The post Artist Rec :: Gracie and Rachel first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>
Photo credit Tonje Thilesen
Pianist-vocalist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles met as high schoolers in a modern dance class at their public high school in Berkeley, CA. They are now based in Brooklyn, NY. Lucky for us they live together and have been able to release a new record in 2020. It’s called Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong and it’s wonderful.
Their music is composed of beautiful pop melodies, piano, violin, and lovely harmonies. Rachel not only plays the violin as you would expect, but she plucks it similar to a guitar. She also plays the loop station and drum machine.
Their music is just so peaceful and what we can all use at this time.
They also do an awesome cover of Sia’s Elastic Heart
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Amazon
Discography
Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong (2020)
Gracie and Rachel (2017)
Gracie and Rachel on Audiotree Live
NOTE If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these links to be ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
The post Artist Rec :: Gracie and Rachel first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Artist Rec :: Taylor Swift first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>Before you come at me, hear me out…
I wouldn’t say I was ever anti-Taytay, I just wasn’t a fan. I basically don’t care for 99% of country music so I never really paid attention to her. Then I heard her song “Mean”. For some reason it really hit me. I wasn’t really bullied as a kid, so it wasn’t that. But it made me feel for those who have been and I suppose for her as well, since I assume it’s autobiographical. I loved that song so much I bought the album, Speak Now. I think there was some kind of digital deal where her albums were $5 a pop or something and I think I bought most of them. I just put them in my rotation and didn’t think all that much about it, but was always surprised when I’d hear a song I liked and when I checked it was her. So I had to admit I was a fan. I mean, not on the scale of her actual fans, but I admire her, and I had to admit she’s the real deal.
Once she broke out of country music I liked her even more. Then I saw her documentary, Miss Americana. SOLD. I just love everything about her.
I love her humility, she’s on Tiny Desk Concerts, which I would think she’s too “big” for, and she seems genuinely honored to be invited and equally surprised that a lot of people wanted to show up to the space to see her. I’m sure there were 8 million people on the edge of madness because they DIDN’T get in, but it’s cute that she pretends she’s not that big of a deal.
This year she put out Folklore and it’s filled with gorgeous folk songs and I couldn’t be happier. I actually PRE ordered it. There’s a documentary special on Disney+ right now about the making of this album. I watched it the other day and I was mesmerized (barely even played on my phone), brought to tears, soothed, and charmed. I loved listening to her talk about the making of the songs, the recording of it, (virtually, since it was after the Pandemic hit), and hearing her and two of the writers (one is from The National) play them together for the first time. It’s a great doc if you can access it. I had a trailer all queued up for you, but NBC took it down. Here’s a video of “Exile”. Hopefully, that won’t be removed.
I started writing this on December 9th. On the morning of the 10th, I got the news that she was releasing a surprise new album! She is calling the sister to Folklore, called Evermore. So of course I ordered it and listened right away (well, OK not RIGHT away, I didn’t stay up until midnight to hear it. I’m old.)
It’s equally as good as Folklore. She’s got The National’s Aaron Dessner on board again and I really can hear his influence in these songs, especially in Coney Island (honestly, I didn’t even see the name of the song or that The National was on this one, LOL). She’s got HAIM guesting on a song and Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) is back too.
I really wonder what her long time fans think of this shift in her. I for one, am here for it. If you’re a lifer Taylor fan, let me know your thoughts about her evolution.
Some of my favorite songs:
“Mean” (Speak Now)
“The Man” (Lover)
“Death by a Thousand Cuts” (Lover)
“You Need to Calm Down” (Lover)
“Welcome to New York” (1989)
“The 1” (Folklore)
“Exile” with Bon Iver is amazing and heartbreaking (Folklore)
“My Tears Ricochet” made me cry. (Folklore)
Willow (Evermore)
..I’m sure there will be more Evermore songs the more I get to hear it.
Discography (Studio albums)
Taylor Swift (2006)
Fearless (2008)
Speak Now (2010)
Red (2012)
1989 (2014)
Reputation (2017)
Lover (2019)
Folklore (2020)
She also has a Holiday album!
Official
Instagram
Twitter I got curious why the actual person would have to have a number after her name, why can’t she be ‘taylorswift’? I checked and that account has been suspended. I’m sure there’s a good story there, that a proper fan would know. If you’re that fan, feel free to post it in the comments.
Facebook
YouTube
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Amazon Music
Amazon links NOTE If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these links to be ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
The post Artist Rec :: Taylor Swift first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Artist Rec :: Gregory Douglass first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>
Photo By Natalie Williams
I “met” Gregory online about a million years ago when he wrote to me and gave me a very heartfelt and convincing argument for why I might want to feature him on a ‘women in music’ site (Collected Sounds featured only women back then). It was a sweet, and funny email and I immediately loved him. What a relief when I got his music and fell in love with that as well.
Not only did I feature him, but he came to our house to play a house concert. A few of them over the years, in fact! Each one a special, fun night filled with amazing music and great friends. And one not-so-great friend who got drunk and kept shouting “Play __**!” over and over again. We had a good laugh once the friend passed out. Oh, I miss those times. (**I don’t remember the song, it might have been “Freebird”)
I’m listening to Gregory’s music again today and realize that even though I am on his mailing list (and read all the emails) I somehow missed that he has an album I still don’t have yet. So, I’m listening to that as I write this. Sometimes I space on an artist and forget to listen to them on the regular. I regret that I did that here. A week or so ago he did a Livestream which I “attended” and realized how much I’d missed his music in my life. So, I made sure all of his albums are on my rotation playlists (I honestly don’t know why I missed some before).
I also realized he has a Patreon account so I am now supporting him there, I suggest you do the same!
Gregory not only produces beautiful music, but he has also developed some workshops. One of them is called Create Your Own Opportunity and it’s THIS coming weekend! Click on the name to register. It’s Sun, December 13, 2020, at 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM CST
He also leads workshops on his unique brand of Intuitive Songwriting.
Some of my favorite songs:
“I Wanted to Run” (Pseudo-Rotary)
“Crazy Love” (Stark)
“The Garden” (My Hero, the Enemy)
“Broken Through” (Battler)
“Day of the Battler” (Battler)
…and I think all of Up & Away, honestly they’re all good.
He does some amazing covers as well (Florence + the Machine, Adele, Brandi Carlile, etc.)
I hope you check him out, follow him, etc.
Links
Official
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Patreon
Listen:
He has a Spotify Holiday playlist that features songs from his 2009 holiday album, Merry as well as some lovely tunes by other artists.
Listen on Spotify
Complete playlist
Listen on Amazon
Live video of the song “Point of View” Live at The Chapel in San Fransisco with a full band including Lisa Piccirillo, on vocals, who joined him for one of our house concerts.
Discography
If I Were A Man (1998)
Gregory Douglass (2000)
Teeter (2001)
Pseudo-Rotary (2003)
Stark (2005)
Merry (2009)
Up & Away (2006)
Battler (2009)
Lucid (2011)
My Hero, The Enemy (2015)
Amazon links
NOTE If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these links to be ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
Disclosure: This page provides Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The post Artist Rec :: Gregory Douglass first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Artist Rec :: Meg Myers first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>
Meg is another one of my E-music discoveries way back in 2013. Her album Daughter in the Choir was recommended to me and I loved it. She’s been in my rotation playlists ever since. She continues to put out amazing music.
She was born Janice Sue Meghan Myers in Tennessee (which she sings about in “Tennessee” on Daughter in the Choir). She was raised as Jehovah’s Witness and I’ve got to believe that breaking free from that must be at least part of the reason for the intensity of her music.
Her voice is fierce and dynamic. Her music is filled with strong beats and interesting melodies. Her tunes don’t go where you’d expect, most of the time.
Some of my favorite songs:
Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush Cover 2018 – single)
Desire (Sorry)
Take Me to the Disco (Take Me to the Disco)
Make a Shadow (Make a Shadow)
Monster, Adelaide (Daughter in the Choir–Actually I love everything from this record as it’s the one I’ve listened to the longest)
I hope you check her out, follow her, etc. I find it quite entertaining that on Instagram while she has over 76,000 followers but she only follows 2 people. Enya and herself, 
Discography
Daughter in the Choir (EP 2013)
Make a Shadow (EP 2014)
Sorry (2015)
Take Me to the Disco (2018)
Thank U 4 Taking Me 2 the Disco (EP 2020)
I’d Like to Go Home Now (EP 2020)
Find her in the ether:
Official
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Store
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Amazon
NOTE If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these links to be ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
The post Artist Rec :: Meg Myers first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Artist Rec :: Hannah Fury first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>
I first learned of Hannah Fury in 2003 when she sent me her album, The Thing That Feels. I reviewed it, and called it “a thing of beauty” and “dark and beautiful”. The album made it to my Best of 2003 list (even tho it was released before that, I based my lists on when I heard the music).
Hannah writes, performs, engineers, and produces all of her recordings. Her music is rhythmic, eerie, dreamy, spooky, and beautiful.
She recently released two “EP”s on Bandcamp and I just got them both. I’m happy to say that 17 years later, she’s still got it.
She recently suffered a great personal loss. In true artist fashion, has funneled this into music that she has put up on Bandcamp for free (or a donation). Please check it out.
Listen:
Bandcamp
Spotify
Amazon
Follow:
Official
Facebook group
Facebook profile
On Collected Sounds:
The Thing That Feels
Subterfuge
Through the Gash
Discography:
Soul Poison (1998)
The Thing That Feels (2000)
Meathook (2001)
I Can’t Let You In (2003)
Subterfuge (2006)
Through the Gash (2007)
Not Sad (2015)
Little Family (2020)
The World We Want (2020)
Spidersong (2020)
Time (2020)
NOTE If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these links to be ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
The post Artist Rec :: Hannah Fury first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post New Sarah Fimm! first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>I’ve been a fan Of Sarah Fimm since well, probably the beginning. She was one of the artists that I featured early on. Her mystical, sexy sounds were all I filled my ears with for awhile. So I didn’t have to think twice before purchasing this one! Go to Bandcamp here
The post New Sarah Fimm! first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Lotte Kestner first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>
This is by no means a new artist. You might remember a band called Trespassers William from way back in the late 90s-early 00s.
I was obsessed with their 2002 release, Different Stars. It was so beautiful and calming. I went through a period many years later where I had pretty bad panic attacks. One of the only ways to shake myself out of them was to listen to songs from that album. So I made sure to always have it with me (on my phone) so I could pop in those earbuds and calm myself.
Well, part of what made that music so amazing was the voice of the lead singer, Anna-Lynne Williams.
Flash forward to about 2008 and Anna-Lynne is now known by her stage name, Lotte Kestner. I remember hearing that was still making music and being so relieved! I wanted to be sure you all knew about her too.
She recently released an album called Covers, Vol. 2 – Listen on Spotify. She covers Catherine Wheel!
Here’s the rest of her stuff.
If you are using an Adblocker, you’ll need to pause it for this site, so you can see the albums. It considers these ads. They’re just links to products, but it is through an affiliate program.
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
Or on Bandcamp
The post Lotte Kestner first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Samantha Crain Spotlight and New Music first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>I’d describe it as dirgy, folk/bluegrass and it’s so so good. Think, like dark Americana. Her voice is deep and transcendent. I mean, just listen to this!!
Samantha Crain is from Shawnee, Oklahoma and she proudly fills her band with others from her home state.
Well…all this to say, she has a NEW ALBUM OUT on Ramseur Records.
It’s called A Small Death and she says that this is her favorite album of hers in the last fourteen years. What I’ve heard so far is really good (I’m listening right now, as I type).
Tracklist
1. An Echo
2. Pastime
3. Holding to the Edge of Night
4. High Horse
5. Reunion
6. Joey
7. Constructive Eviction
8. Garden Dove
9. Tough for You
10 When We Remain
11. Little Bits
Buy from Amazon:
Here’s where you can find her on Social Media:
Listen to the new record
Official Page
Here’s the rest of her discography:
The post Samantha Crain Spotlight and New Music first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Nostalgic video part 2-Danielle Dax-Cathouse first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Nostalgic video part 2-Danielle Dax-Cathouse first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Nostalgic video moment, Lee Aaron”Metal Queen” first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>The post Nostalgic video moment, Lee Aaron”Metal Queen” first appeared on Collected Sounds.
]]>