Well, I think it's time that we
move on from all the Oregon talk this week to something out of Nebraska,
specifically Omaha. As many of you know the city is home to Saddle
Creek Records, who seemingly manage to command my attention every couple of
months due to their stellar roster. Earlier this year it was because
of the Two Gallants, and now it's because of Art In Manila. The
venerable super group is made up of the Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), Dan
McCarthy (McCarthy Trenching, Mayday, Bright Eyes), Steve Bartolomei (Mal
Madrigal), Ryan Fox (The Good Life), Corey Broman (Dance Me Pregnant),
and a nifty keyboardist named Adrianne. Their debut, Set The Woods
On Fire, is due out in August and I am totally in love with it.
Enjoy.
:Art
In Manila - Our Addictions:
Hearing Orenda's beautiful voice over the edgy rock vibe that the band lays
beneath her here is quite a treat. It puts an entirely different spin
on how I've always felt about her, which honestly, was pretty much as the
girl who use to sing with Maria Taylor in Azure Ray and then made a
moderately interesting solo disc. That's all changed now, as I've seen
the light and am ready to recognize Orenda as the amazing artist that she
is.
:Art
In Manila - The Sweat Descends:
I think this might be one of the most moody and interesting pop songs of
2007. As you would probably expect, Orenda's voice is fantastic, but
what I really love about the track is how the arrangement contains various
sounds and nifty vocals-as-instruments moments layered on top of what is
essentially just a simple little acoustic guitar riff. Sure, it's not
like it hasn't ever been done before, but you can't say this isn't one of
the better efforts.
-
John Laird -
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