1
OK

Při poskytování služeb nám pomáhají soubory cookie. Používáním našich služeb vyjadřujete souhlas s naším používáním souborů cookie. Více informací

Úvodní stránka » RECORDS » RECORDS II » Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields — For House Cats and Sea Fans (2014)

Elysian Fields — For House Cats and Sea Fans (23 January 2014)

USA Flag   Elysian Fields — For House Cats and Sea FansOfficial logo Tais Awards nominee
→    NYC acid–jazzy dream pop band, led by the provocative, sultry vocals of Jennifer Charles.
→    Elysian Fields have always traveled in mysterious waters. Led by the enigmatic New York co–composers Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Oren Bloedow (guitar), the music born of their collaboration is not easy to categorize. They carry a torch for nature, sex, love, the cycle of death and rebirth, and the sounds of folk and jazz ballads, no wave and classical music, seamlessly interwoven into a style that is at once languorously romantic and tough. Their music might be described as alternative or dream pop; with the husky and sultry vocals of Charles and the filmic qualities of Bloedow’s guitar work they have also been associated with the genre of rock noir or indie rock. The duo formed in 1995 and here & now is: their 8th full–length "For House Cats and Sea Fans" in 2014.
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Album release: 23 January 2014
Record Label: Vicious Circle/Diluvian/Ojet
Duration:     49:07
Tracks:
01. Come Down From The Ceiling     4:20
02. Alms For Your Love     2:44
03. Next Year In Jerusalem     5:29
04. She Gets Down     3:48
05. Channeling     4:17
06. Madeleine     3:29
07. Escape From New York     7:09
08. This Project     4:30
09. Frank, You Ruined Me     3:59
10. Hit By A Wandering Moon     4:23
11. Love Me Darling     4:59
2014 Elysian Fields under exclusive license to Vicious Circle
Description:
→    ‘For House Cats And Sea Fans’ (Ojet), is the ninth full–length album by Elysian Fields since emerging from the legendary early Knitting Factory scene, a hotbed of cross–cultural downtown music. In their lifetime, EF have spawned dozens of imitators, but their consummate blend of folk, no wave, jazz, and rock, to name a few of the prominent strands of their tightly woven style, has kept them at the top of their own category: music that relentlessly rejects the passing trend in favor of the timeless.
→    Singer Jennifer Charles, like the priestess of an ancient rite, transports audiences to the other side of reality’s veil, guiding and freeing them with her incantations and gestures. Her voice possesses one of music’s most unique tones, perhaps best described as a seamless combination of Anita O’Day and Jim Morrison. Her lyrics, spanning the transcendent, personal and political, reflect her wide reading but also come from a deep wellspring of language that is redolent of profound inspiration, incomparable to anything else in music, but in which a lineage can be traced through Leonard Cohen to Federico Garcia Lorca — at whose family homestead the band was invited to perform.
→    The main architect of the group’s sound, guitarist Oren Bloedow, employs a powerful arsenal of musical effects to plant each lance of Jennifer’s vocals deep in the listener’s ear and heart. His harmony, taste and restraint have made him a weapon of choice for such artists as Antony, Doveman, Meshell Ndegeocello and Regina Spector, among countless others, but it is in his own Elysian Fields where his playing and writing truly shine.
→    ‘For House Cats And Sea Fans’ features a cover painting specially created by downtown maverick artist/musician John Lurie, in whose Lounge Lizards the young Oren served an early apprenticeship. Other no wave legends who appear on the album are James Chance, who lends his sax and voice to the noir–jazz romp “She Gets Down’ and composer J.G. Thirlwell, whose unsettling soundscapes underly the searing late–capitalist indictment “Escape From New York.” Other guests on the album include jazz greats John Medeski and James Genus and mainstays from the EF family such as pianist/genius Ed Pastorini, and top drummers Matt Johnson, Chris Vatalaro and Ben Perowsky. The record was mixed by David Bowie henchman Mark Plati, bringing luster to their sound while preserving each track’s essential intimacy. (Fortaken: http://movementnews.blogspot.com/)

                                              //  Credits: Guests include James Chance, JG Thirlwell, and John Medeski. The cover was painted by John Lurie.
Review
by Jesse Clark, Score: 68/100
♠    Founded in 1995, Elysian Fields are a Brooklyn–based art rock band consisting of co–composers Oren Bloedow (guitar) and Jennifer Charles (vocals, all other instruments). Although they have enjoyed some underground success in the United States, their popularity expanded much more in Europe. Their sound has been described as noir rock for its dark and mysterious atmosphere with heavy influences in jazz and blues. They released their first EP in 1995 for Radioactive/Universal Records with their full–length debut coming out the following year. Their second album, which was recorded with Steve Albini, has been shelved for years collecting dust in vault somewhere after Charles and Bloedow refused to abide by the label’s wishes to make the album more commercialized. Elysian Fields has gone on to release five more between 2000 to 2011 on a variety of labels, including John Zorn’s Tzadik label, and have have performed alongside artists such as Marc Ribot and Sean Lennon in Zorn’s sold out a tribute concert to Serge Gainsbourg. Over the past decade their music has been featured in films and on television programs including Smallville and One Tree Hill (that should give you an idea of how long they’ve been playing).
For House Cats and Sea Fans, their latest album, takes on a personality entirely unique and cannot be compared to any other pop or folk albums that have come out so far this year. The opening track “Come Down from the Ceiling” is a glorious introduction into a somber yet majestic collection of deeply personal songs. The melody is just irregular enough to cause some discomfort in following it but smooth enough to bring your mind at ease with its phenomenal texture of sounds and soothing vocal harmonies. There’s a quality about it that sounds a bit like some sort of sci–fi psychedelia mixed with ambient shoegaze. Contrast that with the succeeding track “Alms for Your Love,” and the only similarities are the melancholy mood of the melodies and Charles’ blooming vocals. This song sounds like something out of a Lord of the Rings with its fairy tale–like melody and extremely simplistic contribution of string instruments and the subtle harmonies between Charles and Bloedow. Most of the melodies on the album are surprisingly strong for how odd they are especially on the tracks like “Next Year in Jeruselum” and “Channeling.” The cymbals crash over these euphoric melodies that become more and more luxurious as violin strings get tugged and smoothed over and guitar chords rip through the metaphysical sound barrier, meanwhile Charles lets her words drizzle over the music like chocolate fondue. ♠   The overwhelming immersion into the music is reminiscent of bands like Mazzy Star and Grant Lee Buffalo. Then the album has an intriguing amount of west coast jazz infused into the music, specifically on “She Gets Down” and “Frank, You Ruined Me.” ♠    “She Get’s Down” is a classic lounge and bar music in which you can almost vividly imagine Charles lying on top of a grand piano while she serenades us with song á la Marilyn Monroe while tenor saxophone wails in the background and light piano keys dance in the spotlight.
♠   The contrast in music between the softer and jazzier tunes with the harder more alternative tracks comes off a little uneven in the overall theme of For House Cats and Sea Fans but the individual songs are all perfect as they are. This is album that will surely change the direction of the music and hopefully be remembered as a transitional album in the career’s
portfolio. http://inyourspeakers.com/
In french:
♠   Le nouvel album d'Elysian Fields (Oren Bloedow et Jennifer Charles). Le charme opere toujours. A découvrir.
Bandcamp: http://elysianfields.bandcamp.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/elysianfieldsnyc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elysianfieldsny
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elysianfieldsnyc
Agent: inquiries to
Website: http://www.elysianmusic.com/

JENNIFER CHARLES
Born: November 15, 1968, Washington, D.C.
Occupations: Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Instruments: Vocals, guitar, wurlitzer
Discography:
2012: Wax Tailor — Heart Stop (vocalist)
2011: Elysian Fields — Last Night On Earth, Ojet
2009: Elysian Fields — The Afterlife, Diluvian/Vicious Circle (writer, vocalist, rebab)
2008: The Heavy Circles, Dynamite Child' (bgvs)
2008: Oren Bloedow — She Goes With Me To A Blossom World, Diluvian (producer, bgvs, keyboards)
2007: La Mar Enfortuna, Convivencia, Tzadik (voc, writer)
2007: Foetus — Vein, Birdman (voc)
2006: Ben Perowsky's Moodswing Orchestra — El Destructo (writer, vocalist)
2006: Elysian Fields — Bum Raps And Love Taps, Diluvian/Naive (writer, vocalist, keyboards)
2005: Foetus Love — Birdman Records (vocalist)
2004: Jean Louis Murat — A Bird On A Poire, Labels (vocalist)
2004, 2003: Elysian Fields — Dreams That Breathe Your Name, Diluvian (writer, vocalist, farfisa)
2004 Tweaker — 2 AM Wake-Up Call, IMUSIC (writer, vocalist)
2003 Ben Perowsky — Camp Songs, Tzadik (vocalist)
2003 Sasha Argov — Great Jewish Music, Tzadik (vocalist)
2003 Foetus — A Tribute to the Sisters of Mercy, EFA (vocalist, writer)
2002 Frank London — Scientist at Work, Tzadik (vocalist)
2002 John Zorn — Film Works XII — Three Documentaries, Tzadik (vocalist)
2002 Sybarite — Scene of the Crime, 4AD (writer, vocalist)
2002 John Zorn — IAO Music In Sacred Light, Tzadik (vocalist)
2001 illy B Eats — Drop the Needle, Amulet (vocalist)
2001 Zoar — Clouds Without Water (vocalist)
2001 Lovage — Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, 75 Ark (writer, vocalist)
2001 Firewater Psychopharmachology, Jetset (vocalist)
2001 Oren Bloedow and Jennifer Charles — La Mar Enfortuna, Tzadik (vocalist, bells, wurli, writer)
2000 Elysian Fields — Queen of the Meadow, Jetset. (writer, vocalist, mini moog, guitar, wurlitzer)
1999 Liminal (unreleased) (writer, vocalist)
1999 What's the Word Volume 1 — Various Artists, Deezal (writer, vocalist, piano)
1999 DJ Logic — Project Logic, Ropeadope (writer, vocalist)
1999 Jean Louis Murat — Mustango, Labels (vocalist)
1998 Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan — Various Artists, Tzadik. (vocalist)
1998 Elysian Fields — The Albini record (unreleased) Radioactive (writer, vocalist)
1998 Oren Bloedow — The Luckiest Boy in the World, Knitting Factory Works (bgv)
1997 Elysian Fields Meets DJ Cam — Radioactive (writer, vocalist)
1997 Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg Various Artists, Tzadik (vocalist)
1997 Life in a Blender Two Legs Bad, Fang (phoned in whispers)
1997 Live Secret Samadhi, Radioactive (bgv)
1996 Jennifer and Kenny Siegel Sessions (unreleased) (vocalist)
1996 Firewater Get Off The Cross ... We Need The Wood For The Fire, Jetset (vocalist)
1996 Elysian Fields — Bleed Your Cedar, Radioactive (writer, vocalist, rhythm king, percussion)
1996 Elysian Fields — Elysian Fields EP, Radioactive. (writer, vocalist)
1992 Oren Bloedow — Knitting Factory Works (bgv)
Jennifer Charles interviewed on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem 2010: http://pod.icast.co.il/Media/Index/Files/1a6af070-d81d-4898-a3cd-011847660b0b.icast.mp3
OREN BLOEDOW
Born: July 3, 1965, New York City
Occupations: Musician, Songwriter, Composer
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, bass guitar
ο»   He attended New England Conservatory in 1987-88, and on returning, started gigging frequently at the Knitting Factory on Houston St. Previte, Horvitz and Johnston were all playing there, and so were many musicians Oren came to play with, like Samm Bennett, The Jazz Passengers, Marc Ribot, Bosho, Gary Lucas and innumerable others.
ο»   It was here in 1990 that Oren met Jennifer, and they began working together soon afterwards. During the nineties, Oren made a couple of solo records for the Knitting Factory label, one featuring Medeski, Martin and Wood, toured and recorded as a member of The Lounge Lizards for whom he played bass, as well as many other groups and projects.
Discography:
ο»   Oren Bloedow 1993
ο»   Luckiest Boy in the World 1998
ο»   La Mar Enfortuna 2001, Tzadik Records
ο»   She Goes with me to a blossom World 2006

Discography:
ο»   EP — (1995) — Radioactive/Universal
ο»   Bleed Your Cedar — (1996) — Radioactive/Universal
ο»   Queen of the Meadow — (2000) — Jetset
ο»   Bend Your Mind EP — (2000) — The Flower Shop
ο»   Dreams That Breathe Your Name — (2003)
ο»   Bum Raps and Love Taps — (2005) — Naïve records
ο»   The Afterlife — (2009) — Vicious Circle Records
ο»   Last Night on Earth — (2011) — Vicious Circle Records
ο»   For House Cats And Sea Fans — (2014) — Vicious Circle Records
LYRICS
Come Down From The Ceiling
Hard to believe
You and me
We were once
Thick as thieves
Just a bunch of wiseacres
We were young
That's true
But we didn't care
Where the laughter could take us
But the light has dimmed
Behind your eyes
And I can no longer find you
Where you used to be
Who you used to be
And all that put–on wincing
Don't you know it ain't convincing
If you won't come down from the ceiling
You're leaving me no choice
You're just a murmur inside the white noise
Now you prowl like a ghost
And you mince in the dens
With the toasts of the moment
Where indulgence is all
But to whom took a fall
And you dread the contagion
The sun's gone down
You take your throne
Amongst the sycophants and fakers
Time to take the piss
Your love is hit or miss
To hold my place
In your top favorites
Always on my best behavior
If you won't come down from the ceiling
You're leaving me no choice
You're just a murmur inside the white void
Inside inside inside the white noise
Too high too high inside the white noise
If you won't come down from the ceiling ---
Next Year In Jerusalem
Leaves are changing
Amber and golden
Tawny and ruby
Copper and gold
What we've been braving
Though we were broken
Fall into rivers
Ancient and cold
It's time to open the keepsake box
Unlocking the seeds we've kept sleeping, sleeping, sleeping
Next year in Jerusalem
The songs will get written
The world will then listen
Finally to the universe
Trembling and alive
She's wild like a child
Next year in Jerusalem
Something amazing
The dream we've been saving
Next year in Jerusalem
Something amazing
If we are changing
Let it be golden
For we are moving
And melting the snows
If we believe in
All we are holding
Deep as Mariana
The blood through us flows
And it's time to open the faded books
Softly the words there are speaking, speaking, speaking
Next year in Jerusalem
The songs will get written
The world will then listen
Finally to the universe
Trembling and alive
She's wild like a child
Next year in Jerusalem
Bound to take flight
Like a kite by the seaside
Catch me if you can
And she's waiting to dance
Like you've waited to dance
Waiting to dance
Just as the clouds are floating backwards
Back to a sky that holds their face
We are the vapor
On the lip of this flower
And when she opens
We'll find our place
Next year in Jerusalem
The songs will get written
The world will then listen
Finally to the universe
Trembling and alive
She's wild like a child
Next year in Jerusalem
Something amazing
The dream we've been saving
Next year in Jerusalem
Bound to take flight
Like a kite by the seaside
Catch me if you can
And she's waiting to dance
Like you've waited to dance
Waiting to dance
ABOUT
ο»   Elysian Fields came out of New York's legendary Knitting Factory, a hotbed of musical exploration and genre mixing and a hub of the vibrant 1990s downtown scene. ο»   Drawn together by a mutual love of The Beatles, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Captain Beefheart, Ravi Shankar, Frederic Chopin and Olivier Messaien, founders Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow had traveled parallel paths in Washington, DC and New York until a scholarship to New York University's drama department drew Jennifer to New York.  Both had been to see the Bad Brains and Lounge Lizards (for whom Oren would play bass in the early '90s), both worshiped Woody Allen and Fellini, both went to alternative high schools and had become independent at an early age.
ο»   Jennifer introduced Oren to the work of Ernest Becker (The Denial of Death) and Nick Cave, as well as the Cocteau Twins. Oren showed Jennifer The Seven Samurai, failed to interest her in Fairport Convention, scored with Randy Newman, and, significantly, introduced her to the songs of Ed Pastorini, whose band 101 Crustaceans Oren had joined in his late teens on bass and who would become a constant fixture in their work. At the time of meeting Jennifer, Oren was fresh from his only year at music school (at New England Conservatory) and was working with Ed and several smaller downtown bands in the scene that was dominated by post–free jazz composers like Henry Threadgill, David Murray on one side and dissonant guitar shredders like Sonic Youth and Glenn Branca on the other. In the center was the Knitting Factory, where such sounds mingled in the work of Arto Lindsay, John Zorn and other musicians who had been working mostly in lofts and underground venues in the preceding decade. It was here that Jennifer worked as an intern in the busy office where the club's bookings, package tours and record releases were planned. She ran her own poetry series, waiting tables for paltry tips at sparsely attended Charles Gayle midnight sets with the January wind circling about the empty club. Although New York had great hip-hop in those years, the city was due for an explosion of great bands, and many of them frequented or played there, Cibo Matto, Blonde Redhead, Soul Coughing and Skeleton Key are a few of the notables of the "Class of 1994." Others like Jeff Buckley and Firewater were particularly close to Elysian Fields, sharing a lot of the same players and many late nights together.
ο»   When Oren and Jennifer began writing for Elysian Fields, they were playing jazz standards and a few T Rex songs, and were looking to create original tunes that could fit in between these styles. So they got Pastorini and some jazz guys into the studio and did some recordings. Of these songs, three ended up on a cassette that fell into the hands of Radioactive Records' Gary Kurfirst, who had built a music empire managing a host of New York punk and new wave-era legends (notably Talking Heads), and had recently launched the label as a home for his new discoveries (such as Shirley Manson) as well as older signings like Big Audio Dynamite and the Ramones. ο»   Gary came to hear EF at the Mercury Lounge and very quickly Jennifer, Oren, Ed and the amazing rhythm section of James Genus (bassist, of Saturday Night Live fame) and Ben Perowsky (drums) were in New York's Sorcerer Sound making the first EP, Elysian Fields, and in the Minnesota woods for the follow-up album Bleed Your Cedar, which sold comfortably and gained the band a foothold in indie circles around the US. ο»   Songs like "Lady In The Lake," "Fountains On Fire" and "Jack In The Box" appeared in TV shows and commercials and both young music fans and the media were taking notice of the band and their distinctive style, founded on Jennifer's inimitably sensual voice and confident pen, and the daring and depth of Oren and Ed's unique guitar and piano work. (The gorgeous cover photo of Jennifer by underground legend JK Potter did not hurt either.)
ο»   While Kurfirst had a keen eye for talent, he was under pressure from his parent company, Universal, and insisted the band hire a name producer to bring in hits and drive up sales. The band's choice, Steve Albini, whose name was at that time associated (promisingly, to the record executives) with Nirvana, and the record they brought home from Chicago ended up emphasizing the "even less commercial" side of the band, and after some back and forth, they asked to be let out of their deal. The record was never released, and a concurrent slump in the record business ensured that it wasn't until 1999 that, thanks to an introduction by Tod Ashley of Firewater, EF signed a deal with Jetset Records and entered Brooklyn's Good And Evil studios to record a fresh set of songs for their second album, Queen of the Meadow. A collection of songs based on the group's original recipe of blues, punk, dissonance (all discernible in the underground rock/dance floor semi–hit "Bend Your Mind"), and their jazz–inflected ballads, QOTM also marks the introduction of a folk element in songs such as "Black Acres" and the title track.
ο»   In the meantime, they had been discovered in France, and had begun traveling there and to neighboring countries where they were greeted by large stories in major magazines, grand venues and television appearances.  Upon the release of QOTM, Jennifer and Oren assembled a new band and hit the road in Europe appearing alongside French artists like Alain Bashung and good friend Jean Louis Murat, traveling in festivals like Les Inrockuptibles and Les Femmes S'en Melent and headlining their own tours. In the US, Queen of the Meadow went to the top five in the CMJ chart, was well–reviewed and was accompanied by moderate touring on the East Coast.
ο»   Their third disc, 2004's Dreams that Breathe Your Name, featured contributions both from their newer cadre of collaborators and from the original band. ο»   The album continued their success in Europe, where they did more touring and appeared in festivals such as Nuits De Botaniques in Brussels. This record also set off a new era of the band recording both in the studio and at home. It was mixed at Philip Glass's Looking Glass studios by U2 recording engineer Robbie Adams, featured some of the band's most atmospheric and lush work ("Shooting Stars," "Live for the Touch," "Narcosmicoma"), and found a champion in the dean of British rock critics Nick Kent, who wrote, "Maybe we have their out-of-the-mainstreamness to thank for a sound that is still unique — as sensual as a sleepwalker's wet dream." The record was released in Europe by Play it Again Sam (PIAS) records and in the US on the band's own imprint, Diluvian. American critics were also kind, with TimeoutNY music editor Mike Wolf rating it "Close to noir–rock perfection." Cover art was done by the great psychedelic collagist/painter Fred Tomaselli.
ο»   The next album, Bum Raps and Love Taps, was released in Europe in 2006 on the Naive label and continued the band's steady touring in Europe. The album is dedicated to Charles' grandmother, from whose unfinished memoir the title (very confusingly to those unfamiliar with American slang) was taken. Another song "Duel With Cudgels," at eight minutes and thirty seconds, takes its title from a Goya painting. ο»   In fall 2006, the video artist Vincent Moon filmed two live videos of Elysian Fields for La Blogotechque, one featuring Jennifer and Ed Pastorini's song "We're In Love," the tender acoustic track that closes the album. This album was finally released in the US in late 2008 on the band's own Diluvian imprint. In general, Bum Raps saw the band painting with a bigger canvas in terms of song forms and string arrangements, drawing on their mutual passion for surrealism. They were also incorporating a new element: having been given a piano by his stepmother, Oren began composing on it, with the parts being stylishly executed by new band member Thomas Bartlett (Doveman). Claude Coleman (Ween) played drums, and noted Icelandic composer Shahzad Ismaily (Ceramic Dog) appears on the record and was also a band member during this period. It was recorded by Joe Blaney of The Clash fame (another EF favorite), mixes were by Blaney and Bryce Goggin (Pavement), and the cover photo was a classic image by Michael Ackerman.
ο»   In 2009, the band released The Afterlife on Vicious Circle in France, which was received with high critical praise. European tours followed, along with sold out concerts in several major cities, and engagements like the prestigious Art Rock Festival in St Brieux. This classic breakup record features some of EF's most intimate moments, more and stranger string arrangements, and among the new ingredients, some borrowings from the work of the great John Coltrane. Wistful and melancholic, The Afterlife explored deaths and their postscripts, both literal and metaphoric. The cover is a painting by Jennifer, entitled "The Red Shoes," which takes its name from the great Powell and Pressburger film, another inspiration for the record.
ο»   A landmark was passed in this period when, having re–issued the under–distributed Queen of the Meadow, with new artwork by Lance Scott Walker, Vicious Circle became the first label to release more than one Elysian Fields album. Following that feat with the release of Last Night on Earth, also on VC, the band offered one of their most enjoyable discs of their career, drawing on the classic rock radio sounds of their youth and presenting some of Jennifer's happiest love lyrics as well as meditations on intersections of childhood and the scary but exciting world of adults ("Sleepover" "Red Riding Hood"), a little bit of Brecht/Weil ("Johnny"), and the closing epic title track, the only EF song to in any way reference reggae (but not the only one to reference Pink Floyd).
ο»   That record was followed by the usual European touring cycle, with Parisian upright bass legend Sarah Murcia and drummer/pianist Chris Vatalaro joining the band. At this time the songs were written that became EF's latest and possibly best record, For House Cats And Sea Fans. To be released in February 2014, it is a record that continues to mine the familiar veins of Beatles and blues, jazz and folk, Coltrane ("Love Me Darling"), Brecht and Weill ("Frank"), and includes longtime collaborators like John Medeski on the Czech bass flute fujara and no wave icon James Chance on saxophone, with JG Thirlwell mixing in sound. Lounge Lizard John Lurie contributes the naive and beautiful cover art. The record was mixed by Mark Plati (David Bowie, The Cure).
ο»   In addition to contributing to many of John Zorn's produced compilation records, including one of Marc Bolan and the first track on the Serge Gainsbourg tribute, Charles and Bloedow have also released two complete albums of Sephardic songs on Zorn's Tzadik label. The first was named La Mar Enfortuna, and that became the name of the group for the follow–up Convivencia in 2008. Charles sings in Ladino as well as in Arabic, Aramaic, Spanish and Greek on these albums, as the group gives ancient Moorish melodies a revamp with their signature sound.
ο»   Elysian Fields have also performed in several tribute concerts produced by the impresario Hal Willner, including an event in Los Angeles featuring the songs of Randy Newman, where Oren was a musical director, and another for Edgar Allan Poe. Elysian Fields performed at the Carnegie Hall on April 5, 2007, in Michael Dorf's all–star tribute to Bruce Springsteen with Oren was once again as musical director, backing up several artists including Badly Drawn Boy, and Bruce Springsteen himself for the rousing finale of "Rosalita." Elysian Fields rendition of "Streets Of Fire" was noted in both Billboard and Rolling Stone as being one of the show's highlights, and described as "sensual" and "passionate." In February 2009, Elysian Fields performed in Paris in a sold–out show at Salle Pleyel as part of John Zorn's Serge Gainsbourg tribute concert alongside Marc Ribot and Sean Lennon.
ο»   Elysian Fields' music has appeared in films as well as many television shows including Damages, Conviction, Smallville, Charmed, One Tree Hill, Extra, The Crow and Lipstick Jungle. "Black Acres" from Queen of the Meadow was used in 2011 in Lavazza advertisements across the globe.
ο»   Separately, Elysian Fields leadership have been involved in many projects of interest to music fans. Chief of these, to many, is the trip–hop classic album Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By made by Jennifer with Dan the Automator, Mike Patton and Kid Koala. In addition, Jennifer has lent her voice and writing skills to an assortment of other musicians, including DJ Logic, Tweaker, and French artists Wax Tailor (on the 2012 single "Heart Stop"), and Jean Louis–Murat (on the 2004 album A Bird on a Poire). Incidentally, both French releases were nominated for French Grammys (Victoires de la Musique). Theatrical collaborations of Jennifer's also include composer Michael Gordon's Emily Dickinson–themed show Lightning at Her Feet (with films by Bill Morrison), and the ongoing underground theater spectacular "Dream of the Red Chamber," directed by Jim Findlay. For his part, Oren traveled and recorded for many years with Meshell Ndegeocello and Chocolate Genius, was a key member of the band on the Broadway musical Fela! (which took him as far as Lagos, Nigeria to honor that great artist's life), and among countless other talented artists, has worked for Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons) on the singer's solo music and in the Robert Wilson show The Life and Death of Marina Abramovitch. Oren continues to play with Ed Pastorini in 101 Crustaceans.
Website: http://www.elysianmusic.com/
Twitter:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elysianfieldsnyc
Agent: inquiries to
____________________________________________________________

Elysian Fields — For House Cats and Sea Fans (2014)

 

NEWS

8.7.2019

Peter Cat Recording Co.

8.7.2019

Philary

6.7.2019

Seablite

6.7.2019

Jesca Hoop — Stonechild

1.7.2019

Dire Wolves

1.7.2019

Outer Spaces — Gazing Globe

archiv

ALBUM COVERS X.

Mumford & Sons — Delta (16 Nov. 2018)
Tais Awards & Harvest Prize
Za Zelenou liškou 140 00 Praha 4, CZE
+420608841540