| Emily Wells — Collection [5 CD; 2 EP] (1999~2012) |
![Emily Wells — Collection [5 CD; 2 EP] (1999-2012)](/obrazek/2/folder-main-jpg-646/ "Emily Wells — Collection [5 CD; 2 EP] (1999-2012)")
•⇑• „The best musical news of the year is that Emily Wells moved to the East Village. On the east side of Tompkins Park, 9th Street is quite and peaceful, and that’s where she moved. At least I imagine that’s where she moved. Wells is so musical and energetic, I imagine she needs some tranquility to even herself out. I want to take her brain, project it on the building next door from my rooftop and enjoy her whole soul.“ Emily Wells — Collection (5 albums, 2 EPs)
Born: November 20, Amarillo, Texas
Location: East Village, New York
Album released: 1999~2012
Record Label: Emily Wells Self~Released, Creative Control Records
Genres: Folk, Folk rock, Folktronica, Trip~Hop, Experimental /
Instruments: Violin, Piano, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Banjo
Review
By Winston Robbins on April 11th, 2012
•⇑• An artist as versatile as Emily Wells is one that should be approached cautiously for a couple reasons. First and foremost, be wary of anyone that fancies themselves a “multi~instrumentalist.” That could (and often does) mean that they picked up a harmonica set at a pawn shop earlier that month. (Fortunately, that’s not the case with Wells.) Second, it’s almost impossible to look at an artist as truly unique as Emily Wells and admire her through an un~opinionated scope. All too often we draw unfair comparisons between established artists and the newcomer in question. This pigeonholes those actually innovative, which is tragic beyond words.
•⇑• It would be so easy to just say that Emily Wells sounds like a vague combination of Joanna Newsom, Owen Pallett, and a less hate~inducing Lana Del Rey, but that would be doing the New York songstress a massive injustice. Wells is doing something new, incorporating several genres to create one impressive, dynamic sound. Her eclectic collection of abilities multiplied by her even more eclectic choice of instruments (everything from classic violin to those plastic echo microphones you used to drive your parents crazy with in the ‘90s) buoys something that would have been standard into something marvelous.
•⇑• That said, this album is her first official release since she began recording seven years ago, and as such, it’s a little scattered. On the whole, however, it’s a pretty good amalgamation of her wide array of abilities. There’s a healthy dose of her folk~based singer~songwriter sensibility on tracks like “Darlin’” and “Piece of It”, but there’s also a hearty chunk devoted to her vocal finesse, primarily on the boisterous “Passenger”. By far the most accentuated facet of Wells’ ability on Mama, though, is her tendency to include subtle hip~hop inflections. “Johnny Cash’s Mama’s House” boasts a classic hip~hop backbeat juxtaposed against her soft crooning that creates a near perfect synergy.
•⇑• It’s apparent that Wells is most comfortable with a thick layer of string arrangements and a minimalist approach to hip~hop production. As she croons on the slow jam~esque “Mama’s Gonna Give You Love”, she is completely in her element. As the album moves forward, it becomes increasingly fraught with more and more hi~hat/snare combos until you finally realize that she’s actually been doing it the whole time. Her style is subtlety at its finest.
Essential Tracks: “Passenger”, “Mama’s Gonna Give You Love”, and “Johnny Cash’s Mama’s House”
Fortaken: http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/04/album-review-emily-wells-mama/
Discography:
* Midori Sour Self~Released [1999]
* Shadow Box [2001]
* Music for Geek Love [2004]
* Making Static [2005]
* Beautiful Sleepyhead & the Laughing Yaks Edub Productions [2007]
* The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties Creative Control Records [2008]
* Dirty (EP) [2009]
* Pillow Fight (with Dan The Automator) [2012]
* Mama Partisan Records [2012]
Duration: 4:11:15
Midori Sour (1999)
Tracks:
01. The Velvet Lounge 2:59
02. Violet Lies 2:37
03. Glamorous 3:21
04. The Personification of Kathe Kollowitz 4:46
05. Silver J 4:02
06. Otherwise 4:40
07. The Driveway Song 3:40
08. Million Color Diner 3:57
09. My Sky 4:40
10. Midori 4:48
Shadow Box (2002)
Tracks:
01. Black and Blue 3:59
02. Brass Knuckles 4:45
03. Teach Me 4:23
04. Excerpts From A Letter 3:25
05. Sugar 4:19
06. What Do We Have Here? 3:24
Making Static (2005)
Tracks:
01. Valentine 3:41
02. Broken Plymouth 4:34
03. House By The Sea 4:08
04. Blue Hole 4:12
05. Making Static 4:00
06. Life As A Dream 3:40
07. Warm 3:56
08. Goodbye[/center] 4:20
Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks (2006)
Tracks:
01. Mt. Washington 4:10
02. 50 Year Love Affair 4:50
03. Fountain of Youth 3:46
04. Waltz of the Dearly Beloved 4:47
05. Big Love Lullaby 3:48
06. Action’s Debut Rendezvous 2:30
07. Supermarket 2:56
08. Tisis Momar 3:01
09. Oh My God I Miss You 4:35
10. The Laughing Yaks 0:38
11. My Tin Car 4:22
12. View from a Blind Eye 3:36
13. 1000 Years War 4:09
14. Dr. Hubris and His Vile of Turpentine 3:41
The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties (2008)
Tracks:
01. Symphony 1: in the Barrel of a Gun 2:49
02. Symphony 2: & The Click Boom Boom 4:48
03. Symphony 3: The Story (feat. Count Bass D.) 2:52
04. Symphony 4: America’s Mercy War 4:28
05. Symphony 5: was a Surprise 3:19
06. Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix 3:59
07. Symphony 7: Dreams Memories & Heaven 2:46
08. Symphony 8: & The Canary’s Last Take 3:31
09. Symphony 9: & The Sunshine 4:19
10. Symphony 10: Could This Really Be the End? 3:55
Dirty (2009)
Tracks:
01. Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix 3:59
02. Symphony 4: America’s Mercy War 4:28
03. Juicy 5:31
04. Symphony 9 & the Sunshine (edub Remix) 4:19
05. Whiskey and Rags 3:24
06. Take It Easy San Francisco 4:56
Mama (2012)
Tracks:
01. Piece Of It 3:39
02. Dirty Sneakers And Underwear 4:53
03. Passenger 4:24
04. Mamas Gonna Give You Love 3:35
05. Johnny Cashs Mamas House 4:23
06. Let Your Guard Down 5:25
07. Fire Song 4:29
08. No Good 3:52
09. Instrumental 2:31
10. Darlin 4:07
Website: http://www.emilywellsmusic.com/
| Emily Wells — Collection [5 CD; 2 EP] (1999~2012) |
Born: November 20, Amarillo, Texas
Location: East Village, New York
Album released: 1999~2012
Record Label: Emily Wells Self~Released, Creative Control Records
Genres: Folk, Folk rock, Folktronica, Trip~Hop, Experimental /
Instruments: Violin, Piano, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Banjo
Review
By Winston Robbins on April 11th, 2012
•⇑• An artist as versatile as Emily Wells is one that should be approached cautiously for a couple reasons. First and foremost, be wary of anyone that fancies themselves a “multi~instrumentalist.” That could (and often does) mean that they picked up a harmonica set at a pawn shop earlier that month. (Fortunately, that’s not the case with Wells.) Second, it’s almost impossible to look at an artist as truly unique as Emily Wells and admire her through an un~opinionated scope. All too often we draw unfair comparisons between established artists and the newcomer in question. This pigeonholes those actually innovative, which is tragic beyond words.
•⇑• It would be so easy to just say that Emily Wells sounds like a vague combination of Joanna Newsom, Owen Pallett, and a less hate~inducing Lana Del Rey, but that would be doing the New York songstress a massive injustice. Wells is doing something new, incorporating several genres to create one impressive, dynamic sound. Her eclectic collection of abilities multiplied by her even more eclectic choice of instruments (everything from classic violin to those plastic echo microphones you used to drive your parents crazy with in the ‘90s) buoys something that would have been standard into something marvelous.
•⇑• That said, this album is her first official release since she began recording seven years ago, and as such, it’s a little scattered. On the whole, however, it’s a pretty good amalgamation of her wide array of abilities. There’s a healthy dose of her folk~based singer~songwriter sensibility on tracks like “Darlin’” and “Piece of It”, but there’s also a hearty chunk devoted to her vocal finesse, primarily on the boisterous “Passenger”. By far the most accentuated facet of Wells’ ability on Mama, though, is her tendency to include subtle hip~hop inflections. “Johnny Cash’s Mama’s House” boasts a classic hip~hop backbeat juxtaposed against her soft crooning that creates a near perfect synergy.
•⇑• It’s apparent that Wells is most comfortable with a thick layer of string arrangements and a minimalist approach to hip~hop production. As she croons on the slow jam~esque “Mama’s Gonna Give You Love”, she is completely in her element. As the album moves forward, it becomes increasingly fraught with more and more hi~hat/snare combos until you finally realize that she’s actually been doing it the whole time. Her style is subtlety at its finest.
Essential Tracks: “Passenger”, “Mama’s Gonna Give You Love”, and “Johnny Cash’s Mama’s House”
Fortaken: http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/04/album-review-emily-wells-mama/
Discography:
* Midori Sour Self~Released [1999]
* Shadow Box [2001]
* Music for Geek Love [2004]
* Making Static [2005]
* Beautiful Sleepyhead & the Laughing Yaks Edub Productions [2007]
* The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties Creative Control Records [2008]
* Dirty (EP) [2009]
* Pillow Fight (with Dan The Automator) [2012]
* Mama Partisan Records [2012]
Duration: 4:11:15
Tracks:
01. The Velvet Lounge 2:59
02. Violet Lies 2:37
03. Glamorous 3:21
04. The Personification of Kathe Kollowitz 4:46
05. Silver J 4:02
06. Otherwise 4:40
07. The Driveway Song 3:40
08. Million Color Diner 3:57
09. My Sky 4:40
10. Midori 4:48
Tracks:
01. Black and Blue 3:59
02. Brass Knuckles 4:45
03. Teach Me 4:23
04. Excerpts From A Letter 3:25
05. Sugar 4:19
06. What Do We Have Here? 3:24
Tracks:
01. Valentine 3:41
02. Broken Plymouth 4:34
03. House By The Sea 4:08
04. Blue Hole 4:12
05. Making Static 4:00
06. Life As A Dream 3:40
07. Warm 3:56
08. Goodbye[/center] 4:20
Tracks:
01. Mt. Washington 4:10
02. 50 Year Love Affair 4:50
03. Fountain of Youth 3:46
04. Waltz of the Dearly Beloved 4:47
05. Big Love Lullaby 3:48
06. Action’s Debut Rendezvous 2:30
07. Supermarket 2:56
08. Tisis Momar 3:01
09. Oh My God I Miss You 4:35
10. The Laughing Yaks 0:38
11. My Tin Car 4:22
12. View from a Blind Eye 3:36
13. 1000 Years War 4:09
14. Dr. Hubris and His Vile of Turpentine 3:41
Tracks:
01. Symphony 1: in the Barrel of a Gun 2:49
02. Symphony 2: & The Click Boom Boom 4:48
03. Symphony 3: The Story (feat. Count Bass D.) 2:52
04. Symphony 4: America’s Mercy War 4:28
05. Symphony 5: was a Surprise 3:19
06. Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix 3:59
07. Symphony 7: Dreams Memories & Heaven 2:46
08. Symphony 8: & The Canary’s Last Take 3:31
09. Symphony 9: & The Sunshine 4:19
10. Symphony 10: Could This Really Be the End? 3:55
Tracks:
01. Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix 3:59
02. Symphony 4: America’s Mercy War 4:28
03. Juicy 5:31
04. Symphony 9 & the Sunshine (edub Remix) 4:19
05. Whiskey and Rags 3:24
06. Take It Easy San Francisco 4:56
Tracks:
01. Piece Of It 3:39
02. Dirty Sneakers And Underwear 4:53
03. Passenger 4:24
04. Mamas Gonna Give You Love 3:35
05. Johnny Cashs Mamas House 4:23
06. Let Your Guard Down 5:25
07. Fire Song 4:29
08. No Good 3:52
09. Instrumental 2:31
10. Darlin 4:07
Website: http://www.emilywellsmusic.com/