| First Aid Kit — Stay Gold (2014) |
First Aid Kit — Stay Gold ⇓⇑ Swedish Blood, American Hearts
Formed: 2007 in Enskede, Sweden
Location: Sweden
Album release: June 10, 2014
Record Label: Columbia / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainmen
Duration: 38:31
Tracks:
01 My Silver Lining 3:36
02 Master Pretender 3:48
03 Stay Gold 4:11
04 Cedar Lane 4:44
05 Shattered & Hollow 4:05
06 The Bell 3:29
07 Waitress Song 4:04
08 Fleeting One 3:14
09 Heaven Knows 3:19
10 A Long Time Ago 4:01
CREDITS:
••• Ben Brodin Assistant Engineer, Mellotron, Vibraphone
••• Will Clifton Bass (Upright)
••• Judy Divis Viola
••• Phyllis Duncan Violin
••• Tracy Dunn Violin
••• Leslie Fagan Flute, Flute (Alto)
••• Dan Fletcher Violin
••• Susanna Gilmore Violin
••• Jeffery King Violin
••• John Klinghammer Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
••• Thomas Kluge Viola
••• Neil Krug Photography
••• Paul Ledwon Cello
••• Niclas Lindström Drums, Percussion
••• Mike Mogis Autoharp, Bass, Dulcimer, Engineer, Guitar (Ac.), Guitar (El.), Mandolin, Marxophone, Mixing, Pedal Steel, Percussion, Producer, Programming
••• Keith Plenert Violin
••• Frank Seligman Violin
••• Brian Sherwood Viola
••• Scott Shoemaker Violin
••• Anna Söderberg Percussion
••• Benkt Söderberg Bass, Percussion
••• Isak Söderberg Percussion
••• Johanna Söderberg Autoharp, Composer, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
••• Klara Söderberg Composer, Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
••• E.E. Storey Artwork, Layout
••• Tim Strang Cello
••• Doug Van Sloun Mastering
••• Nathaniel Walcott Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Trumpet
••• Juliet Yoshida Violin
First listen Review:
by STEPHEN THOMPSON, June 01, 201411:03 PM ET
••• Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg first made their names with feather-light chamber~folk confections that echoed the soaring sweetness of Fleet Foxes. A cover of that band’s Tiger Mountain Peasant Song even helped launch the then~teenagers to YouTube fame back in 2008. But in 2014, styles have changed and so have the Söderbergs: First Aid Kit’s major~label debut, Stay Gold, moves well beyond the portentous prettiness of the pair’s 2012 breakthrough, The Lion’s Roar.
••• The music is lighter on its feet and less haunting, but the lyrics have picked up some additional heft along the way: “I’d rather be broken than empty / I’d rather be shattered than hollow,” the Söderbergs sing in a particularly barren moment from “Shattered & Hollow.” Their vocals still ring out sweetly, but there’s a welcome edge to their delivery throughout the record that digs deep. Even when a song like “The Bell” never accelerates beyond a lightly lilting amble, there’s potency to it.
••• First Aid Kit could have easily gotten stuck in a sullen rut, opting for stately beauty over the versatility showcased here. But Stay Gold is a statement of staying power; a collection of bright, smart, substantial songs that stick around. By the time the Söderbergs rustle up a bit of countrified rowdiness in “Heaven Knows” — a sure set~closer at the band’s concerts for years to come — they’ve fully reset expectations. First Aid Kit’s music has always been charming, but the duo has found the capacity to thrill, too. Fortaken: http://www.npr.org/
Artist Biography by Andrew Leahey
••• First Aid Kit are a Swedish duo comprised of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, whose vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk~influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom. Hailing from suburban Enskede, the siblings began composing songs as young teenagers in 2007. The home~recorded „Tangerine“ enjoyed airplay on Swedish radio later that summer, and the debut EP Drunken Trees helped expand the girls’ audience upon its release in April 2008. The London~based Wichita Records reissued Drunken Trees one year later, bolstering its track list with a reverent Fleet Foxes cover and three additional songs performed live in a Swedish forest. The duo then set to work on a full~length album, balancing schoolwork with the recording sessions. The Big Black & the Blue was released in 2010, followed by Lion’s Roar in early 2012.
| First Aid Kit — Stay Gold (2014) |
Formed: 2007 in Enskede, Sweden
Location: Sweden
Album release: June 10, 2014
Record Label: Columbia / Sony Music / Sony Music Entertainmen
Duration: 38:31
Tracks:
01 My Silver Lining 3:36
02 Master Pretender 3:48
03 Stay Gold 4:11
04 Cedar Lane 4:44
05 Shattered & Hollow 4:05
06 The Bell 3:29
07 Waitress Song 4:04
08 Fleeting One 3:14
09 Heaven Knows 3:19
10 A Long Time Ago 4:01
CREDITS:
••• Ben Brodin Assistant Engineer, Mellotron, Vibraphone
••• Will Clifton Bass (Upright)
••• Judy Divis Viola
••• Phyllis Duncan Violin
••• Tracy Dunn Violin
••• Leslie Fagan Flute, Flute (Alto)
••• Dan Fletcher Violin
••• Susanna Gilmore Violin
••• Jeffery King Violin
••• John Klinghammer Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
••• Thomas Kluge Viola
••• Neil Krug Photography
••• Paul Ledwon Cello
••• Niclas Lindström Drums, Percussion
••• Mike Mogis Autoharp, Bass, Dulcimer, Engineer, Guitar (Ac.), Guitar (El.), Mandolin, Marxophone, Mixing, Pedal Steel, Percussion, Producer, Programming
••• Keith Plenert Violin
••• Frank Seligman Violin
••• Brian Sherwood Viola
••• Scott Shoemaker Violin
••• Anna Söderberg Percussion
••• Benkt Söderberg Bass, Percussion
••• Isak Söderberg Percussion
••• Johanna Söderberg Autoharp, Composer, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
••• Klara Söderberg Composer, Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
••• E.E. Storey Artwork, Layout
••• Tim Strang Cello
••• Doug Van Sloun Mastering
••• Nathaniel Walcott Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Trumpet
••• Juliet Yoshida Violin
First listen Review:
by STEPHEN THOMPSON, June 01, 201411:03 PM ET
••• Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg first made their names with feather-light chamber~folk confections that echoed the soaring sweetness of Fleet Foxes. A cover of that band’s Tiger Mountain Peasant Song even helped launch the then~teenagers to YouTube fame back in 2008. But in 2014, styles have changed and so have the Söderbergs: First Aid Kit’s major~label debut, Stay Gold, moves well beyond the portentous prettiness of the pair’s 2012 breakthrough, The Lion’s Roar.
••• The music is lighter on its feet and less haunting, but the lyrics have picked up some additional heft along the way: “I’d rather be broken than empty / I’d rather be shattered than hollow,” the Söderbergs sing in a particularly barren moment from “Shattered & Hollow.” Their vocals still ring out sweetly, but there’s a welcome edge to their delivery throughout the record that digs deep. Even when a song like “The Bell” never accelerates beyond a lightly lilting amble, there’s potency to it.
••• First Aid Kit could have easily gotten stuck in a sullen rut, opting for stately beauty over the versatility showcased here. But Stay Gold is a statement of staying power; a collection of bright, smart, substantial songs that stick around. By the time the Söderbergs rustle up a bit of countrified rowdiness in “Heaven Knows” — a sure set~closer at the band’s concerts for years to come — they’ve fully reset expectations. First Aid Kit’s music has always been charming, but the duo has found the capacity to thrill, too. Fortaken: http://www.npr.org/
Artist Biography by Andrew Leahey
••• First Aid Kit are a Swedish duo comprised of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, whose vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk~influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom. Hailing from suburban Enskede, the siblings began composing songs as young teenagers in 2007. The home~recorded „Tangerine“ enjoyed airplay on Swedish radio later that summer, and the debut EP Drunken Trees helped expand the girls’ audience upon its release in April 2008. The London~based Wichita Records reissued Drunken Trees one year later, bolstering its track list with a reverent Fleet Foxes cover and three additional songs performed live in a Swedish forest. The duo then set to work on a full~length album, balancing schoolwork with the recording sessions. The Big Black & the Blue was released in 2010, followed by Lion’s Roar in early 2012.