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Luke Sutherland formed Bows after the breakup of his first group, the critically-acclaimed Long Fin Killie. Danish singer Signe Høirup Wille-Jørgensen completed the core of Bows' lineup, and the duo made their debut early in 1999 with the trip-hop inspired single "Big Wings." The jazzy single "Blush" and the album of the same name appeared later that year. Sutherland is also a critically-acclaimed novelist; his semi-autobiographical first book Jelly Roll, which follows the journey of a Scottish jazz band touring the highlands, was nominated for a Whitbread Prize in the First Novel category. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-08 21:49:43.90449+00:00 http://platial.com/post/86438 The Dears, a loose collective of Montreal-area musicians formed in 1995, are led by the charismatic Murray Lightburn. Citing Serge Gainsbourg as a major influence, the band combines cabaret-style vocals with a moody, intense brand of orchestral pop/rock. Lightburn's vision for the band is to create music out of real emotions, often giving his performances the feel of a musical therapy session. Given the level of intensity that this vision can require, it's not surprising that the Dears have endured numerous member defections, including a guitarist, drummer, and two bass players. The Dears released their debut CD, End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, on Grenadine Records in 2000. In early 2001, the band entered the studio to record the follow-up, tentatively titled Deuxième Partie. In 2004, the full-length No Cities Left was released. -allmusic.com

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]]> 2006-05-25 17:03:35.335343+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38128 "What a strange thing to say as you passed me, on your way out. And all the things I had in mind for you and me." Videos: Chosen One (WMV / stream) Say Something New (Quicktime / 12Mb) In the summer of 1995 Victoria Bergsman, Lisa Milberg, Maria Eriksson came together to form The Concretes through a love of pop music from every era and urban architecture (hence the name). After making a glorious racket for a few years, they were joined by Martin Hansson, Daniel Varjo, Ulrik Karlsson, Per Nystrom and Ludvig Rylander to become The Concretes we know today. (more Honoury Concretes appear from time to time in the studio and onstage)... The Licking Fingers label is set-up by the band to release a series of EPs (a US collection of them, Boyoubetterunow, was released but is no longer available)... The Concretes first album proper was recorded in 2003 in a wood cabin in the countryside with Swedish producer/musician Jari Haapalainen. After a frantic label scramble, the band signed to EMI Records and toured the world... 2005 was mainly a quiet year, although a few Concretes related spottings have been made first up, Layourbattleaxedown, an American-only compilation of B sides and studio outtakes was released in the Summer; their cover of The Rolling Stones Miss You was picked up by UK DJ Erol Alkan for his Bugged Out! Mix album; Lisa & Maria promoted their own club night in Stockholm called Ooh La La and Victoria starred in a video for the New Order classic Temptation (as seen on the recent DVD release, Item). All the while though, the band were busy writing and recording new album In Colour in Stockholm and Omaha with Nebraskan producer Mike Mogis (Conor Obersts longtime co-conspirator and live musical director and producer for Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley)... 2006: The Concretes are now now officially on manoeuvres...

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]]> 2006-05-05 21:26:51.485767+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38261 'The artist should reflect the tempo of their time and should also endeavour to bring about changes where possible.' Max Roach Slovo began in the mind and then the South London studio of Faithless guitarist Dave Randall (to view Dave's discography click here). In 2002 he brought together Iceland's Emiliana Torrini, West Africa's Maezah, England's Kirsty Hawkshaw, the urban poems of AD, the drums of Max Roach, the voice of Charlie Chaplin and the words of Woody Guthrie. Entitled 'nommo', Slovo's debut album raised questions about the world and was in the words of The Sunday Times, 'a wonderful album that is both stridently polemical and determinedly celebratory.' Dave Randall then put together the Slovo live band with singer Andrea Britton, bass player Lucy Shaw, percussionist Sudha Kheterpal, guitarist and keyboard player Andrew Phillips, dancer Adura Onashile and drummer Ami Rothenberg. Slovo toured extensively in Europe in 2003 and 2004 playing at all the major European festivals and supporting Lamb and Damien Rice in the UK. In 2005 Dave Randall returned to guitar playing duties with his friends Faithless, but also began work on Slovo's second album 'Todo Cambia'. The new album features the vocal talents of Andrea Britton and UK hip-hop MC Bobby Whiskers among others. It will be released later this year. Visit the music page to hear exclusive preview tracks…

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:48:30.589308+00:00 http://platial.com/post/38262 Videos: Suzanne (MPEG / 36Mb) After the breakup of Mazzy Star, vocalist Hope Sandoval joined with Colm O'Ciosoig (formerly of My Bloody Valentine) to form Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions. The project retained the laid-back, slowcore sound of Mazzy Star, and much like Mazzy Star, featured Sandoval's sensuous, hypnotic voice. However, it replaced the psychedelic leanings that Mazzy Star was known for with spare, subtle arrangements that reinforced Sandoval's gentle vocal style. In 2000, Sandoval issued her first EP with the Warm Inventions, At the Doorway Again, and followed it up with her debut full-length, Bavarian Fruit Bread, a year later.

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]]> 2006-05-06 02:30:58.941389+00:00