| Kami Thompson – Love Lies (2011) |
Kami Thompson – Love Lies
Location: London, England ~ New York, U.S.
Release date: October 24th, 2011 / January 31st 2012 in the US
Record Label: Warner Music
Website: http://www.kamithompson.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kamithompsonmusic
Tracklist:
01. Little Boy Blue 4:12
02. 4,000 Miles 2:19
03. Nice Cars 2:18
04. Gotta Hold On 4:10
05. Stormy 4:06
06. Never Again 4:18
07. Tick Tock 2:44
08. Want You Back 4:31
09. Blood Wedding 4:12
10. Don´t Brother Me 3:01
If you didn’t know Kami Thompson was a scion of the noted folk family – daughter to Richard and Linda, sister to Teddy – you could instantly tell, not just by the characteristic filigree of skirling, subtly bent notes in her dad’s guitar solo on the opening track, but also by the pervasive affinity for heartbreak and melancholy.
She admits Love Lies is largely "self-indulgent break-up music", wryly adding that one should "stick with what you know" – hence the way that the jaunty charm of the hopeful transatlantic liaison with "Little Boy Blue" immediately sours in "4,000 Miles", a process repeated elsewhere in songs such as "Stormy" and "Never Again". Kami's own voice comes through clearest on "Nice Cars", the allegory she wrote for her mum's last album, and in the dark determination of "Blood Wedding".
Reviewed by Andy Gill
The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-kami-thompson-love-lies-warner-music-2373503.html
Biography:
London native Kamila Thompson popped out in the early eighties, the third and youngest child of folk duo Richard and Linda Thompson. Although she made occasional appearances with her family over the years, Kami remained galvanized against the draw of the music business until, in early 2006, Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) invited her on tour. She had never heard of him, but she loved the records he posted to her, so she gave in to her deepest, darkest urges, quit her job and accepted the gig. It turned out to be a good decision.
There followed tours opening for brother Teddy Thompson, Hal Wilner's 'Came so Far for Beauty' tribute to Leonard Cohen, alongside Beth Orton and Nick Cave, a US tour with Sean Lennon and guest appearances at the Wainwrights' Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert alongside friends Martha and Rufus Wainwright, which earned her a glowing mention in the New York Times... she also notched up the regulation eight-hundred sparsely attended dive-bar gigs everywhere from Back to Beyond.
In between outings, Kami wrote and recorded the songs for her first record, LOVE LIES. The album was recorded in Brooklyn and Manhattan with producers Brad Albetta and Ed Haber and is slated for release this year. Guest artists include Richard and Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright and Sean Lennon as well as a host of other acclaimed musicians from both sides of The Pond.
Kami's rich voice and more-ish songs hint at her musical influences - PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith - and her folk roots, but they lead you somewhere new. Kami's distinctive sound and heart-wrenching, intelligent fare will lure you to a place that feels like home, only everything's slightly off-centre.
Love Lies doesn’t sound like anyone’s first record – but that’s what it is. The album tells stories of separation, departure and disappointment, stories that could only have been written by someone with an unflinching heart. The potency of these songs is both casual and brutal, and their smoky blue heart-break suggests a lot of hard living packed into relatively few years. But there’s a self-assuredness at work here as well, a lack of histrionics and a dry wit – as well as an unexpectedly rich voice, woody, resonant and shiver-inducing.
Kami Thompson is the daughter of UK folk royals Richard and Linda Thompson, and while it’s fair to say that talent runs in the family, she has defiantly struck out on her own distinct path with her music, as evidenced fully on Love Lies. Both her singing and writing are infused with a bittersweet edge that gives her music a touch of gritty realness and a bite that eludes many popular singers currently gracing the airwaves.
The record features her father Richard and brother Teddy as guests, as well as Sean Lennon, Martha and Lucy Wainwright and Jeff Buckley’s long-time drumming partner Matt Johnson, and will be launched at The Bowery in central London on 15th November.
Taken from: http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/137593-kami-thompson-love-lies-album-launch-bowery.html
As well as Kami’s own self-penned tunes, Love Lies features a gorgeously torchy cover of George Harrison’s Don’t Bother Me – the Beatles being long-time favourites, along with the Kinks, and Nilsson. Other influences include the likes of PJ Harvey, who she is “still mad about,” and also Jeff Buckley – “which was why I was so thrilled to have Matt [Johnson, Buckley’s long-term drummer] play on the record.” During the writing of Love Lies, in the mid-Noughties, she toured with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy in the Antipodes as a backing-singer, and the singer’s influence has run deep. “He’s a capricious, interesting, lovely creature. I adore him.”
Kami is born to British musical royalty, the youngest daughter of Richard and Linda Thompson, but her parents’ rich legacy didn’t influence her until her late teens. “When I was growing up it was like, Folk music? Ugh!,” she laughs. “But then, I started listening to them and loved them.” Her favourites included the albums Hokey Pokey – ‘The Sun Never Shines On The Poor’ – love that. And ‘God Loves A Drunk’ from Rumor And Sigh. There is a lot of excellent misery there.”
Kami remains “fiercely close” with her family. Not only does her debut feature her father on guitar and her brother with voice and guitar but also contributions from her friends: Sean Lennon, Matt Johnson, Lucy Wainwright, Martha Wainwright (particularly great in the rapturous backing vocals of 4000 Miles). “I’m Martha’s biggest fan,” says Kami, “It’s so visceral with her.” Martha’s husband Brad Albetta produced alongside Ed Haber. “When I was a teenager, my brother was living in LA, so I’ve known all that lot since then,” she says of the gang of rock scions. “We’re thick as thieves, and they can always trump you, which is great – it makes you feel normal.”
Despite being used to playing with such well respected names, Kami was initially guarded about the recording process and sharing her own music. “I thought, Ohhhh, I don’t know if I want you all to hear this,” she says. “It was scary. My Dad and brother were really helpful – particularly my brother, he’d help me call people in for sessions and give me his opinions on the first mixes.” Mixed with the youthful excitement that came with making the record, there’s a palpable world-weariness on Love Lies that doesn’t make it obviously a young person’s album. ““It was so exciting making the album – I’d quit my job and moved to New York. But I’d had 5 years of being really, really fucked around personally. And I was feeling – yes, world-weary. That’s definitely where the songs come from.”
If all that sounds very serious and ‘wise beyond her years’, she will happily admit that “I think I’ve got less mature since I made the record. Love Lies is all self-indulgent break-up music. Stick with what you know! When I was writing those songs I had a naivety about relationships, and there’s still a shred of that there, I hope.” But naivety seems a bit harsh – a song like album closer Blood Wedding rings with hard-earned wisdom and cautious but indefatigable hope. Despite its title, there’s a lot of truth to be found on Love Lies…
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Kami+Thompson
Kami Thompson is a British singer-songwriter based in London and New York. She is part of the legendary Thompson family, being the daughter of Richard & Linda Thompson and the sister of Teddy Thompson. She released her debut EP in June 2010.
Acoustic Magazine shots by Bob Battersby
