thePULSEKITTIE
E1 Music announces the addition of Canada’s Kittie to its heavy metal roster. Under this worldwide deal, Kittie will release three albums for the label, starting with the new In the Black.
Kittie (Morgan Lander ~ vocals and guitar, Mercedes Lander ~ drums, Tara McLeod ~ guitar, and Ivy Vujic ~ bass guitar) has released four studio albums during its career which have sold collectively over 1,250,000 copies. The band’s new album In the Black is slated for release on September 15 and includes the songs “Cut Throat, “Sorrow I Know,” and “My Plague.”
Kittie vocalist Morgan Lander says, “We are totally thrilled and honored to be working with Scott Givens and to now be part of the E1 family. We have been hard at work for the past few months perfecting our latest musical offering and are pleased with the final result of In the Black. It is everything that Kittie is supposed to be: heavy, fast, brash and nasty, yet at times introspective, feminine and emotional. One thing it is not, however, is compromising of the sound and style that we have come to be known for. This s*** is HEAVY! Our new label pairing with E1 will actualize the vision that we have held constant over the years for the band.”
Currently the band is working on fall tour plans ~ so stay tuned, they will probably be hitting Boston or Worcester SOON!
For more information, go to www.kittierocks.com or www.myspace.com/officialkittie.
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THE MELVINS
The Melvins will release Chicken Switch, a 15-song remix cd with a twist, on Sept. 29 via Ipecac Recordings. Unlike usual remix cds where the remixer is given a single track to work with, for Chicken Switch each remixer was given a full album to work with and pull from to create their track (and in some cases, more than one full album was used as source material). The song names were also newly selected by their remixer.
The Melvins are on the road in support of Down and will be stopping at the House of Blues in Boston on Sept. 13.
www.myspace.com/themelvins, www.melvins.com
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FLYING MACHINES
Mix a singer/keyboardist who grew up on Queen, Billy Joel, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Ben Folds 5 with a guitarist steeped in Black Sabbath, Zeppelin and the Strokes, and the result is the dramatic, unique pop-rock-indie stylings of Flying Machines.
Inspiring apt and complimentary comparisons to Queen, Muse, Killers, the Police, and Keane on its 10-song debut ~ mixed by Grammy Award-winner Tom Weir (No Doubt, Weezer, Tom Morello) and produced by Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett ~ Flying Machines mesh musical intellect with soul-searching lyrical acuity and passion. And they’re also happy to bring back the guitar solo.
In addition to landing music on USA Networks’ “Psych” promos, and their lauded win in Converse’s “Get Out of The Garage” music contest, in 2008 Yahoo Music’s LaunchCast gave Flying Machines a “test flight” to gauge consumer reaction. “On a Whim” received 500,000 BDS spins in three months, becoming the #1 most-played song on Yahoo’s “Who’s Next” for three weeks running. “On a Whim” is also available on the JOURNEYS CD compilation, available for free after a $75 purchase of Converse gear.
For more info on Flying Machines, please visit www.myspace.com/flyingmachines.com.
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RUBIK
Finnish Indie art-pop collective Rubik announce the release of their US debut Dada Bandits, out September 15th on Paper Tiger AV/Fullsteam Records. The four members of Rubik ~ Artturi Taira, Sampsa Väätäinen, Samuli Pöyhönen, and Jussi Hietala ~ recorded, produced and mixed the album in an old Ballroom-turned recording studio located in the Finnish countryside town of Porvoo. To capture the warm and vibrant sound which they have become known for emanating at their live shows, the band mixed the record with full analog equipment, a technique rarely used in today’s digital age and as a result, the music’s playful mood and richly textured harmonies shine brilliantly on Dada Bandits.
Rubik’s US debut and sophomore release Dada Bandits has already received raves in Rolling Stone and countless other prestigious European publications across the Atlantic. It features 11 new tracks which were collectively written by the four members of the band who spared no expense in using an eclectic array of instruments to create their sound. Dada Bandits is a happily-conceived cohesive album that twists and turns with ambient pop melodies, atmospheric percussion patterns and borderline prog-driven guitars which clash and play against each other.
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KRISTINA TRAIN
Blue Note Records will release Spilt Milk, the debut album from singer and songwriter Kristina Train, on Sept. 22nd. Train, who was born in NYC and raised in Savannah, GA, has made an urbane, soulful, and lush debut that showcases her stunning voice. As a vocalist, Train alternates between gentle balladeering and powerful belting, her bluesy vibrato revealing the breadth and elegance of a young Dusty Springfield – a little bit London, a little bit Memphis.
Spilt Milk was recorded in London with Jimmy Hogarth, the sought-after British producer whose recent credits include Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, and James Blunt. “Kristina possesses a true classic voice – an effortless delivery with complete commitment to the emotion of the song,” Hogarth says. “It was a real pleasure and an honor to have worked on this very special recording.”
Powerhouse songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Eg White (a Grammy Awards Record of the Year nominee earlier this year for Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”) co-wrote most of the songs with Train, who delivers them so convincingly that the words could be pages torn from her diary.
To learn more about this exciting young newcomer, please visit www.myspace.com/kristinatrain.
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PHONOGRAPH
Phonograph, the Brooklyn based alt-country band whose self-released and self-titled debut album surprised critics and radio programmers in 2007, return with their eagerly anticipated new full length, Okno, on Sept. 29.
David Dye, in his review for NPR’s World Café, wrote of the release, “Phonograph’s debut sounds surprisingly assured for a new band. Balancing synths and pedal-steel with a twangy, roots-pop sensibility, the disc impresses with both the depth or its song-writing and the impeccable musicianship that backs it up.” Uncut Magazine awarded the release four stars while Paste Magazine said the band “creates a unique, complex sonic landscape.”
Since the 2007 release, the band has toured with Wilco, played Bonnaroo and The Newport Folk Festival as well as release the ballyhooed “Hiawatha Talking Machine” EP, which was recorded in reportedly haunted home of Adlai Stevenson in Normal, Ill.
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PORCUPINE TREE
Roadrunner Records is pleased to announce the signing of British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, one of the most difficult-to-categorize yet innovative bands making music today. The band’s music ranges from psychedelic trip-hop to progressive rock, and a compendium of other sounds in between.
The band is fronted by singer/guitarist Steven Wilson, who, in addition to his critical acclaim with Porcupine Tree, is also known for his work producing other artists including Swedish progressive metal group (and now labelmates) Opeth and Norwegian chanteuse Anja Garbarek. Porcupine Tree have released three albums through Lava/Atlantic: In Absentia, Deadwing, and the Grammy-nominated Fear of a Blank Planet, which was recognized as “Best Surround Sound” album in 2007.
The album will contain a 50 minute long continuous song cycle, along with three additional “shorter” songs. Roadrunner plans to release the album on Sept. 22nd and you can catch the band September 27 at the House of Blues in Boston.
www.porcupinetree.com, www.myspace.com/porcupinetree
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CANDIRIA
Candiria, Brooklyn’s jazz-infused-metal experimentalists, are back and once again ready to cross the lines of convention as they release a four volume set of rarities and remixes, “Toying With the Insanities.” Volumes One and Two of “Toying With the Insanities” will be released on Sept. 9th on Rising Pulse Records, while the final 2volumes are slated for an early 2010 release. All four volumes will be released digitally, while 1,000 limited CDs of Vol. One and 300 limited LPs of Vol. Two will be pressed.
The remixed tracks on “Toying With the Insanities” were taken from Candiria’s first three albums, and will feature contributions from underground, eclectic acts such as: Dalek, Dub Trio, Ghosts of the Canal, Kayo Dot and members of Dillinger Escape Plan, Fishbone, Peeping Tom and more.
“This is something that [frontman] Carley Coma and I have discussed for a few years and since I now have my own label and Candiria officially owns the rights to the first three releases we decided to put the series out,” comments Candiria guitarist John Lamacchia.
www.myspace.com/candiria, www.risingpulse.com
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ALICE IN CHAINS
Alice in Chains are giving fans a sneak preview of their highly anticipated upcoming album Black Give Way to Blue (Virgin/EMI) by posting a brand-new song online. The seven-minute-long track, titled “A Looking In View,” can be heard on www.aliceinchains.com. A companion video for the song is forthcoming and its trailer is available on the band’s site. “A Looking In View” will appear on Black Give Way to Blue, in stores Sept. 29th.
About “A Looking In View,” Alice In Chains vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell says, “The song basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside. A cell of our own making with an unlocked door that we choose to remain in. Focusing our attention inward instead of reaching out to a much larger world. I think this is common to us all. It’s funny how hard we fight to hang on to a bone we can’t pull through a hole in the fence, or how difficult it is to put down the bag of bricks and move on.”
Black Give Way to Blue is the band’s first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and vocalist/guitarist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.
Catch Alice in Chains Sept. 7 at Paradise Rock Club.
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SISSY WISH
On Sept. 22nd, Afternoon Records will release Sissy Wish’s Beauties Never Die, but in the meantime, fans can check out the video for the track “Float,” which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album, at www.myspace.com/sissywish.
Banishing the banjos and acoustic guitars of her earlier work, Sissy Wish immerses herself in a world of cheap synthesizers, toy organs and fuzz-guitars.
From the shimmering title track and enticing, incendiary “Dwts” to the layered, richly atmospheric “Tokyo” and the ultra-infectious album closer, “Book,” the record is filled with complex structures, unexpected arrangements and supremely catchy melodies, all backed up by hot, pumpy drums and bass.
Learn more at www.myspace.com/sissywish.
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A FINE FRENZY
On September 8, A Fine Frenzy ~ led by Alison Sudol ~ will release Bomb in a Birdcage on Virgin Records, the follow-up to 2007’s critically acclaimed One Cell in the Sea. While the debut established Sudol as one of the most talented young singers and songwriters around, the new album reveals another side of A Fine Frenzy.
“I think some people may be surprised,” says 24-year-old Sudol. “They think that I’m all fragile and ethereal, but I have a wild side, too. I’m a quiet person with a loud streak, and this record is a testament to that.”
“Blow Away,” the breezy, propulsive first single from Bomb in a Birdcage, illustrates that the new album retains the tuneful charm and whimsical language of the debut, while adding new colors and textures. Lengthy tours alongside the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Brandi Carlile contributed to Sudol’s attraction to different sounds.
www.afinefrenzy.com, www.myspace.com/afinefrenzy
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MEGADETH
Heavy metal institution Megadeth have announced Endgame as the title of their twelfth studio album. The album will be released this month through Roadrunner Records. It was recorded at the band’s brand new, self-built studio, Vic’s Garage, located near San Diego and named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character.
Endgame boasts the technicality, ferocity and snarl that’s synonymous with Megadeth and Mustaine. It’s a violent masterwork that represents Mustaine’s best work in nearly two decades. In a musical world dominated by bands that make generic, blanket statements, Endgame finds Mustaine, once again, making informed and substantial lyrical declarations about the state of the world we live in.
In short, it’s the Megadeth record that fans of classics like So Far…So Good…So What? and Rust in Peace have been chomping at the bit for.
“This new album is my proudest moment since the famous (or infamous) Rust in Peace album,” Mustaine also said. “With this album, I am also very excited to be introducing my new lead guitarist Chris Broderick to the world. I have always felt lucky to have had top shredders in that position, but after touring with Chris in support of my last album, I couldn’t wait to get into the studio and see what he could do.”
Megadeth’s lineup consists of Mustaine, Broderick, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Shawn Drover.
Earlier this year, Mustaine was the recipient of the “Golden God Award” at the first ever Golden Gods Awards, presented by Revolver.
www.megadeth.com, www.myspace.com/megadeth
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DANKO JONES
Danko Jones are ready to invade the U.S. with the release of Never Too Loud, their brand new studio album, out Sept. 8 via Bad Taste Records/Caroline.
Hailing from Toronto, the group ~ Danko Jones (lead vocals/guitars), John Calabrese (bass), Dan Cornelius (drums) ~ teamed with Grammy award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Coheed & Cambria, Stone Sour, Velvet Revolver) and recorded Never Too Loud at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles. Ted Jensen (Green Day, REM) came onboard for mastering duties. “We really wanted to step it up sonically on this album, and Nick was the perfect guy for that,” explains Danko Jones, the band’s lead singer and guitarist.
“There’s something to be said for the bands that stick to the story, Motorhead, AC/DC, Slayer, The Ramones, they’re the ones who have survived,” he adds. “We know who we are, but we upped the ante and experimented with varied styles of hard rock on this album.”
Look for Danko Jones to announce a major Fall U.S. tour soon.
www.dankojones.com, www.myspace.com/dankojones
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THE USED
Utah’s The Used, who have been tantalizing fans by previewing new songs during the Bamboozle and Bamboozle Left Festivals and during recent headlining dates, are proud to announce the release of their fourth studio album, entitled Artwork, on September 1. A deluxe pre-order package of the release is now available only at www.theused.net.
Produced by Matt Squire, Artwork is a raw collection of eleven songs that not so delicately teeter the line between being aggressively discordant and charmingly hooky. The first single, “Blood On My Hands” premiered June 30th; it sold over five thousand copies in the first day and shot to #9 on the iTunes Alternative Chart. The track, which guitarist Quinn Allman describes as the song that “sums up everything about The Used,” hit radio July 14th.
Artwork encapsulates the past eight years of this hard-touring band that’s made the rounds of Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Projekt Revolution, Give It a Name, Reading, Leeds, and Taste of Chaos. The Used have sold more than two million albums in the U.S. Their previous release, 2007’s Lies For the Liars, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200.
Check out www.theused.net and catch the band live 10/23/09 in Boston, MA (stay tuned for venue details).
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SETH GLIE
MPress Records has just inked a three album deal with 20-year-old pianist/singer-songwriter Seth Glier.
Glier, who hails from Western MA and was recently featured in The Boston Globe for his 100% Fan Funded Tour, is a multi-instrumentalist who has released several DIY projects since his early teens. His combination of raw talent and surprising maturity caught the attention of MPress founder Rachael Sage, who was immediately struck by his prodigious musicianship and sophisticated lyricism.
A seasoned touring artist who has already shared stages with John Mayer, Martin Sexton and Erin McKeown, Glier will tour the East Coast throughout the summer, and will launch his official Release Tour for The Trouble with People in October.
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Priscilla Renea
As a pop-music singer/songwriter whose styles unite like a teen’s iPod on shuffle, Priscilla Renea is a true product of the Internet Generation. Having already showcased her musical talents to over a million viewers from the comforts of home, she has been self-promoting her musical craft on YouTube for a little over a year. Since then, Priscilla’s songs have had over 1.6 million views, over 30,000 channel subscribers and scores of imitators. Now signed to Power/Capitol Records, fans can finally experience this YouTube-sensation beyond the webcam with the release of her debut EP Hello My Apple (released March 31) that features three tracks that were among her most popular on YouTube: “I Fell in Love,” “Hello My Apple,” and “Cry.”
Cast on MTV’s Say What? Karaoke show, Priscilla’s page views spiked and her songs were being re-posted as covers by a growing fanbase. To further her musical growth beyond her bedroom, Priscilla joined the Atlanta-based production company Power Entertainment, where she honed songwriting for herself and for other artists, impressing collaborators with her knack for quickly harnessing inspiration into unforgettable songs.
Priscilla Renea’s debut album, Jukebox, is schedule for release later this year with production by several in-house Power Entertainment talents, along with Brian Kidd (Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Nappy Roots) and Soulshock and Karlin (Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Keyshia Cole, JoJo).
www.myspace.com/priscillarenea, www.priscillareneamusic.com
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CHTHONIC
Taiwan’s Chthonic has confirmed the September 1 English-language release of their new album, Mirror of Retribution (produced and engineered by Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano), on Spinefarm Records. The band has received an overwhelming response for their new song “Rise of the Shadows,” which has been uploaded to the band’s official MySpace page (myspace.com/chthonictw) and their MyeBook profile (www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=8783) for streaming. Chthonic is also going to embark on their next episode with this upcoming album.
After years of controversy surrounding how to classify Chthonic, the band has clearly asserted themselves on Mirror of Retribution. There is no proper label for the type of dark, melodic, extremely heavy sound the band conveys on their latest release. This sound conveys the deep sadness and despair from old Eastern mythos as well as the unforgivable wrath from the history that Taiwan has experienced.
Critics and fans have discussed Chthonic’s genre for a long time, but “black metal,” “death metal,” or “folk metal,” don’t properly describe the full sound of Chthonic ‘s music. Doris, bassist and leader of the band, now simply defines Chthonic as “extreme metal, if people really need to label us as a particular genre.”
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SAOSIN
Bracingly crunchy and soaringly melodic, vibrating with all-out rocking ensemble work and emotional urgency, the second album release In Search of Higher Ground by Orange County, CA-based rock quintet Saosin has been set for a Sept. 8 release ~ following a barnstorming summer playing this year’s Vans Warped Tour.
Maintaining a hair-raising energy level throughout, the album, In Search of Higher Ground, is the much-awaited end product of writing, tracking and mix sessions that Saosin fans have witnessed online in real time since last summer, with songs written and tracks demoed in the Costa Mesa, CA studio of global youth brand Hurley, where they self-produced several final album tracks. In early 2009, Saosin worked with producer Butch Walker (Sevendust, Fall Out Boy, P!nk) which resulted in 5 songs on In Search Of Higher Ground. They also worked with John Feldman (The Used, Good Charlotte, Story Of The Year) who produced 2 tracks and with Lucas Banker/Logan Mader (Five Finger Death Punch, Soulfly, Machine Head) on 1 album track. Band guitarist Beau Burchell mixed all songs on In Search of Higher Ground.
Touching both the anthemic and the intimate, “I Keep My Secrets Safe” and “Deep Down” are early-album keynotes, and the style of In Search of Higher Ground, both finessed and hammer-fisted, emerges in the moody, insightful and unsparing “Changing,” “The Alarming Sound of a Still Small Voice,” “It’s All Over Now,” “What Were We Made For?” and “On My Own.” Along the way are royal kiss-offs like “Why Can’t You See” and “Say Goodbye,” a balladic “Nothing Is What It Seems,” and the complex album closer “Fireflies.”
For more information on Saosin, please visit www.myspace.com/saosin, www.twitter.com/saosin or www.saosin.com.
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IN FLAMES
Highly influential Swedish metal band In Flames has announced a North American headlining tour in support of its critically acclaimed album A Sense of Purpose. The band was also hand-picked by music legends Megadeth for last year’s North American “Gigantour” live dates. In Flames will be joined on this tour by Between the Buried and Me, 3 Inches of Blood and The Faceless.
A Sense of Purpose debuted at #28 on Billboard‘s Top 200 and sold over 20,000 units in its first week of release, marking it as the highest charting record in the band’s sales history. The album is In Flames‘s debut release for E1 Music, and ninth full length album overall. Recorded at the band’s IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden and mixed by Toby Wright (Metallica, Slayer), the album has yielded the explosive single “The Mirror’s Truth,” which also appears on the soundtrack for the smash hit video game Madden NFL 09 alongside a multi-genre roster of superstar acts. Madden NFL is the biggest-selling sports franchise in videogame history.
In Flames is one of the pioneers of what has become known as “the Gothenburg sound” (also referred to as “melodic death metal”) and has influenced scores of metal / hard rock acts since its formation in 1990. The band has won three Grammy Awards (equivalent to Swedish Grammy Awards) and has sold over 2,000,000 albums over the course of its distinguished career.
In Flames features Anders Fridén (vocals), Björn Gelotte (Guitar), Peter Iwers (Bass), Jesper Strömblad (Guitar) and Daniel Svensson (Drums).
Catch In Flames on October 3 at Boston House of Blues.
www.inflames.com, www.myspace.com/inflames
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BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH
Brian “Head” Welch is set to launch the second leg of his first-ever solo U.S. tour in support of his debut album, Save Me From Myself, which will be released September 9 on his Driven Music Group label.
With a new band at his side ~ Scott Von Heldt (guitars), Ralph Patlan (guitars), Michael Valentine (bass), Dan Johnson (drums), Brian Ruedy (keyboards/programming) ~ Head is embarking on another round of dates: “The first leg of the tour a couple months ago was a great warm up tour,” says Head. “Now we’re ready to kick it up a notch. We’re coming into my neck of the woods with this West Coast leg and I’m expecting to see a great turn out and a lot of energy at the shows!”
Save Me From Myself, had tremendous sales its first week, making its debut on Billboard‘s “Top Hard Rock Albums” chart at #13, #7 on Billboard‘s “Top Independent Albums” chart and #21 on SoundScan’s “Top Current Rock Albums” chart. Overall, against all genres, including new releases and catalogue, Head’s album debuted on Billboard‘s “Top 200 Albums” chart at # 63.
www.brianheadwelch.net, www.myspace.com/brianheadwelch (for full concert details), and
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OUTLOUD!
Frontiers Records is pleased to launch the video clip of “We Run,” the first single from the forthcoming self-titled debut album from Outloud!, to be released on Frontiers Records on September 15 in the USA.
The video clip is available following this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aifdQ6CfKL0, or surfing to the Frontiers Records MySpace site www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords.
Outloud! is the hottest new band is hard rock today. Formed by guitarists Tony Kash and Bob Katsionis (Firewind) in Athens in 2004, the guys are now a five-piece also including singer-extraordinaire Chandler Mogel (ex-Talon), drummer Mark Cross (Firewind, ex-Helloween and Kingdom Come), and bassist Jason Mercury. Fans of early Skid Row, Hurricane, Foreigner, and TNT should watch out and request the single “We Run” on your favorite rock show!
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ONE eskimO
Shangri-La Music recording group One eskimO has announced the upcoming release of its much-admired self-titled debut. The collection arrives on September 22.
The London-based band was hand picked by Tori Amos to open for her on her current North American tour.
The brainchild of singer/songwriter Kristian Leontiou, One eskimO arrives with an impressive breadth of imagination that instantly marks them as something extraordinary. Produced by Rollo Armstrong (Faithless, Dido), the music is an ambitious and affecting collection of widescreen modern pop, alive with iridescent textures and intricately crafted songcraft. Songs like “Hometime” and “Kandi” (featuring an indelible chorus sampled from Candi Staton’s classic “He Called Me Baby”) are moving and expressive, touching upon such universal themes as love and heartbreak, success and failure. The band’s “Givin Up” has already been featured on Los Angeles’ KCRW and was a “Song of the Day” pick – www.kcrw.com/music/programs/tu/tu090512one_eskimo_given_up.
What’s more, the release comes in tandem with a full-length animated film (Passion Pictures) in which the band members are represented by a delightfully drawn line-up of anthropomorphized animals, with Leontiou himself presented as the lonely Eskimo of the group’s moniker. One eskimO‘s unorthodox self-visualization adds idiosyncratic color and character to a captivating musical work already abounding with invention and emotion.
The animation that accompanies the song “Hometime” has proven an international sensation, receiving numerous honors at film festivals around the world, not to mention a 2008 British Animation Award. In addition, the song – written while Leontiou recuperated from a snowboarding mishap in the Alps – was featured in Toyota’s environmentally aware “Why Not?” campaign.
