NEW ALBUM COMING FROM SHANNON STEPHENS, FREE MP3 ON POPMATTERS
February 14th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
You know Shannon Stephens. Or maybe you think you did. This album, this third one, is a little different.
Say hello to Pull It Together.
This record represents a real leap in confidence and songcraft for Shannon. Greater maturity has brought a both a looser, louder style and a more sharply focused worldview. Call this new sound pragmatic pop: optimism balanced with the sharp-edged reality of life in 2012, as much butter as it is knife. Cold Seattle winds and recessionary times have tempered and transformed the soft singer-songwriter folk of her previous two albums. With Pull It Together, Shannon pulls more the lexicon of blues rock than anything else. Think Neil Young, born a woman in 1975.
The first single from Pull It Together is "What Love Looks Like."
Sings Shannon, "I'd like to take you home and turn off the telephone, 'cause that's what love looks like, love looks like / I'd like to pay the bills and set out your vitamin pills— this is what love looks like, love looks like.” Oh wow, it’s Valentine’s Day. How appropriate.
Thanks to PopMatters for hosting the track today! Have a listen/download the track on their site here or listen below:
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND ON PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
February 11th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond is appearing on A Prairie Home Companion (With Garrison Keillor) Saturday February 11th. The show will be live from the beautiful Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota. No doubt news from Lake Wobegan will also be available on the show.
EDIT: Listen to the segment here.
NEW FREE MP3 FROM DENISON WITMER
February 7th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
As you may know, Denison joined our AK family last month, which is splendid news for everyone. And somewhere between then and there, Denison and his wife birthed a brandnew son (see here for cute proof)!
But now it’s time to get down to the work of releasing music. And so we begin with “Brooklyn With Your Highest Wall,” a sublime and perfectly lovely track from the forthcoming record, The Ones Who Wait.
Listen. Download. Think about walking down the dusky streets of Brooklyn. Enjoy!
WHO IS PEPE DELUXÉ?
February 1st, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Perhaps, after yesterday’s rambunctious release of Queen Of The Wave, it’s time to step back, take a breather, and ask ourselves: “Just who is Pepe Deluxé?”
Unfortunately, the answer does not come easily. Listen, even briefly, to Queen Of The Wave and you hear what seems like an army of musicians and vocalists. The core of Pepe Deluxé, Jari Solo (aka James Spectrum) and Paul Malmström, adhere to a rule when collaborating, simple in inception but complex in execution: “always try to get better at what you do by working with those who know more than you do.” The result of such a manifesto is a massive multi-national ad-hoc organization, diverse in talent and origin but bound together by the pursuit of good, great music. How to keep track!
Thankfully, Pepe Deluxé has provided yet a third album companion to guide us, this time listing several of the major contributors to the record. View and download it by clicking here.
If you haven’t purchased the album, you can do so by clicking here.
QUEEN OF THE WAVE FROM PEPE DELUXÉ HAS ARRIVED
January 31st, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
It is time. Queen of the Wave, the fourth record from Pepe Deluxé, has reached the digital shores of North America.
You may have questions. What is Queen of the Wave? Where are the airships going to? Who is Frederick S. Oliver? And who are the Earth Dwellers?
Listen to the album to hear your questions answered. A point of reference may also be a handy companion, which you can read on your electronic viewing device. Click here to download.
Purchase Queen of the Wave on iTunes by clicking here, or via Amazon by clicking here.
Jari and Paul, aka Pepe Deluxé, are donating all the profits from the sales of the album to John Nurminen Foundation to be used in the Clean Baltic Sea project. The aim of the project is to protect and achieve a visible improvement in the condition of the Baltic Sea, one of the most endangered and polluted seas in the world.
QUEEN OF THE WAVE OUT TOMORROW
January 30th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Tomorrow we have the high honor of releasing Pepe Deluxé's Queen of the Wave. We'll be posting all kinds of juicy Pepe content this week, starting today with this first Album Companion.
Have you heard of the Great Stalacpipe Organ? Watch the video above – it's only the world's largest instrument. And it's on Queen of the Wave.
More information is always helpful. View it by clicking more, or download for your own records by clicking here.
OBLIQUE, A NEW ROBERTS & LORD VID FROM MATT WELLS
January 23rd, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Matt Wells directed the above video, a visual rendeition of "oblique" from Roberts & Lord's Eponymous album. The video, which looks like Buffy meets any other Friday night high school party, is amazing. Do watch, then you can listen and buy the album by click right here.
A NIGHT AND A DAY FROM PEPE DELUXÉ OUT NOW, PREORDER QUEEN
January 17th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
A few weeks ago, we released an astounding alchemy of a music video, replete with magic, mysticism, lazers, dancing, and Ms. Dominican Republic 2008.
Today, using the magic of the internet, you can take the song and its many iterations home by purchasing the second single from Pepe Deluxé’s forthcoming record, Queen Of The Wave. “A Night And A Day” is up on iTunes now, right here.
The song features an international cabal including lead vocals from Johanna Försti, a Finnish soul/funk singer who has sung for the President of Finland; backing vocals from Australian Boi Crompton, Gulf War vet who toured with Cat Stevens on his EU tour; Finnish film composer Ville Riippa plays transistor organ and percussion; and Pepe full-time member, the Swedish-born Manhattan-residing Paul Malmström handles much of the rest. The song also includes double speed guitars, a glockenspiel, and a modular synthesizer.
In addition to “Hesperus Garden,” another track from Queen Of The Wave, the single also includes remixes courtesy of A-R-K (aka Andy Spence from New Young Pony Club), K-X-P (producers of Annie), Mex Luthor (also know as Catskills artist Black Grass), Zumo, Echo Park, and Obi Blanche.
You can preorder Queen Of The Wave on iTunes here.
PLEASE WELCOME DENISON WITMER TO THE AK FAM
January 12th, 2012 , by Asthmatic Kitty
All of us, staff and artist roster alike have loved Denison Witmer and his music for a long time. Most of our roster has appeared at least once on any number of his eight albums, or hit the road and toured with Denison. He’s basically family around here, so maybe it’s about time we just made it official-like. Well, ok! Let’s!
Please, welcome Denison Witmer to the Asthmatic Kitty family! (You can even tweet your welcome by clicking here.)
Maybe we should have done this sooner, because it feels like he’s come home.
Of course, there’s always business to be done and the first order thereof is to release his latest album, The Ones Who Wait. Label Mono vs. Stereo released it last year on a limited basis, but when we heard the record we wanted a shot too. A big thanks to them for letting us at it.
We’ll be releasing the record in early March. Between now and then expect some more Denison-related announcements, but for now just know that we’re glad he’s around. We hope you are too.
Read the story behind the new album here.