LOVESUCKER
January 26, 2015 | Posted in Vellum News | By Stephanie Young
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Mix in some southern twang with gospel slash gypsy soul and you have a pretty good idea of what Charlotte, North Carolina’s LOVESUCKER sound like. The duo combine a strong female vocal with a 70’s funk influence that can be interpreted a number of ways. On the first track off their debut album, singer Crystal Cosby belts out a number about a dead slave who comes back to haunt her master. “Mississippi” takes you down a dark and winding road of revenge and redemption. Not for the lighthearted but definitely for those who like emotionally driven songs. She uses a technique which mimics the sound of her beats making almost a clucking noise with the lyrics. It could be a voodoo chant of some sort and adds a bit more creativity to her already majestic style. Cosby follows the path of other great woman singers before her. People like Etta James, Grace Slick and Tori Amos. According to her, “While many were painting the picket fences, these pioneers were torching the grounds with their guttural truths about the ache of love, revenge and survival.” Her other half, rocker Zoltan Von Bury, mixes it up with organ, bass, guitar, drums, u name it, he plays it. Duos are interesting because all the energy is focused on two individuals. This arrangement allows for a kind of yin/ yang result where in LOVESUCKER’s case you can hear the opposing forces of man/woman finding a sweet balance in the sound.
“Mississippi” tells the story of a dead slave haunting his slave master. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/uzrWsuqhhqA?li
Listen to the full EP on Bandcamp: https://lovesucker.bandcamp.co
The Elements Of Desire-offLINE at CENTRAL BOOKING
January 21, 2015 | Posted in Vellum News | By Stephanie Young
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The elements of desire, revolves around CENTRAL BOOKING’s special chocolate event, focusing on the many aspects which makes something pleasing to the senses. Whether it be a beautiful woman, funny phrase, monetary goods or a delectable treat, all the artists in the exhibit make work that induces a feeling of “I Want” from the viewer.
The Elements Of Desire
Marcy Brafman
Nancy Drew
Alicia Gibson
Roxanne Jackson
Meghan Allynn Johnson
Jessica Lichtenstein
Cole Lu
Don Pablo Pedro
Curated by: Stephanie Young
Opening, Thursday, Feb 12th-6p-8p
offLINE at CENTRAL BOOKING
21 Ludlow Street
NYC
Anne Simone
January 13, 2015 | Posted in Vellum News | By Stephanie Young
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Anne Simone combines her knowledge of computer programming with a love of music. Bittersweet is her new lp which features a twist. The lyrics of lead track “Digitize Me” make up a running computer program and the words you hear are directly taken from written code. The idea first came to Simone when she thought about a computer reading language. In that environment, a simple machine responds to basic commands of yes/no, true/false and 1s and 0s. The artist compared it to human nature and concluded life would be so much simpler, if we just followed these Zen-like rules. If we did, there would be less complication and miscommunication in our lives. Getting a further glimpse of what actually occurs when two different disciplines collide can be seen in the actual computer printout of “Digitize me”. Nothing too complicated or elaborate, it reveals a simple drawing. The real innovation is in its concept and design. A place marker for today’s interdisciplinary melding of styles and tastes. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Simone currently resides in Seattle, Washington, where she works as a software designer. Her passion has led to a double life that now overlaps and is reflected in well written, emotionally charged songs. These are further enhanced by an equally lovely voice, reminiscent of Imogen Heap or Tegan and Sara. Besides uplifitng music, other novel bits on her new record take cues from classic synthsters Kraftwerk. The German outfit had a single called “Pocket Calculator” where the sound of fingers pressing numbers on a keypad accounted for the actual beat. Another, “Computer Love” taken from the same classic album, falls in line with Simone’s dreamier tracks. For the technically minded or just curious, the code/lyrics for “Digitize Me” is available on GitHub (https://github.com/kineticson
Anne-Simone’s music video for “Digitize Me” is on Vimeo here: http://vimeo.com/107786582
CommonUnion59
January 4, 2015 | Posted in Vellum News | By Stephanie Young
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Folksingers today are no different than folksingers of before. They each have a story to tell and a gift of saying it with music. A duo, from San Francisco called CommonUnion59 embrace not only folk, but the strong characteristics of country western musicians, who craft songs out of hard times and poor conditions with hopes of finding a better way through music. The themes are consistent; using words, to describe the American dream, daily reflection and new found love. The folksinger’s duty is similar to that of a poet’s, to strip away excess matter and expose beauty. Perhaps the most accessible song on CommonUnion59’s upcoming second release, Heartbeat Serenade, is a catchy number called “It’s Alright”, but the best are “River Wild” and “American Dream”. Both reveal the melancholy themes of a vagabond lifestyle, sung in a similar style to Dolly Parton or Emmylou Harris. The title track, “Heartbeat Serenade” takes the listener for an unexpected ride down psychedelic, dream pop territory, adding just a little extra to this mostly accomplished record.
Stream the full album at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/commonu
CommonUnion59 are: Steve McKenzie and Laura Malasig
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