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  Houswife

  Debut album review from Bob Ham of Willamette Week: "The first album by Houswife-a self-titled, self-released affair, recorded at home and at Jackpot! Studios in 2010-is an impressively assured work for someone who is just now dipping her toes into the music scene of her Portland hometown. Some of the delay for the 31-year-old artist was the ever-evolving composition process, which had her tucked away in the studio for the last few years. The result of that process is songs that are heady and tuneful, pop music that doesn't follow your typical pop structures but sticks with you long after the song ends. Her sound bears the mark of the music that inspired Parker to start playing music as a child. The delicate and insistent sound of the piano comes equally from her love of the work of Mozart and Rachmaninoff, the circuitous swirl of her guitar playing inspired by folk artists like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. You can hear the imprint of modern indie rock on these songs, as well. "Let The Walls" echoes with the ghostly pull of artists like Cat Power and PJ Harvey, and "Cutting Cords" aching like the best moments of Bill Callahan. Add to it, a vocal style that gives a tangy, brassy edge to lyrics that closely examine the intricacies of life from both a personal and a universal angle. This sharp musicianship highlights songs that are equal parts measured and thoughtful, playful and blithe. Like all the best albums, the more time you devote to the first full-length by Houswife, the more you will get out of it, and it becomes obvious that Parker is going to quickly establish herself comfortably amid the pantheon of talent in the Rose City." - Robert Ham, WW.

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  • Price: 22.06 EUR excl. shipping
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  Islas

  Ian's desire here was the creation of contemporary yet tuneful chamber music, with most of the tracks written with Kyle Horch (saxophones) Guillem Calvo (violin) and Pavel Timofjevsy (piano) in mind. Woven into the violin sonata are themes, harmony and phrasing with a provenance in Celtic and psychedelic music. It's composed in a traditional 19th Century style with much use of rubato and flexible tempos. The delays often found in electronic music can be heard in Astral Hurdy-Gurdy. In Limes Groves the piano imitates the Autoharp (prominent in Bluegrass music), with each instrument providing a pulsing part somewhere in the textures. The title track Islas (Spanish for Islands - with Ian enjoying Spain and Malta when he can escape London) is influenced by ambient/new age music. The piano creates a dreamy texture over which the soprano sax plays long melodic lines. As well as composing music ranging from classical and jazz to electronica and new wave - Ian plays keyboards, trombone and bass guitar - alongside new instruments like turntables and laptops. His classical saxophone compositions have been played by Saxploitation and John Harle with the Brodsky Quartet. Ian has always had a passion for unconventional instrumentations - his first album San Gejtanu on the Music Chamber label featured Kyle Horch alongside an octet of violins and violas.

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  • Price: 27.17 EUR excl. shipping
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  Remedy Sessions

  Praise for the Multi-Instrumental Zak Borden: 'Borden's Lizzies Have Chops to Spare' - The Willamette Week, Portland, OR 'Richly Chiming Mandolin' - Paste 'All Manner of tuneful Sorrow' - Guitar World Acoustic Zak Borden is a picker, songwriter and singer of American roots music. He is triple threat on guitar, mandolin and vocals and just damn well loves to write songs. His voice plunges from a high tenor to a rumbling baritone/bass that draws on sources from the deep and broad American musical experiment. Zak has clocked tens of thousands of road miles in the US and Europe and worked with leading purveyors of traditional and contemporary acoustic music. He toured, recorded with and co-produced roots-rocker Casey Neill, worked with songwriter Willy Mason, Bluegrass Grammy nominee Kate MacKenzie, Late great fiddle god Johnny Cunningham, and enjoyed cameo appearances with everyone from L.A.'s The Watson Twins to Northhamtons's Tracy Grammer. Gaining a rep as a consummate session player, he has in the last year, nearly doubled his discography. Zak has appeared on albums that also feature, among others, Tim O'Brien, Danny Barnes, Darol Anger, Eyvind Kang, Andy Statman, and the master bassist/cellist Buell Neidlinger, the latter having hired Zak for several projects. Lately, he has been touring extensively in the U.S. and across Europe as a duo with Americana chanteuse Rachel Harrington. Zak was born amidst the folk music scare in Cambridge, Mass where he was exposed to all kinds of roots music. His uncle played in New Mexico's Last Mile Ramblers (with Junior Brown). His sister sings Hank tunes and picks the banjo, a cousin that tours the world rockin', His grandfather built guitars and fiddles and his songwriting aunt worked and played at the renowned Longview Recording Studio. But things became critical at 16, when one midnight in July he witnessed two members of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys playing on the street....in other words...Zak had no choice. Zak is also a passionate and sought after instructor having taught for 15 yrs at workshops and festivals including a faculty spot at The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.

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  • Price: 27.16 EUR excl. shipping
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  Land of Plenty

  Delivering twelve tracks worth of deeply harmonic and engaging music that ably blends elements of twangy country, rootsy folk, and rousing rock into one hell of a rich, tasty, and arresting sonic stew, this album certainly hits the stirring and melodic spot somethin' sweet. The nasal and reedy, yet pleasant and affecting vocals convey emotion with exquisite clarity and galvanizing vitality. The arrangements keep things tuneful and hoppin' throughout. The smart and thoughtful songwriting likewise impresses with it's strong sense of economy and refreshing dearth of sappy sentiment. Best of all, there's a real sweet warmth and glowing humanity that rings through loud and clear in every last radiant note. A lovely and touching slice of pure heartfelt Americana. Joe Wawrzyniak - Jersey Beat "There are bands that have a timeless quality to their music, and there are bands that are clearly tethered to a certain generation. The Redemption Center is a band that strikes a balance between the two, being both timeless and timely. The music, a mix between the jangle pop of the Gin Blossoms and country twang of Ryan Adams, makes for interesting results on Land of Plenty." Eric Farwell, The Aquarian Weekly 'The new record 'Land Of Plenty' is an instantly engaging blend of gritty hooks, intelligent lyrics and heartfelt vocals. Smith's soulful song-craft is a great addition to the roots rock world and fans of Steve Earle and the Vigilantes Of Love are sure to be pleased.' Nick Young - Burning Daylight (Jun 17, 2010) 'The Redemption Center breathes new vitality into 'Heartland Rock', aided by effective and lively playing which sustains the intensity that the form requires. Add to this some compelling and sneakily uplifting lyrics delivered with a distinctive voice that oozes personality and you get music that you'll want to go back to again and again.' 'Nice work, and no surprise. I'm already a fan of 'The Boy Who Shed His Skin', a song that can easily stand comparison with the work of Mark Heard or T-Bone Burnett!The lyrics are thoughtful and manage to be complex without being unwieldy. ' Songwriter - Melbourne,Australia - DC Cardwell (Jan 5, 2010) 'An amalgam of rock,gospel,roots and folk. Rural but not Country. Lyrically intelligent, musically relevant.Looking ahead while tipping the hat to earlier influences.This music would fit comfortable in the Americana genre, if not for the pop and rock seasoning.' The Blind Armadillo (Sep 4, 2009)

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  • Price: 18.65 EUR excl. shipping
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  Stone's Throw

  Haunting, soulful, magical... Cindy Novelo's music captivates the heart and soothes the soul. "Her arrangements are mournful sounds that rise from the hollows of Appalachia and reverberate with the melodies and traditions of both Medieval and Romantic Europe. The smoky peat fires of the Celts mix with the disciplined heat of full-on symphony... The human condition - bold and beautiful - is what speaks to us through her music." ~Blue Sky Green Earth magazine Novelo's debut CD Stone's Throw blends her classical training with her deep love of folk music into haunting interpretations of traditional tunes and soulful original compositions. Inspired by her unique style, producer Tom Prasada-Rao coined a new term to describe her music - "Appalachian Classical". This authentic sound led well-known folk music DJ Bob McWilliams (Kansas Public Radio's Trail Mix) to select Stone's Throw as one of his top picks for best folk albums of 2009, along with albums by Antje Duvekot, Sarah Jarosz, Richard Shindell and Cheryl Wheeler. An award-winning musician and singer/songwriter, Cindy also performs frequently as a sideman, having supported many internationally acclaimed singer/songwriters, including Cary Cooper and Tom Prasada-Rao, Don Conoscenti, Johnsmith, Kelley Hunt and Grammy award-winning Nashville songwriter Jon Vezner. Cindy has performed across the U.S, in Europe and Latin America, where she lived for 17 years and was a long-standing member of the National Symphony of Costa Rica and the Proyer String Quartet. 'Cindy's music is rich with wide open landscapes, deep inner musings and full-on passion. Her voice draws you in while her fiddle soars and her songs inspire.' ~Guitarist and Composer Brooks Williams Currently in remission from ovarian cancer, Cindy is also a beloved speaker and workshop facilitator who finds deep meaning in sharing her intercultural, musical, spiritual and healing journeys with others. "Cindy, her music, and her presence envelope the earth like a warm wind - powerful, welcomed, refreshing, nurturing, and heartening." ~Singer/Songwriter David Roth - Orleans, MA 'We are all here on this blessed earth to share our gifts with one another. Thus community is created, each connection a strand in this beautiful web we call life. It is my honor and privilege to be here among you. May the breath of music light your soul.' ~Cindy More Praise for Stone's Throw: 'When Cindy's bow hits the strings I am captivated. Her tone is intoxicating, and her phrasing makes me weep.' ~Tom Prasada-Rao, Producer and Singer/Songwriter - Dallas, Texas "Cindy Novelo speaks through her viola, fiddle & guitar with passion, tenderness and magic. Her playing on The Water is Wide brings me to tears..." ~Kelley Hunt, Blues Musician, Composer and Singer/Songwriter - Lawrence, KS "Cindy Novelo, a beautiful player on both viola and violin, has unwrapped further gifts for us all on her new CD, 'Stone's Throw'. This collection of songs blends Appalachian, classical, a bit of Celtic and old-time into a tuneful and tasteful collection to woo any heart." ~Sharon Bousquet, Singer/Songwriter - Fairfield, Iowa "When Cindy plays her magical fiddle-ish - actually a little 5-string viola with a celestial and ancient tone - she is a symphony." ~Singer/Songwriter Phyllis Tannerfrye - Myrtle Beach, SC.

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  • Price: 26.24 EUR excl. shipping

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