Album Name: Two Hands
Artist: Gunnar Madsen
Year/Label: 2009 / Independent

[Buy at Amazon]
[Download at Amazon]

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

Having one of those days? You know the kind I mean. The cat barfed on the floor (and you stepped in it in bare feet). The outfit you wanted to wear is on the floor covered in dog hair. The pump at the gas station was broken and traffic was crazy. You get to work and there is no coffee. Yeah, those.

Well a good antidote for that is this album. It’s filled with light, pretty piano music.

Since I am not a pianist (though I do know Heart & Soul and used to be able to play Lionel Richie’s Endless Love once upon a time), I will not go into the intricacies of Gunnar Madsen’s style or skill. I will just say that I think it’s beautiful, soothing and a perfect mood calming album.

There are some livelier numbers such as Frank Grows Flowers, but even that is peaceful and lovely.

Track Listing
1. Break Into Blossom
2. In These Lonely Regions
3. Kerenyi
4. Half Empty
5. Nino And Me
6. Ordinary Day
7. The Blackbird Whistling
8. Frank Grows Flowers
9. Bandon
10. For Wendy
11. Imagine It Falling
12. Down Moon
13. Ockeghem’s Turn
14. Oak Sky
15. 3 South Trail
16. Red Bird

[Gunnar Madsen Official Site]

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The post Album Review: Two Hands by Gunnar Madsen first appeared on Collected Sounds.

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to write about this one. Because I knew from the art that I would like it. And ‘like it’ is putting it mildly. Here’s another thing, I didn’t realize until I was putting the finishing touches on this review that they’re Danish! They also share a record label with Bittersweet.

The name of the album as described by the lead singer, Erin Chapman: “To us, the meaning of ‘trenches’ was the idea of the spaces in between – small cracks and refuges from big emotions, but places that one must eventually leave to face battlefields of reality. ”
This reminds me of the recent Sheila Nichols album, bardo. Sort of the same idea.

It’s really pretty, just like I thought it would be. Ambient, lush. But not really sleepy. It’s like Tresspassers William only with more of a rock edge. The songs are quite complex and there’s a lot of layers and a lot of things going on.

Erin Chapamn’s voice The female lead is also wonderful. Dreamy and comfortable sounding.
Also singing on the record is Michael Adler, who is the producer as well. His voice is also lovely and very soothing.

This is a great chill out record. Do people still say ‘chill out’? Well, you know what I mean. It’s really great and my apologies to the band and to you for not getting this out sooner. I’ve had it since April for sh*t sake.

So get it already.

Track Listing
1. Stone
2. Skin
3. R.I.D.
4. Crazy Burn
5. Sweet Pollution
6. Make This Easier
7. New Horizons
8. The Searchers
9. Prototype
10. Stars
11. In Your Eyes
12. Trenches

[Sepiamusic Official Site]

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The post Album Review: Trenches by Sepiamusic first appeared on Collected Sounds.

Album Name: Good People
Artist: Brothers Young
Year/Label: 2010 / Independent
[Download at Amazon]

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

Brothers Young really are brothers, at least three of them are. Their style is somewhat ambient, with a dose of folk. They tend to sing along together (as opposed to having a lead singer) giving a sort of choir like sound.

Guitar based and well written the songs are easy on the ears and even catchy at times.

Good Deeds is one of the more ear-wormy ones and luckily, it’s one they’re letting me share with you!
[Download Good Deeds]

Track Listing
1. True Shape
2. Good Deeds
3. The Roman Sun
4. Gold
5. Disorient the Night
6. Devon’s Song

[Brothers Young Official Site]

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The post Album Review: Good People by Brother’s Young first appeared on Collected Sounds.

Album Name: Eleven. Revert and Return
Artist: Midas Fall
Year/Label: 2010 / Monotreme

[Buy at Amazon]
[Download at Amazon]

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

This one’s hard to write about. It’s really very cool, I’m just not sure what to say about it. So I’ll start by just describing it. Kinda echoey dreamy pop, but harder than regular dreamy stuff. Maybe it’s more fuzzy than dreamy. Really nice though, I’ve been digging it for months.

Midas Fall are from Edinburgh, Scotland (one of my favorite places on earth). The female lead, Elizabeth Heaton has a wonderful voice. It’s soft and luscious, but can also wail and reach (and I mean that in a good way). Maybe a little like Bat for Lashes, or someone else I can’t quite place. Help me out!

My favorite tracks are Moviescreens, Nautical Song (I wish I were on a sailboat listening to this), and 17 (some lovely piano).

This is the kind of music one can fall into.

Here’s a video which will give you an idea:

Track Listing
01. MovieScreens
02. Century
03. Bright Lights Will Harm No-one
04. Nautical Song
05. My Radio Star
06. Half Horizon
07. War Pigeon
08. Fog Sky Nun
09. 17
10. Stalking Moon

[Midas Fall Official Site]

The post Album Review: Eleven. Revert and Return by Midas Fall first appeared on Collected Sounds.

Album Name: This Kind of Life
Artist: The Mary Dream
Year/Label: 2010 / SuperUniverse Records

[Download at Amazon]

Review by Amy Lotsberg Producer of Collected Sounds

The Mary Dream is Elise Bellew and Blake Ryan Dayton. They met through a classified ad in San Francisco. They’ve since moved to Nashville. While researching them I came upon a cover shot of their previous record, Beautiful World and thought it looked familiar. Sure enough, [I reviewed it] back in 2006 and loved that one too.

This album is, as you might expect, dreamy. With the slow, gorgeous vocals and an amazingly lush sound being made by two people. I’d describe them as sort of like a Tresspassers William but a touch edgier.

It’s hard for me to pick out favorite tracks, because they’re all great, but I will say that Sing really stands out to me.

This is a great album that I’m sure I’ll be listening to long after this is posted.

Track Listing
01. Deeper
02. Sing
03. This Kind of Life
04. Wrong Every Time
05. Below Zero
06. The Best of Me
07. Home
08. Lighten Up
09. Best Thing
10. Burning Bridges
11. Save You

[The Mary Dream Official Site]

The post Album Review: This Kind of Life by The Mary Dream first appeared on Collected Sounds.