Everyone on this webpage knows I’m a massive fan of Tori and she gets plenty of dollops of love here but a new heart goes out for the Orchestral live shows she’s been doing. Here is a orchestrated version of “Precious Things“. Rumor has it after the show she returned to replay three songs so perhaps although there’s no DVD, we may well end up with an official bootleg release! Fingers crossed!
Archive for piano
Live Vault – Tori Amos
Gregory Douglass’ Cover Art Singles
Gregory Douglass is a giggle of a chap. Whilst campaigning for her 2011 album release (which is sounding all colours of awesome may I add), Greg has been also releasing cover version of select songs with music videos featuring art from Glen Nadeau and himself. So far three have been released.
Teenage Dream (originally Katy Perry)
Toxic (Originally Britney Spears)
Hallelujah (Originally Leonard Cohen)
All singles are available in MP3 format from iTunes, Amazon et al!
Vincent Diamante – “Flower OST” Review
To describe the Flower soundtrack is really quite difficult. It has eight tracks, most of which are in the same vein. It’s a gentle breeze of relaxation music that blends piano, strings and light brass into a hypnotic fusion.
“Life as a Flower” prances chirpily around the speakers with light keyboard plucks, a slow low string bass stride that marches the song forward. There’s no real melody as such that comes to the fore, its just a lot of lovely mixed in a pot of sound. “Splash of Color” follows the same route before “Sailing in the Wind” ups the drama a notch and comes across like a love child of Enya and Secret Garden! Needless to say its invigorating and inspiring to listen to.
“Nighttime Excursion” is a bit more subdued, especially in the latter section where a small sniff of craftiness filters in with vibrating wind and brass instruments. “Solitary Wasteland” is very moody and desolate in its sound. It reminds me of the typical drought desert songs you get in RPG’s – only reduced to orchestrated mood music. At over 11 minutes, sometimes I’m not in the mood to listen to it all!
However at over twelve minutes, “Purification of the City” is outstanding. Dramatic strings, freeflowing rousing piano, long cymbal crashes and a general burst of happiness surrounds the magical piece. The woodwind reminds me of Viva Pinata too which is no bad thing! It’s a great emitional rollercoaster of a track and the standout of the soundtrack by far.
“Peaceful Repose” does what it says on the tin with a piano led audiotherapy track and then “Lazy Daydream” rounds off the soundtrack with a breezy melodic tune.
Vincent Diamante does a great job of not writing melodies, but writing enough score to point you to the mood and feeling he wants to evoke. It’s not very often you can listen to an hours music and think, I really enjoyed that but there wasn’t one hook in it all! Therein lies the beauty of Flower.
Myra Flynn – “Crooked Measures” Review
Myra Flynn’s debut album “Crooked Measures” is a diverse beast. It basks in the warm glow of Myra’s soulful vocals and a vast range of song styles from folk to jazz and leapfrogging many singer/songwriter genres inbetween.
“Feel Like the Sunshine” opens the album with a fuzzy warm funky folksy track with some beautiful vocal layering that breeze over you. Myra’s voice is something that really hits you square in the jaw. It’s sultry and silky smooth and lures you into false security. Sometimes, especially in other songs, you forget the lyrics aren’t exactly happy, but you don’t immediately feel that. This opener is a great finger clicker!
“Long Fall Down” is a slower soft rock ballad where all the instrumentation and vocals drip emotion through the speakers. The strings really add to the overall feel and depth of the song as it sways by. “Just Because” initially takes things down to an intimate level before drums and vocal layers aplenty flood in for a simple but effective melody and hook. It builds and builds into a low key finale and ends up being a real powerhouse of a song that displays Myra’s talent at some of its best. “So It Goes” slinks and shimmies along with plenty of soul and diva in its vocal delivery. This is the track where you want to stand up and shout the lyrics whilst shaking your fist at the audience surely!
“Bones”, like a lot of the album, is suited to a video montage in a rom-com film where the leads share a lovely day out together. It has a certain glow to it, a homeliness that invites you on, especially with the excellent vocal collage at the end. “Hold It Up” is more folk rock with some techie twists which effectively make what sounds like a string strum become the percussive beat to the track.
“Small Talk” takes the album into a different plain. The snazzy blues track with a fantastic chourus that instantly sticks in your head on the first listen, its a playful track and makes you smile while it deals with tons of issues. It’s a real standout in terms of style in the album and therefore sticks out as a favourite of mine.
“What Am I” is a rock ballad which again showcases a simple melody with strong vocals with splashes of jazz, soul and blues all rolled into your average acoustic singer/songwriter. “Where Do You Go” strips things back to a piano/vocal base and it takes its time to deliver each line, which makes things weigh so much more on you as a listener. Some of the songs on the album do feel like the words are flying by at 100mph, but here its refreshing to feel each nuance.
“Miss Independance” is a great track. Claps, hums and vocal tracks collide to give a track with attitude! This kind of daring arrangement of a track showcases Flynn’s future potential as it absolutely suits her sassy voice which has such a huge range, she could happily be the whole choir and here it shows. This is without doubt my favourite track from the album.
“Fragile” closes the album with an uptempo jazz-rock track which again throws a new genre at us. It’s an uplifting end to what is on the whole a warm album. It has a catchy chorus, simple chord and melody structure and features Myra’s vocals – it can’t really lose!
“Crooked Measures” took me a few listens to understand. Having come from seeing her play a piano/vocal track live – I was compelled to buy the album and the overall sound wasn’t really what I was expecting. As a listener, I really struggle with anything with a hint of Jazz and so its a testament to Flynn’s music that I came back and began to really enjoy the album as a whole! Its probably twice as hard too, to make an album that’s as much as warm glowy one as a miserable one and still have credibility. “Crooked Measures” succeeds with that. It’s catchy, fun, if a bit safe and samey in places, Myra’s vocals absolutely raise the music to a higher plain and when she breaks the mould from the usual soft rock, Flynn’s music really bursts into life.
Aki Kuroda – “Final Fantasy XIII Piano Collections” Review
Aki Kuroda, the ivory master for FFXPC returns for the latest installment of the Final Fantasy Piano Collections, taking 10 tracks from the 13th edition of the series and transforming them into pianistic dreams.
Opening with “Lightning’s Theme” curiously and somberly, Aki slowly twists the track into a more complex and powerful number, especially in the big dramatic motif that dominants the song. Suddenly after one play through Aki lets her piano chops break into full swing with a furiously more uptempo and highly stylized version which really flows beautifully.
“Final Fantasy XIII – The Promise ~ The Sunleth Waterscape” signals the start of a new phase in the collections of medleys. Opening with a simple but effective version of the title screen, again Aki repeats the track again but with more fingertip skills and finess. The transitions between tracks and back again are unnoticeable too and seem as if they always were meant to be together.
“March of the Dreadnoughts” starts out quite playfully before growing into a grand scale and Kuroda’s signiture fitting-as-many-notes-as-possible flourishes really elevate this piece into one of my personal favourites on the album. “The Gapra Whitewoods” is utterly beautiful for its spacious delivery however, highlighting that sometimes minimal is best. It has a particular sense of nobility, warmth and humbleness and for that it stands out as a musical oasis.
“Nautilus” is big on massive chord poundings! Its a song you can’t sleep through at all, big bassy undertones and bright chords pounding away. It has its quite moments but the songs better moments work when its screaming along its main motif at 100 miles an hour, proud as a parrott.
“Vanille’s Theme ~ Memories of Happier Days ~ The Road Home” is another medley that blends seemlessly together. Vanille’s Theme is a pretty yet understated affair but still packs an emotional punch. The transitions make perfect sense and I love the way how even the happier pieces have a tint of sadness to them by what has preceeded.
“Nascent Requiem” is dramatic and the most classical of all the arrangements, very complex with lots of peaks and troughs. Strangely it’s also the track I found least interesting and I really don’t know why. Perhaps I’ll get it later on as sometimes tracks click with you later on in life. “Fang’s Theme” is the most fun with rumbling bass sections and swirling high ends. Usually there’s one out and out piano party track on each collection and this is about as close as you’ll get to one on FFXIIIPC. I defy anyone not to get into a bum shuffle at some point!
“Reminiscene ~ Sulyaa Springs Motif” is almost an entirely new song. There’s a section from Sulyaa Springs in there somewhere but you’ll have to wait for the vast majority of the track before you hear it. The new material is laidback and sweet and definately holds the emotion well but the Sulyaa part is where it all comes together. I do enjoy it when things go right off the beaten track sometimes and it works here.
“Prelude to Final Fantasy XIII Full Version” closes the album with a tour de force of melody, passion and prowess. It never over does itself and so it doesn’t feel overblown but there is a certain foreboding and the simplistic ending is lovely.
All in all FFXIIIPC is another fantastic collection. Sometimes the tracks do bleed into eachother where the usual varied pace and tone appears to have been substituted for a fluid seemless flow. It’s down to personal taste. I personally enjoyed the different approach and Aki Kuorda is an absolute master. Not my favourite of the PC series but certainly an excellent addition. Now where is FFXII’s?!?
Imogen Heap – “iMegaphone Live” Review
Imogen Heap performed a one off iTunes concert whereby she played her entire debut album iMegaphone (still my favourite of her four albums she’s released including Frou Frou) on piano. The result is something that showcases Imogen live and offers a new insight into old material.
Having what was a piano based album that was drenched in guitars, noises and preluding synth extras taken down into bare bones shows each song in a different light. “Getting Scared” changes from a building pulse to a rip roaring stop/starter with passion and energy, whilst “Sweet Religion” slips and slides at such a speedy rate, my favourite song from the original album takes on a superhero plight. Little Heap anecdotes into what the songs about also give you new insight into the tracks too.
“Oh Me, Oh My” feels much more desperate and less like a devine moment and “Shine” gives you a complete Immi freak out! Her story about Shine also makes me laugh because she talks about having water in her ears when she was crafting the song and when you go back to hear the start of the song on the album, there’s a nautical opening throbbing. “Shine” really sounds like a completely new song and is utterly amazing.
“Whatever” is transformed too, while “Angry Angel” loses none of its feriocity with its guitars stripped away. With Heap’s tendancy these days to play songs with all kinds of instruments all at once, it’s a beauty to hear her just alone with piano again sometimes. “Candlelight” is one pure example of a beautiful track that deserves more attention. So emotive and simple, it’s a timeless piece. “Rake It In” is utterly nuts! The original was like a manic fairground ride, and this version see’s Immi screaming and moaning like a cheesy hammer horror movie. It’s so dark and delicious all at once!
“Come Here Boy” is the one song really carried forward from this era and is faithfully recreated. “Useless” is completely revamped and sounds brand new and “Sleep” is just as pretty and sparse as the original.
In addition, some b-sides are included including my favourite b-side scorcher “Leave Me Here To Love” which is fantastic to finally hear live in all its raw glory – a real personal highlight. “Blanket” is an unusual choice as it was her collaboration with Urban Species and includes a rap! Finally “Kidding” closes the set with a flowing channel of emotion through voice to fingers to ivory and out again.
Some people aren’t fans of stripped down performances. Going from this iMegaphone Live album, I have no idea why. Each song is organically revolutionized into something new and indulgent. With Imogen’s new sound, she gets to experiment with everything and that’s great, but with this more intimate side, you really get the best of both worlds.
Soap&Skin – “Lovetunes for Vacuum” Review
Soap&Skin fell onto my radar a few months ago and I’ve never looked back. “Lovetune for Vacuum” is a beautifully gothical deliciously delicate delight.
“Sleep” opens with sparse piano chords and introduces you to Soap&Skin’s (Anja Plaschg) vocals, from desperate whimsy whispers to yelps of heartpain and everything tragically beautiful inbetween. Vocal layering and minimal percussive underscoring is really where the heart of this album lies.
“Cry Wolf” is like a demented marionette fairground ride as the piano and carousel music interlope and provide a haunting backdrop to Anja’s dualing vocals which are high and sweet. The percussion sounds like a till being opened and a camera’s film being rolled. I love that the track doesn’t hurry itself at all, like a wander down a stream. Single “Thanatos” follows which is a brooding gothic chanting rouse to all. The piano coda riff really sinks into your skin as Anja bursts into foreboding tones. The song is incredibly tense and I adore the music video that couples it.
“Extinguish Me” is a beautifully quiet track with underplayed strings and soft piano and vocals until the middle part of the track which almost feels like an ascension. The mood however stays like that of regret and sorrow and encaptures you from start to finish. “Turbine Woomb” opens to baby cries which in the context of where I feel the album comes, feels like a rebirth almost. The song itself is instrumental and devastatingly beautiful and has a real epicness to it, especailly when the electronics and percussion hits in during the final sections.
“Cynthia” is stunning. From the falling trickling piano to the understated murmurings from Anja, there’s something more mystical about how Anja pronounces things and is sometimes not always crystal clear. It gives her an otherworldly feel. The piano here standouts as a perfectly pitched performance. “Fall Foilage” reminds me of evil jinxes with its sinister playful piano which gathers pace and complexity before it explodes into a beaming up of electronic pulses.
“Spiracle” is about as mainstream as Lovesongs… gets. A simple piano tune set apart from Anja’s vocal ranges which soar and scream their way throughout. There’s about four different main vocals all playing at the same time and you can hear little creases and cracks in each one, its a joy to listen to the hidden depth. “Mr Gaunt Pt 1000″ is overwhelmingly sad. There’s something very weary and tiresome just plugged into the production, like the life is sucked out of the vocals and the piano. It’s just a tiny difference to everything else but its beautifully done.
“Marche Funebre” signals change in sound. This track is a cutting and pasting of string arrangements over some minimal beat work and guitar signal wails. With a gentle vocal over the top, it makes for an absolutely haunting piece of music that stalks you from start to finish. “The Sun” is is creepy and crawls in from its horror movie beginning as it builds up and up into a frenzied middle section before twisting itself around into a clockwork merging of piano, electric clicks and static bursts as the album continues to add more digital elements the further it gets. The song structures are quite unusual too which adds to the general unsettling beauty of it all.
“DDMMYYYY” is almost completely made up of electric clicks, whooshes and sounds that harken back to modem connection noises. The result is something completely removed from the rest of the album itself, yet it still feels naturally part of the evolution of the album. As the song loops round Anja’s vocal shouts and general chaos are thrown in over the top to make the experimental piece almost become quite harrowing. The album ends with “Brother of Sleep” is so light and shimmering its almost like you’ve reached a resting place. The last two minutes of the track is just garden ambience and bird song.
Soap&Skin is one of the most unique albums and new artists I’ve came across for a while. She straddles so many emotions, overtones and undertones, it’s so rare to have an artist that is so darkly rooted and yet so utterly beautiful all at the same time. “Lovesongs for Vacuum” captures the essence of the beauty of a death of something. Mesmorizing.
Live Vault – Myra Flynn
While HPM iss busy digesting Myra’s debut album ready for a review in the next week or so, have a slice of live Myra Flynn with a beautiful rendition of “Long Fall Down”. Lovelyful! Congratulations to Myra whom is also getting married today too.
Tori Amos London Concert Review
Something I’m trying to rectify is my lack of live concerts I’ve been to lately and so Tori Amos seemed the best place to start. Playing on the “Wicked” stage at the London Victoria Apollo, Tori as a solo artist is a lady that never falters live.
This is the fifth Tori Amos concert I’ve been to and this was possibly the most intense and enjoyable to date. With just a piano and a keyboard, she straddles her bench and plays both while howling her tunes with all the energy and empathy you could ask for.
Personal highlights included a haunting opening of “Bells For Her”, a very intense “Precious Things” a aching beautiful “Garlands”, the wails of “Hey Jupiter”, the foot stomping “Beauty of Speed” and a most fiery cover of “Personal Jesus”. However not one song went a miss and I was utterly captivated from start to finish.
If you ever want to see a singer/songwriter bare all on stage, take yourself to a solo Tori Amos concert and you will feel every minute of the road with her. Mesmerising.
Sarah McLachlan – “Laws of Illusion” Review
Some artists can pound out album after album, year after year. Sarah McLachlan isn’t one of those artists at all and leaves generally about 4 to 5 years between releases. This makes each one highly anticipated so is “Laws of Illusion” worth the wait?
“Awakenings” opens the album in what is a new tone for Sarah of late with more uptempo rock. Delicate electric guitars, speedy percussion, melodic keyboard riffs and soaring vocals. However come the chorus’ out comes the grungier guitars for real impact in a way we’ve not really heard Sarah record before. It’s still definately a McLachlan song, but just with a pinch of difference to it and its great, especially the closing section.
“Illusions of Bliss” reminds me of the Surfacing album, or maybe more of how “Solace” would sound with a full deep band rendition. The interplay of the piano and guitars and the vocal ad-lib quirks make this a wistful and playful track even if the overall tone is quite bittersweet. Single “Loving You Is Easy” is delightfully cheery and upbeat, almost like a stadium anthem with its stomping beat and rousing codas and choruses. “Changes” is equally skippy with its cute theremin solo in the middle that sounds like a bird whistle. It’s these little nuances that really signal a change in Sarah’s more band efforts to something else that makes this album a bit more unique.
“Forgiveness” is the first piano led ballad on the album and is painstakingly beautiful and effortless. As the song continues to be layered and built up, it becomes one of the more simple songs on the album tune wise but also one of the most instantly accessable and is a good point to start newcomers off with. “Rivers of Love” is a second piano based track but is the most bluesy track on the album with distant wails of guitars and waltzing drums elevating the track to something that could quite easily be a show stopper live – a real stand out on the album.
“Love Come” is a great pop rock tune with echoing guitar harmonics leading the main melody over an acoustic pop number. The result, as ever, means a smooth as baby’s botty production and another easy to remember, hard to forget middle of the road anthem again! “Out of Tune” is another rock anthem that is one of the most straight forward songs on the album and sounds like its came straight from the “Fumbling Into Ecstacy” album, which is where a lot of the songs sound like they could fit in easily. “Heartbreak” rounds off this trilogy with gusto and a guitar sounding more suspiciously like a ukelele at times!
“Don’t Give Up On Us” is a powerful rock ballad which will tug quite happily at all your heart strings, as will the rather annoyingly titled “U Want Me 2″ which is actually another slightly down in the mouth love song with a great piano riff that sounds really familiar but I can’t quite place it but then the song deviates off that to a more standard rock ballad again. It’s not that the track is bad by any means, but the piano riff sets you up for one thing, and then you get something else!
The final track “Bring On the Wonder” shifts tone completely to a fantastically aural song with harmonised vocals, piano and minimal anything else. There’s a great use of vocal breath in this track and its easily one of the best songs Sarah McLachlan has ever recorded. It just struck a real chord with me.
The deluxe edition has a piano version of “Love Come” which is great and gives the song a whole new twist and emotion. There’s also a bonus DVD with 5 faultless live performances in her house with an interview spliced throughout.
“Laws of Illusion” is easily worth the wait. It’s more of the same in some respects but everything has a new glean, spit and polish on it and this is easily the most joyous and happy album McLachlan has made. For that, it deserves a place in your CD collection without doubt.
Whispers of the Plains: Myra Flynn
Upon tuning into one of Gregory Douglass’ webshows, a special guest appeared who came across genuinely enthusastic about all and everything with an infectious personality and then when she sat at the keyboard and played a song, it captivated me! I had to find out who she was that was indeed Myra Flynn. After tracking her down, HPM was able to have a quick chat with the singer/songwriter to find out more about her…
What are your earliest memories of getting musical and what was it that made you decide to become an artist?
I was always the kind of “Look at me! Look at me!” kid, so I think when I realized that people would actually stop and LOOK AT ME when I sang a Michael Jackson song, I was hooked! I’m guessing I was about six, and not much has changed 
You’ve been compared to Adele and Joni Mitchell in the same breathe which is quite a musical span. How would you describe your music to someone about to delve in for the first time?
I would warn them that if their not into lyrics first, then they wont like my stuff. I’m really just learning how to be a good singer and musician now. For most of my life, the music has always been a bothersome vehicle for my message. I’m now realizing I may need to sugar coat the pill a bit before serving up a giant platter of personal opinion. I think I’m finally finding that balance.
You’re debut CD “Crooked Measures” was released last year. Tell us a bit about how you got to record it. Did you enjoy the experience?
That was an interesting experience because I was laid off from my day job smack dab in the middle of recording. Yikes! So I really scraped together my pennies to stay on track and finish it. Recording with Vermont producer Colin McCaffrey was a blessing. He really taught me to how to take music seriously as a profession and a hobby.
You manage to get out and play a lot of gigs around your local singer/songwriter arenas. I take it live performance is something that’s important to you?
For sure. It’s important that folks get to come see that you are a human being, not just some name behind a computer screen. I’m still a huge believer in the troubadour mentality, even with all the business opportunities the Internet has provided. There’s just something about seeing a live show, ya know?
Given the chance would you rather have a world tour or a massive recording studio to record the next album in?
Well I think I’m doing just fine recording in Vermont studios! Plus I’d rather support the indie producers, so I’d take the world tour!
You’ve been working with fellow singer/songwriter Gregory Douglass for your next future release. Tell us how you two became friends and whats going to be going on with the collaboration!
God you know, Gregory is such a magnetic, creative, hard-working person; it’s tough for everyone in his life to not latch on and stalk him a bit! Apparently he doesn’t mind my stalking though, because we spend nearly three days or more a week together. I think initially we met bitching on the street about the music industry, and realized we needed to more of it but over cocktails. After becoming fast friend, I realized he had a home studio and asked if he would ever produce my album. He agreed and it truly has been magic from there. He has helped me grow in so many ways while offering great companionship and mentorship all along.
Is there anything else you can divulge about the future of Myra Flynn?
I’m thinking a cool music video may be in the works in early 2011. Also, a Northeast tour in the spring. You can always check out my gigs at : www.myralfynn.com
Finally, what would be three key things you’d need for the perfect night in or out
IN: Red wine, a piano, and my chihuahua Polo.
OUT: Red Wine, vintage clothing of some sort, and my iPhone (AKA the thing that keeps my life together).
HPM thanks Myra for her time to come and talk to us and wishes her best of luck in the future!
Sarah Slean New Album Update
Sarah Slean has been working on her double album and half of it is now recorded. Entitled “Land and Sea” her website describes the completed Land CD as groove happy, which leads me to think more “Day One” than “Baroness”. Infact Sarah has been very busy as she has annouced she’ll be making another songbook where she will cover Bjork and PJ Harvey! That’ll be something definately worth while keeping an eye out for. Finally, she’ll be making all her previous albums sheet music available to buy soon too.
Free Sarah McLachlan Song
Amazon.com are offering a free song from Sarah McLachlan’s forthcoming album. The song is called “Forgiveness” and is available by clicking the link below!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O9WAQQ/ref=dm_ty_trk
Laws of Illusion is out in the UK next monday!
HPM Goes to See… Tori Amos
Apologies for a few days of hushness but that’ll soon be sorted However after being devasted to not get to see Utada earlier this year, I’ve grabbed tickets to see Tori Amos on 18/07/10 in London. We’ll have a nice juicy review afterwards but here’s a reminder of Tori’s live prowess!
The Quiet Revolution – “Paper Says” Review
The Quiet Revolution is a musical project spearheaded by Tal More who writes songs that he then finds quest vocalists and instrumentalists to perform on. With the album “Paper Says” it all comes together in a delicate beauty that really encaptured me as a listener.
“Paper Says” feat. Hadar Green is an acoustic guitar/vocal track that is very wistful and dreamy albeit with lyrics that aren’t the most dreamy to listen to. The chords make the song feel almost like an epilogue which I found quite interesting to open the album. “Underground” feat. Tracy Gibbons is an electric piano and keyboard led track and again contains a real fallen beauty charm, living up to the projects name. The dualled vocals of Tracy’s are emotive, the flowing piano and spacious background make it feel like a lonely space voyage.
“Parallel Me” with Hadar Green again is utterly devastating. There’s such a simplicity to the track it gives off an innocence and emotional breakdown at the same time which makes it quite a powerful track. Hadar’s vocals are very restrained too which works perfectly. “When the World Was Flat” see’s us back with Tracy Gibbons for a beautiful piano/vocal track which again runs the common theme of lyrics, a gentle poke at the world being ignorant and defiant or jelous, and now looking back we can see our silly mistakes.
“King Paperman” is a quick guitar instrumental which holds more weight than a ninety second interlude should before “Poisoned Oxygen”, another instrumental takes over. This track is like a summer breeze. It’s Mediterranean fluidity of the various layers of guitar is something you don’t get to indulge in without having to endure lots of cheesey holiday music. This track however is perfectly pitched and is the best music of this type since I bought Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced White (one of my all time favourite albums).
We’re then treated to “Underground (Acoutic Version)” with Tracy’s vocals merged with a guitar and harmonica version of the track. It workds equally as well as the main version and is neither inferior or better, which is testament to the great songwriting and arranging ability of Tal. The final track is “Paper Says (Piano Version)” which features Chris Merritt on vocals instead and as a bonus track, this does sound like a demo version although its interesting to hear the piano almost sounds like a honky-tonk! Also the mood and song structure is completely different in the second half so it’s great to hear what the song originally was.
However for only a couple of pounds, this is a magical collection of music and I’ve been so pleased that it’s become one of my best new discoveries of 2010. I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who likes a few tracks of music to retreat to a corner and ponder on. Sublime.
Video Vault – The Quiet Revolution
The next couple of days will have a smattering of new artists I’ve discovered and we’ll be starting with The Quiet Revolution. A fantastic concept from Israeli songwriter Tal Moore where Tal invites other singer/songwriters to guest sing his own stripped down melodic tunes. The video vault today is “Parallel Me” which guests Hadar Green. It’s fantastic.
Ayumi Hamasaki Covers by Abottchen
While I wait for Ayumi’s latest album to ship its way to me (I’ve not even heard a single yet, I’ve been so good) I’ve been really enjoying Abottchen’s piano covers of Ayumi’s songs. Abottchen are two guys who plays the same piano and covert so many of Ayu’s songs into magical piano tracks, and each go is faultless. Their arrangements are always really well done.
Jump over to their YouTube channel to have a listen.
Sarah McLachlan – New Album and Single
Sarah McLachlan doing upbeat and happy?! Well I be damned! New single “Loving You Is Easy” is available to listen on the faithful tube here. It comes from her new album “The Laws of Illusion” which is due out in America on 15th of June.
Whispers of the Plains ~ Anna Dagmar
Anna Dagmar’s lastest album “Let the Waves Come In Threes” receieved a glowing review a few weeks back, now we’ve been able to snap up Anna for a quick interview. This is what the singer/songwriter had to say:
“Let the Waves Come in Threes” came five years after your last CD release (it seems! please correct me if I’m wrong). Did life just get in the way or were their musical things that meant that the time was right just then?
“Let the Waves Come in Threes,” is my first full-length album since 2004, but I have several other recordings in my discography from the years in between: Martha Colby, Across Two Rivers (piano side-person, 2005), Nadine Goellner Live (piano side-person, 2006), Anna Dagmar EP (2006 – this was the lead-up to Let the Waves and it was my first small project with producer Ben Wittman), Anna Dagmar Songbook (2008 – this is a printed sheet-music book with accompaniment CD for other singers to learn my songs). But in answer to the end of your question, yes, the time was right to make the new full-length recording. [ED ~ Anna's other CD's are available at CD Baby]
How do songs initially come to you? Do you have a specific way of writing songs?
Most often, I am practicing and improvising and the piano, and a musical idea strikes me. After a while of playing it, I can string together more phrases, or begin to think about the mood of the music. Sometimes while playing something continuously, melodies begin to sound like words, in their shape or gesture. At that stage, I can design words or thoughts to go along with the music. And from those first lyrics, a song theme is born. It’s no surprise that the words usually do connect to an experience or trial I’m going through in life at the time. But I try not to force an auto-biography on the songs. I like to let it be more abstract and I like the song to reveal itself.
Occasionally, it’s the opposite process, as in the final track, “Can We Be Old Friends.” I wrote an entire poem based on an experience I had visiting a friend’s former military academy. I thought it would just be a poem. But it sat on my piano and one day I discovered a simple drone that could accompany the words. Over time, a melody grew from the chords and I had a song.
What were your favourite parts of making your latest album?
I love being in the studio. At that point, I have practiced with my band and we are all pumped and ready to record! It’s exciting to hear the way the other musicians contribute in such individual ways. The producer, Ben Wittman, usually has many ideas going in, but he also surprises me during the process with spontaneous inspiration. It’s more fun than most anything! After we have the instrumentals and a draft of the vocal complete, the final step is for me to record the actual vocal. This is probably the biggest challenge, as I have more training and feel much more confident at the piano. But I have learned to be more and more patient with the vocal process to get the sound the songs need. Of course it’s very satisfying to look at the CD once it’s complete, but I always think back to the making of it, in the studio, and I have many fond memories.
Did you have any particular challenges for creating “Let the Waves…”?
I would say any time you take on such a big project – 12 original songs with 13 musicians, featuring string arrangements, you have to go in knowing there will be challenges. One of the greatest challenges for me is moving from that stage as the “writer” to truly being the “performer,” because they really are different things. As the writer, I can live in a world of fantasy and exaggeration. I can write anything I want – a story, a caricature, a poem. But as a performer, I have to live that thing and express it in a way that hopefully many people will understand. Some listeners focus on the words first, some the music. Both have to be equally convincing and enjoyable, in my view. I am always seeking that balance, that marriage between the words and the music. It is hard to make the transition from being in your own safe, little writing world, to be in front of an audience (even if you don’t see them), and hoping that they will feel something moving in your work.
The strings in particular are beautifully done on the album. How did you go about that and did you write those sections?
I wrote the string arrangements in part with skills I learned from arranging classes at Eastman School of Music. But it’s also a lot of trial and error! I pulled the recorded piano/bass/drum tracks into a program called ProTools, where you can layer sounds. Then I plugged in a keyboard that could simulate the sound of a single string. As I began to write the arrangement on manuscript paper, I played the strings in on top of the recording we had already done, and tested out the effect. I would say for each song that has a string arrangement, it took an average of 10 hours to complete each arrangement (with tea breaks!). When I brought, “Daydream,” into the studio on our string recording day, Ben said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back if there’s any problem with the arrangement – I’ll help you fix it.” I was so thrilled and relieved when he only changed ONE note!
Looking back on your previous works, how is “Let the Waves…” different to your previous releases?
In my opinion, it’s a more mature collection, because of the way the songs hang together. Also, Ben and I have been working together for a few years now, and we’ve established a solid trust and understanding. I feel he understands the songs and wants the meaning of each to be heard, so we worked together from after I had composed the songs to the end of the making of the CD, to be sure each track would really hold water. I think as an artist, you should always have something to strive for – something next. But you have to hope that your work in the present, honestly represents you, right now. I do feel that way about this album, and I don’t have to make apologies or disclaimers if I hand the CD to someone – it reflects the best work I can create, right at this moment.
You also have a CD/songbook package from 2008 that contains a large collection of melodies. That’s quite unique for an artist to do. What inspired that?
This idea was partly inspired by a request for my voice teacher, who wanted to have copies of my songs for his other students to learn. Also a fan that had come to many of my shows asked for the piano music, saying even for a pianist who doesn’t sing, some of the songs would just be fun to learn. After a few requests along these lines, I decided to make it happen, and the book is up on www.CDbaby.com/annadagmar4. They were very kind to sell it just like a CD, even though it is printed music with a practice/accompaniment CD. I also am planning to make the music available as individual PDF’s on my own website this year.
If you had the chance to learn any new instrument, what would you choose and why?
I would probably learn one or two songs on the guitar, just for practical reasons – it’s a big lighter than piano! But for fun, I’d like to learn the trumpet. I studied it for a few weeks during my education degree in college, and according to a trumpet-playing friend, I had natural high chops! Has something to do with your lips… I learned a bunch of Christmas Carols on the trumpet that year and it was such a joy to pick up, and just make a sound with breathing! We miss that experience on the piano…
HPM thanks Anna for her time and we wish her the best of success with the album.
Anna Dagmar – “Let The Waves Come In Threes” Review
A wonderful person recommended Anna Dagmar to me (see it pays to send me recommendations!) who as a relatively unknown singer/songwriter, has more craft, soul and passion than a lot of the top bods in music crammed together. “Let the Waves Come in Threes” is a fantastic album.
The title track opener is a full river of flowing piano riffs and beautiful celtic tinges and rolling percussion. Anna’s vocals have a certain wise country layer to them, especially with the strings, piano and vocals making a harmonious triad swiftly taking you away. A fabulous opening track.
“Amazed” has a more country twang with the wining country guitar softly playing with the electric piano and hushed percussion. Anna’s vocals here have a really nice tone and dexterity to them and it makes the track feel very honest. “Welcome Stranger” is more like an alternative waltz. It’s quirks with clumsy strings and clunky beats give the verses a happy-go-lucky glow and then when the chorus’ burst through, its like a ray of sunshine each time. Anna shows here that you can be a female pianist singer/songwriter without having to scream and shout your way through an album to be effective (not that screaming and shouting is a bad thing, its just nice to hear someone sincere and just as effective).
“We’re All Right Now” is interesting as it starts off like a piano/vocal ballad and develops into a middle-road alternative love song with a brass interlude. It’s very late Sarah McLachlan actually, but much cleaner and the interlude sections are quite refreshing to hear. “Smile for Free” turns up the pace a bit more with rumbling piano tumbles and any song that has the lyric “he’s the master of the chocolate egg cremes” automatically gets two thumbs up – but the track is a great dreamy piano pop number. Contrasted with the much darker “Words are Easy” which is full of minor keys and underplayed sympathetic strings and basses. Anna shows her diversity by being able to transition from dreamy pop to more dark fairytale introspections effortlessly. “Brick by Brick” changes things again with a string/vocal track with some excellent arrangements and is able to straddle the line of sadness and oh-well reflection perfectly. “Daydream” is a beautiful waltz track that really encapsulates Dagmar’s slightly adult-edgy Disney lullabye side of the album. It’s a great track and feels warm and homely without ever walking into familiar and mainstream. Disney may not be the right word for it, but the last section of songs remind me of the sad lonely songs that the baddies sing when they’re down and out – but just redressed for an AAA artist.
“Shadow of a Doubt” is the funkiest track on the album and possibly my favourite along with the title track. The riff and main tune is infectious and slinky, it’s like you’re the actual shadow having the hide under the searchlights. Everything points to seesy black and white crime caper movies from the 30′s and the track is dripping in character and punch. “Brown Trees” is a wonderous track. Basically piano and vocal but with all kinds of guitar aftereffects layered into the background, it’s very intimate and I like the fact it takes its time and isn’t really stuck in its time signiture. It has that live feel to it and therefore feels more raw and emotional.
“She’s Got It In Her Soul” brings us to almost jazz fusion with drum sticks, electic piano and ringing guitars. This track is almost bum wiggleable! However by half way the song has transformed into possibly the rockiest the album ever gets. Let the Waves… never becomes loud at any time but this will be the only guitar solo you’ll get close to here. Finally the album closes with the mesmorising “Can We Be Old Friends?” which is the best ballad on the album by far. From the background vocals and the close up piano recording the song has that extra film of heart pouring out of it. I think it’s because it embraces a Celtic undertone which gives it a more otherworld texture.
Anna Dagmar is quite unique in some ways. “Let the Waves Come in Threes” is a very hard album to pigeon hole. It’s very composed and so if you’re looking for angst and growling, you’ll be left wanting. However, there is a certain filmic quality about almost every song that you could easily place it in a specific scene of a movie and you could tell the story without needing any words. Anna is best recommended for people who will enjoy their indie music in a whimsical but compelling fashion, and for that type of music, Ann Dagmar is definately one lady to look forward to hearing more from.
