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Our single of the week (8th October 2010)
...according to our Brian on Fri 08 Oct, 2010.
This is one absolutely beautiful 7"! The weather outside has suddenly turned to crap this morning - a grey, grizzly mist has descended on Leeds & it really seems to be ushering in the cold, dank season of staying in, wrapped up safe & warm in a duvet. Why, my soundtrack to gazing out of the window into that miserable void should be this eerily delectable single! It's a minimal thing of wonder - a sparsely plucked guitar topped with Dawn Smithson's gliding, wistful vocals and Aaron Martin's tender yet restrained use of strings. This stripped-back sound results in the instruments doing a slow, tentative dance around each other, constructing a skeletal framework which allows Dawn's sad, dreamy voice to swoop gloriously overhead. The flip is equally as beautiful featuring these portentous slow-stalking & tremulous strings & THAT wonderful voice - this being in a tragedy imbued sing-song style, the undercurrent of mournful cello et al being incredibly moving! A total treasure & a surprise single of the week out of nowhere - this really is a double headed head-turner of breathtaking proportions!
About Winter's Day
These two tracks are the first to be heard from the much anticipated collaboration of Dawn Smithson & Aaron
Martin. Dawn's haunting melodies, clear vocals and disorted minimal guitar lines blend in perfectly with Aaron's
vague and wide string arrangements. Winter's Day is a perfect symbiosis of the works of two rather different, yet
very related artists.
This ep is limited to 250 copies.
About Dawn Smithson:
Dawn Smithson gained wide recognition as the singer and bassplayer of Jessamine, which released a string of
critically acclaimed records on Kranky in the late 90’s. After the band disbanded, she kept low profile for a couple
of years, quietly working on some collaborations (most notably on Sunno))'s White-records) and on two solo-
records: the first one, Safer Here, came out on Kranky in 2005. Follow-up Earth Machine, with guest appearances
by ao Ray Raposa (Castanets) and Jessi Brightmore (Chrome Hoof) was released last year. Dawn is residing in
Seattle, WA.
About Aaron Martin:
Aaron Martin began his musical life at age 11, switching between guitar and drums. At the age of 17, he decided
to change paths and learn how to play the cello, which he went on to study in college. He has recorded three full
lengths, and collaborated with a variety of other musicians, including Machinefabriek, and Tan or Boil, with
releases on Type, Mobeer, and Under the Spire Recordings.
Aaron Martin lives and records in Topeka, Kansas
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Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
Leeds,
LS11 9RT, UK.
Tel/fax: (+44) 0113 245 4399
Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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