| The Mynabirds |
| Lovers Know |
The Mynabirds — Lovers Know (August 07, 2015)
♠ Rootsy, eclectic solo project of Laura Burhenn, former member of the pop band Georgia James.
♠ “Lovers Know is both multi–faceted and intricate, but it's also writ larger than anything else Burhenn has done with The Mynabirds... like a collection of jewels, bright and eclectic, collected from points near and far.” — NPR
Location: Omaha, Nebraska ~~ Los Angeles, CA, United States
Album release: August 07, 2015
Record Label: Saddle Creek Records
Duration: 50:53
Tracks:
01 All My Heart
02 Believer
03 Semantics
04 Say Something
05 Orion
06 Velveteen
07 Shake Your Head Yes
08 Wildfire
09 Omaha
10 One Foot
11 Hanged Man
12 Last Time
℗ 2015 Saddle Creek
Personnel:
• Laura Burhenn — vocals, keyboards, piano
• Tom Hnatow — guitar
• Tyler Odom — guitar
• Patrick Damphier — bass, percussion, vocals
• Nicole Childrey — drums, vocals
• Rebecca Marie Miller — percussion, vocals
REVIEW
KATIE PRESLEY, JULY 22, 201511:00 PM ET
• Laura Burhenn is the travelin' kind. If the philosopher Martin Buber was right, that "all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware," then Burhenn is a proprietor of known unknowns. Lovers Know, her latest LP performing as The Mynabirds, was recorded in Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park, Nashville and Auckland, New Zealand. Before making this record, she left her home base of Washington, toured with The Postal Service, traveled alone to South Africa and then the U.K. to play her first solo shows in those places, and, upon returning stateside, made her new home in California. No song on Lovers Know is obviously the product of one place over another, but the entire record is shot through with sonic wanderlust. This is clearly a record with a restless explorer's heart.
• The Mynabirds has always produced multifaceted, intricate indie pop songs, usually centered around Burhenn's rich, throaty voice and her keyboard, played sometimes for fizzy fun and sometimes for poignant melancholy. Lovers Know is certainly both multi–faceted and intricate, but it's also writ larger than anything else Burhenn has done with The Mynabirds. It relies heavily on a Casio keyboard (not exactly the one she used to play NPR's South X Lullaby, but close), which lends an '80s ballad throwback feel to "All My Heart" and "Wildfire," tech–savvy, futuristic soundscapes to "Believer" and "Say Something," and a little of both to "Semantics" and the distinctly Sega–adjacent "Shake Your Head Yes." Burhenn's voice sounds well–traveled, due in part to her low vocal range and her restrained, deliberate delivery, but never crosses over into world–weariness. Lovers Know sounds like a collection of jewels, bright and eclectic, collected from points near and far, and Burhenn sounds like a wanderer who knows exactly where she's going. • http://www.npr.org/
Artist Biography by Andrew Leahey
• Before forming the Mynabirds in 2009, Laura Burhenn made her living as a solo artist in Washington, D.C., where she also founded Laboratory Records in 1999. Eight years later, she teamed up with John Davis — another veteran of the local music scene — to form an experimental duo named Georgie James. Although Davis’ previous group, Q and Not U, had been known for its aggressive post–hardcore music, Georgie James looked to pop groups for inspiration, particularly harmony–heavy outfits like the Zombies and the Kinks. The group didn’t last long, though, with Burhenn and Davis going their separate ways after releasing one album.
• For her next project, Burhenn decided to stay with Saddle Creek, the same Nebraska–based label that had released Georgie James’ debut in 2007. She wrote a new batch of songs inspired by the likes of Neil Young, Motown, and Carole King, and eventually relocated to Oregon to record the material with producer Richard Swift. Another Saddle Creek artist, Orenda Fink, helped Burhenn assemble a solid backing band, and the resulting record — What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, which Burhenn released under the Mynabirds moniker — appeared in 2010. A limited–edition 7", "All I Want Is Truth (For Xmas)," arrived in 2011, followed by the group's sophomore outing, Generals, in 2012.
• Burhenn toured as a member of the reunited Postal Service in 2013 until their official disbandment that summer, then toured solo in locales including South Africa amidst taking time off for writing and continuing to travel internationally. Produced by Bradley Hanan Carter of NO, a third Mynabirds album, Lovers Know, appeared in the summer of 2015 with lyrics informed by her journeys and lusher synth pop sounds reflecting more '80s influences than '60s.
Discography:
• What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (2010)
• Generals (2012)
• Lovers Know (2015)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauraburhenn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themynabirds
The New Revolutionists: http://thenewrevolutionists.org/revolutionists/laura-burhenn/
Website: http://www.themynabirds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themynabirds
INTERVIEW, Adele Chapin: http://www.refinery29.com/laura-burhenn
_____________________________________________________________
| The Mynabirds |
| Lovers Know |
♠ Rootsy, eclectic solo project of Laura Burhenn, former member of the pop band Georgia James.
♠ “Lovers Know is both multi–faceted and intricate, but it's also writ larger than anything else Burhenn has done with The Mynabirds... like a collection of jewels, bright and eclectic, collected from points near and far.” — NPR
Location: Omaha, Nebraska ~~ Los Angeles, CA, United States
Album release: August 07, 2015
Record Label: Saddle Creek Records
Duration: 50:53
Tracks:
01 All My Heart
02 Believer
03 Semantics
04 Say Something
05 Orion
06 Velveteen
07 Shake Your Head Yes
08 Wildfire
09 Omaha
10 One Foot
11 Hanged Man
12 Last Time
℗ 2015 Saddle Creek
Personnel:
• Laura Burhenn — vocals, keyboards, piano
• Tom Hnatow — guitar
• Tyler Odom — guitar
• Patrick Damphier — bass, percussion, vocals
• Nicole Childrey — drums, vocals
• Rebecca Marie Miller — percussion, vocals
REVIEW
KATIE PRESLEY, JULY 22, 201511:00 PM ET
• Laura Burhenn is the travelin' kind. If the philosopher Martin Buber was right, that "all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware," then Burhenn is a proprietor of known unknowns. Lovers Know, her latest LP performing as The Mynabirds, was recorded in Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park, Nashville and Auckland, New Zealand. Before making this record, she left her home base of Washington, toured with The Postal Service, traveled alone to South Africa and then the U.K. to play her first solo shows in those places, and, upon returning stateside, made her new home in California. No song on Lovers Know is obviously the product of one place over another, but the entire record is shot through with sonic wanderlust. This is clearly a record with a restless explorer's heart.
• The Mynabirds has always produced multifaceted, intricate indie pop songs, usually centered around Burhenn's rich, throaty voice and her keyboard, played sometimes for fizzy fun and sometimes for poignant melancholy. Lovers Know is certainly both multi–faceted and intricate, but it's also writ larger than anything else Burhenn has done with The Mynabirds. It relies heavily on a Casio keyboard (not exactly the one she used to play NPR's South X Lullaby, but close), which lends an '80s ballad throwback feel to "All My Heart" and "Wildfire," tech–savvy, futuristic soundscapes to "Believer" and "Say Something," and a little of both to "Semantics" and the distinctly Sega–adjacent "Shake Your Head Yes." Burhenn's voice sounds well–traveled, due in part to her low vocal range and her restrained, deliberate delivery, but never crosses over into world–weariness. Lovers Know sounds like a collection of jewels, bright and eclectic, collected from points near and far, and Burhenn sounds like a wanderer who knows exactly where she's going. • http://www.npr.org/
Artist Biography by Andrew Leahey
• Before forming the Mynabirds in 2009, Laura Burhenn made her living as a solo artist in Washington, D.C., where she also founded Laboratory Records in 1999. Eight years later, she teamed up with John Davis — another veteran of the local music scene — to form an experimental duo named Georgie James. Although Davis’ previous group, Q and Not U, had been known for its aggressive post–hardcore music, Georgie James looked to pop groups for inspiration, particularly harmony–heavy outfits like the Zombies and the Kinks. The group didn’t last long, though, with Burhenn and Davis going their separate ways after releasing one album.
• For her next project, Burhenn decided to stay with Saddle Creek, the same Nebraska–based label that had released Georgie James’ debut in 2007. She wrote a new batch of songs inspired by the likes of Neil Young, Motown, and Carole King, and eventually relocated to Oregon to record the material with producer Richard Swift. Another Saddle Creek artist, Orenda Fink, helped Burhenn assemble a solid backing band, and the resulting record — What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, which Burhenn released under the Mynabirds moniker — appeared in 2010. A limited–edition 7", "All I Want Is Truth (For Xmas)," arrived in 2011, followed by the group's sophomore outing, Generals, in 2012.
• Burhenn toured as a member of the reunited Postal Service in 2013 until their official disbandment that summer, then toured solo in locales including South Africa amidst taking time off for writing and continuing to travel internationally. Produced by Bradley Hanan Carter of NO, a third Mynabirds album, Lovers Know, appeared in the summer of 2015 with lyrics informed by her journeys and lusher synth pop sounds reflecting more '80s influences than '60s.
Discography:
• What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (2010)
• Generals (2012)
• Lovers Know (2015)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauraburhenn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themynabirds
The New Revolutionists: http://thenewrevolutionists.org/revolutionists/laura-burhenn/
Website: http://www.themynabirds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themynabirds
INTERVIEW, Adele Chapin: http://www.refinery29.com/laura-burhenn
_____________________________________________________________