Snowbird:
Moon:
Bella Union:
Online Stream:
Physical formats: January 27th
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
You know what I'm going to say don't you? Simon Raymonde. Bella Union. Female voice. Glistening guitars. All equals 'Ethere....' no I can't do it, I just can't.
Suffice to say, this new venture does sound an awful lot like Cocteau Twins, as well as previous 4AD try-hards Swallow, current Memphis Industries proteges Pure Bathing Culture and forgotten much-admired Canadian atmospherics, Hugo Largo.
Snowbird's debut album, primarily created by founding pair Simon Raymonde and Stephanie Dosen, is an appealing distraction from the recent torrent of electro-wave bedsitters and hipster wannabes. In fact, for the most part, it's all rather reassuring, rather like a warm bath after a day on the hills, a hug after an argument or a large glass of your favourite liquor. Much of the music was borne out of Raymonde's first new instrument in years (a baby grand piano, no less), expanded from simple piano passages and coloured in by an army of extras.
Guest musicians include Radiohead's Philip Selway and Ed O'Brien, Midlake's Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith, Lanterns On The Lake's Paul Gregory and Jonathan Wilson.
Current airwave favourite All Wishes Are Ghosts stands out as a keeper and mirrors the Cocteau's later Milk and Kisses period, while the rest of the gently meandering album hovers between the suggested peers above and Raymonde's own ear for something beautiful.
Dosen doesn't try to project the same vocal range as Raymonde's previous cohort Elisabeth Fraser - she reminds me more of Jane Siberry - but she's no less emotional, especially on the shimmering Amelia and the opener I Heard The Owl Call My Name. Porcelain is simply stunning.
Ultimately, over the course of 11 tracks, the tracks do seem to morph together into one long deep breath, one elegiac sigh of just too much floaty exquisiteness. (This listener was sorely tempted to round off the evening with a good solid dose of Napalm Death or rough '90s jungle, to bring me back to Earth).
Overall though, if you're the type who prefers to stroke a contended cat than play with a bonkers dog, Snowbird might well be your preferred pet.
Moon:
Bella Union:
Online Stream:
Physical formats: January 27th
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Suffice to say, this new venture does sound an awful lot like Cocteau Twins, as well as previous 4AD try-hards Swallow, current Memphis Industries proteges Pure Bathing Culture and forgotten much-admired Canadian atmospherics, Hugo Largo.
Snowbird's debut album, primarily created by founding pair Simon Raymonde and Stephanie Dosen, is an appealing distraction from the recent torrent of electro-wave bedsitters and hipster wannabes. In fact, for the most part, it's all rather reassuring, rather like a warm bath after a day on the hills, a hug after an argument or a large glass of your favourite liquor. Much of the music was borne out of Raymonde's first new instrument in years (a baby grand piano, no less), expanded from simple piano passages and coloured in by an army of extras.
Guest musicians include Radiohead's Philip Selway and Ed O'Brien, Midlake's Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith, Lanterns On The Lake's Paul Gregory and Jonathan Wilson.
Current airwave favourite All Wishes Are Ghosts stands out as a keeper and mirrors the Cocteau's later Milk and Kisses period, while the rest of the gently meandering album hovers between the suggested peers above and Raymonde's own ear for something beautiful.
Dosen doesn't try to project the same vocal range as Raymonde's previous cohort Elisabeth Fraser - she reminds me more of Jane Siberry - but she's no less emotional, especially on the shimmering Amelia and the opener I Heard The Owl Call My Name. Porcelain is simply stunning.
Ultimately, over the course of 11 tracks, the tracks do seem to morph together into one long deep breath, one elegiac sigh of just too much floaty exquisiteness. (This listener was sorely tempted to round off the evening with a good solid dose of Napalm Death or rough '90s jungle, to bring me back to Earth).
Overall though, if you're the type who prefers to stroke a contended cat than play with a bonkers dog, Snowbird might well be your preferred pet.