A mysterious, powerful, confusing, remarkable, fun and occasionally frightening journey into the mind and spirit of a daring artist. Amazing. Her greatest work yet.
Veda Hille's third album is a total knockout. With a wide range of emotion, totally individual tunes and lyrics, this album is creative and fresh. Don't miss it.
A powerhouse of an album. All the angry women in rock should listen and weep.
I obsessed with this album the entire six weeks I was in a writing workshop this summer. Every time I listened I heard something new. The album may be a step away from ani's previously more acoustic sound but it really works for me.
Just when this group came out with a breakthrough album they broke up. This album is wonderful--melodic, strange, individual, ethereal and alternative.
Kerri Simpson just gets better and better. Her albums take a little time to grow on me, but they do and they stay favourites. This new album is as gutsy and powerful as The Arousing but seems another notch higher emotionally without becoming hystrionic. Don't miss this one.
Gothic folk/rock? Male singers? I would never have thought I'd like this kind of band so much, but this album really works for me. This is much better than their e.p. "Black Soul Choir" is a wonderful song.
A lovely, folky Greek pop concoction. Stunning voice. Delightful.
A re-recording in English of their original Icelandic album Kynjasogurunder the band name Kolrassa Krokridandi. Wild, strange, as off the wall as Bjork in her wilder moments.
A powerful album, wide-ranging in style, a touch more song- oriented than Grandmother's Tea Leaves but still innovative and complex.
This is a compilation of work off previous albums, but I love her combination of the music from her Sami heritage with contemporary forces.
Sheila Chandra is amazing.
I'm so delighted that Laurie Freelove is recording again. This is a lovely collection of her live versions of older and new songs. She's a great songwriter and has a lovely, unusual voice. I can hardly wait for the new studio album--it's a knockout.
Knockout contemporary traditional music. The musicians are excellent, and the lead singer, while she has no stage presence has a strong evocative voice.
A little less depressed but just as geeky. Creative stuff.
Alternapop with touches of the bigger stuff. Lively and haunting both.
Veda live is brilliant.
Too bad this compilation of re-recordings of earlier music seemed not very cohesive and disappeared. It deserves better than that. I love Penelope Houston's style and voice and songwriting.
Excellent traditional folk--lovely, lovely voice (you may have heard her on Ashley MacIsaac's album)
A strong followup to their brilliant In A Different Light
What a delight this strange album is! An album I truly just enjoy.
Patti Smith proves that she can be every bit as as much of a knockout now as she was years ago. Blows Dream of Life right out of the water.
It's not Peng! or Transient Random Noisebursts but it's nice to like them again after Mars Audiac Quintet.
This hasn't grabbed me as much as university did, but Kristin Hersh is still the goddess of alternative rock in my book.
Great ethereal band from Norway (thanks for talking about them Yngve).
Original, quirky and good, but not quite as wonderful as Garage Orchestra.
This is a strange disc--not even strange like the Cranes usual stuff. No singing really, but some spoken word and some incredible music.
I got this free from a local used disc shop after I bought some other stuff and it's the best freebie I've picked up like that. Great, quirky rock. Don't like her earlier stuff, though.
I didn't like their ep much, but this is fine music.
I really like this, but need to listen more to get a better handle on it.
This would be higher on my list but she only does 3 songs, and damn i love her songs.
Lida Husik in her ambient mode.
Interesting alternative music. Rather like Juned, but to my ear not quite as good.
It surprised me how much I really enjoy this--very synthesized but still warm music.
More great folkish indie rock from Lois.
Not quite as stunning as Houdini but I still love it. The lead singer/songwriter has a strange and wonderfully warped view of the world.
I still like them but they're slower than ever and have never quite produced anything as catchy to my ear as "Sarah's Lazy" on their first album.
So happy they have a new album. Not quite as wonderful as some of their earlier stuff (my favourite is still Dancer With Bruised Knees) but it may grow on me more as all of their other albums have.
I love this woman's voice and singing style.
Great voices and wonderful harp music (Greg take note)
Sad and strong at once.
Diverse pop--this surprised me how much I like it. Hard to pin the style down because it changes so much in this album.
This seems a strong, mature beginning. This may be bluesy soul much it's got a good touch.
A band on Stereolab's Duophonic label, they share some of Stereolab's delight in '60s instrumentation but with a contemporary update. A little Pram-ish, too. Definitely for those interested in something very different. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do in 1997.
Eliza Carthy is quickly becoming as wonderful a traditional folk artist as her parents, Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy. Great, lively fiddle and songs. This is her first solo album, though she did one (two?) with Nancy Kerr and one with her parents.
Tough lyrics mixed with a sweet voice. A really interesting combination and I look forward to hearing what she does next.
Baby-voiced truly fun alternapop.
Piano-based songstress who rather stupidly invites comparisons with Tori Amos in her ad in Details. Still, promising singing and songwriting. She's local, so I'm going to try to catch her live soon.
Intriguing pop-rock duo from Denmark.
Sheila Chandra is a goddess and I'm grateful that these are again available.
Malicorne is one of my favourite bands and for years I've suffered along with only tape dubs of these albums. They are a fascinating combinations of electric French folk and in their later albums, contemporary experimental rock. Dynamite.
Scott Merritt is kind like Bruce Cockburn, but something about his songs have worn longer on me. These are reissues from the 80s. Gravity is Mutual approaches the brilliance of his last album, Violet and Black. It's strange--it starts off sounding quite derivative of other artists, but there's something haunting about it and soon you realize only Scott Merritt could have produced this music.
I was delighted to see that this was more than just a cd reissue of One Clear Moment, but this means I'm still waiting for that one. Linda Thompson has a stunning voice and used it well. What a loss that she's no longer performing!
I really like this ethereal (mostly) band.
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