| Missy Higgins — Solastalgia (May 4th, 2018) |
Missy Higgins — Solastalgia (May 4th, 2018) 
•★ζ√ Beloved in her Australian homeland, Missy Higgins made in~roads in America during 2008, in an era of likeminded introspective female singer~songwriters.
•★ζ√ The album’s title references an “existential distress caused by environmental change, such as mining or climate change”. — JB Hi Fi
•★ζ√ “A sonically different, thematically diverse album.” — Liz Giuffre
Profily na webu: 29.7.2012 — The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle [iTunes Deluxe Version] (2012) / 20.9.2014 — Oz /
© Author: Cybele Malinowski
Born: August 19, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia
Also known as: Melissa Morrison Higgins
Notable instruments: Roland RD~700, Maton
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genre: Indie Pop
Album release: May 4th, 2018
Record Label: EMI
Duration: 45:35
Tracks:
01. Starting Again 4:18
02. Cemetery 4:10
03. Futon Couch 3:25
04. Red Moon 3:30
05. How Was I to Know 4:04
06. Yesterday Must Die 4:05
07. The Difference 4:08
08. Don’t Look Down 4:12
09. Hallucinate 3:08
10. 49 Candles 3:17
11. Strange Utopia 4:33
12. The Old Star 2:45
℗ 2018 Missy Higgins Productions., under exclusive license to Eleven: A Music Company Pty Ltd
EDITORS’ NOTES
•★•√ The word solastalgia refers to feeling distress or sadness when the environment around you changes. And a lot has changed for veteran singer~songwriter Missy Higgins in the six years since her last album of original music. The artist confronts memories, relationships and social turmoil, while toying with new sounds that push her musical boundaries. “Cemetery”, a lightly thumping electro~pop track, paradoxically sings of feeling alive while sneaking into a cemetery; “49 Candles” is a stirring ode to those lost in the 2016 Orlando shooting; and “The Old Star” concludes the album with surprisingly deep bass and compelling electronic vocals.
Song Review of Missy Higgins — 49 Candles by Thomas Bleach
•★•√ It has been four years since we have had new music from Missy Higgins so it’s about time the true Australian indie~pop favourite releases something new. And I mean, talk about a comeback! Along with the two new singles the singer~songwriter has also announced she will be joining Ed Sheeran on his massive stadium tour of Australia in March as well as embarking on a headlining theatre tour in May. “Futon Couch” is quite different to anything she has released in the past and hears her heading towards a heavier pop focus. With her alternative roots still in tact she transforms her sound with a slick indie~pop polish that will have you wanting to spin around, dance and maybe even run through a field. The euphoric and romantic track recounts the first time she met her husband while she was sitting on a futon couch in her friends living room. The story is told perfectly and will have you gushing and feeling all giddy. The production is all euphoric which fittingly ties into the story while her vocals have never sounded so positive and bright before. Second single “49 Candles” delivers something a little different with a politically charged storyline that questions the events that are going on in the world. The moody production highlights the serious undertone of the song and uplifts it to give it that empowerful sound. She still knows how to write a killer hook that will be stuck in your head for hours and this song is no different. Compared to the lead single the contrast of the different emotions is impressive and is quite cinematic. I am very intrigued to hear how the rest of the album will compare and uplift the vulnerability she has already shared. •★ζ√ https://thomasbleach.com/
Review
•★ζ√ Although there’s quite a bit of thematic doom and gloom on this record, expect plenty of highs, too.
•★ζ√ A departure into the electro fringe, this is Missy Higgins as far away from organic/acoustic pop as she has ever ventured, and it’s well worth the journey. Working back from the end and the fully wobby synth and vox treatment of The Old Star is just great fun, albeit a little apocalyptic (as you do). However for the rest Higgins’ clear tone is mostly maintained — with straight forward sweet songs like Futon Couch and Don’t Look Down — as well as Eurythmics~esque explorations in Hallucinate and Yesterday Must Die. There’s an interesting crossover with opener Starting Again (dedicated to Higgins’ young son), while Cemetery jumps straight in and onto the dancefloor — lots of fun and very singable.
•★ζ√ A bold standout is 49 Candles, a protest/lament about the Orlando hate shootings in 2016 where 49 young people were gunned down in an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community. As she sings, “All our voices, where do they go?” backed by well~placed rolling (military, even) drums, the message hits. Mournful and a little lost, there’s a definitive and rightful anger underpinning here too.
•★ζ√ A sonically different, thematically diverse album. •★ζ√ http://themusic.com.au/
About
★ With a flair for poignant ballads and pop/rock singles, Missy Higgins became one of Australia’s most popular artists during the early 21st century. Her songwriting career began in Melbourne, where she attended boarding school and balanced her time between academics and music. Higgins’ sister got ahold of “All for Believing,” one of Missy’s earliest songs, and mailed a copy to Australia’s Triple J radio station without her sister’s consent. The song ended up winning an unsigned artist competition named Triple J Unearthed, which effectively sparked Higgins’ career as a singer~songwriter.
★ After signing with Eleven, the same Australian record company used by such homeland heroes as Silverchair, Higgins issued a self~titled EP in November 2003. The Scar EP appeared in August 2004 and set the scene for her full~length debut, Sound of White, which appeared the following September. Sound of White proved to be remarkably successful, remaining on the Australian charts for two years and going platinum nine times. Higgins then set her sights on America, where she made her debut in January 2005 with the domestic~only All for Believing EP. Released through Warner Bros., it included the title track and four other songs cherry~picked from the Sound of White LP (which was reissued in the U.S. shortly thereafter).
★ Missy Higgins issued her sophomore album, On a Clear Night, in 2007, with an American release following in early 2008. While Sound of White had emphasized Higgins’ flair for piano, On a Clear Night featured a new emphasis on guitar, which Higgins had used to compose the majority of the tracks. “Steer,” the album’s leadoff single, became her second number one hit in Australia.
★ After finishing up with touring and promoting the album, Higgins took some time off from music. In 2010, she enrolled in college at the University of Melbourne and acted in the Australian film Bran Nue Dae. She never strayed far from music, though, and after meeting fellow singer~songwriter Butterfly Boucher while playing Lilith Fair shows in the summer of 2010, went to Nashville to record her next album with Boucher's help. The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle was released in June 2012, promptly debuting at the top of the Australian charts (her third straight album to reach number one). Higgins’ next work was an album of Aussie cover versions, titled OZ, that also became the name of an accompanying book as well as a tour. It appeared in September of 2014. ~ Andrew Leahey & Johnny Loftus
Website: https://www.missyhiggins.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/missyhiggins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missyhiggins
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/missy-higgins
Press: Eleven: A Music Company (Aust & SE Asia) | / Warner Bros (USA, Europe, Japan)
Agent: The Harbour Agency (Aust) / CAA UK & Europe / CAA USA:
Discography:
ζ 2005 Ten Days EMI Music Distribution
ζ 2005 The Sound of White Reprise
ζ 2005 Live & Acoustic [iTunes Exclusive] Warner Bros.
ζ 2007 On a Clear Night EMI Music Distribution
ζ 2012 The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle [iTunes Deluxe Version] Vagrant
ζ 2014 Oz Eleven/Universal
ζ 2018 Solastalgia EMI
STARTING AGAIN
1.) Your father was always the rational kind
He followed the news he read all the science
There’s no room for more, no room to expand
Would you really give birth astride sinking sand?
For the world is a lung we barely breathe through
Why make a new life to pass it on to?
So I searched for a way to keep you a dream
One that lived in my heart and would never be seen
2.) But you, my son, you broke through it all
Through every reason each side of the wall
You, my light, my hope at the end
You my son, my starting again
My starting again
3.) Your father was always a practical man
The oceans are rising, the hole is expanding
I’ve seen what’s coming, the ash in the sky
He told me “My woman, we don’t have a right
You’ll never find a reason better than this
To keep your heart in a closed fist.”
So I searched for a meaning bigger than you
Tried telling myself the right to do
4.) But you, my son, you broke through it all
Every reason each side of the wall
You, my light, my hope at the end
You my son, my starting again
My starting again
My starting again
My starting again
5.) When you appeared
It was louder than sense
Stronger than life
Bigger than fear
Yeah when you appeared
It was fire and God and tears and oceans of light and suddenly hearing his heart loud and clear
Like he was starting again
Starting again, starting again, starting again, starting again
Yeah we were starting again, starting again, starting again
Your father was always the rational kind, till you arrived…
Written by Missy Higgins & Pip Norman
Published by Missy Higgins Productions / Mushroom Music Publishing
_____________________________________________________________
| Missy Higgins — Solastalgia (May 4th, 2018) |
•★ζ√ The album’s title references an “existential distress caused by environmental change, such as mining or climate change”. — JB Hi Fi
•★ζ√ “A sonically different, thematically diverse album.” — Liz Giuffre
Profily na webu: 29.7.2012 — The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle [iTunes Deluxe Version] (2012) / 20.9.2014 — Oz /
Born: August 19, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia
Also known as: Melissa Morrison Higgins
Notable instruments: Roland RD~700, Maton
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genre: Indie Pop
Album release: May 4th, 2018
Record Label: EMI
Duration: 45:35
Tracks:
01. Starting Again 4:18
02. Cemetery 4:10
03. Futon Couch 3:25
04. Red Moon 3:30
05. How Was I to Know 4:04
06. Yesterday Must Die 4:05
07. The Difference 4:08
08. Don’t Look Down 4:12
09. Hallucinate 3:08
10. 49 Candles 3:17
11. Strange Utopia 4:33
12. The Old Star 2:45
℗ 2018 Missy Higgins Productions., under exclusive license to Eleven: A Music Company Pty Ltd
EDITORS’ NOTES
•★•√ The word solastalgia refers to feeling distress or sadness when the environment around you changes. And a lot has changed for veteran singer~songwriter Missy Higgins in the six years since her last album of original music. The artist confronts memories, relationships and social turmoil, while toying with new sounds that push her musical boundaries. “Cemetery”, a lightly thumping electro~pop track, paradoxically sings of feeling alive while sneaking into a cemetery; “49 Candles” is a stirring ode to those lost in the 2016 Orlando shooting; and “The Old Star” concludes the album with surprisingly deep bass and compelling electronic vocals.
Song Review of Missy Higgins — 49 Candles by Thomas Bleach
•★•√ It has been four years since we have had new music from Missy Higgins so it’s about time the true Australian indie~pop favourite releases something new. And I mean, talk about a comeback! Along with the two new singles the singer~songwriter has also announced she will be joining Ed Sheeran on his massive stadium tour of Australia in March as well as embarking on a headlining theatre tour in May. “Futon Couch” is quite different to anything she has released in the past and hears her heading towards a heavier pop focus. With her alternative roots still in tact she transforms her sound with a slick indie~pop polish that will have you wanting to spin around, dance and maybe even run through a field. The euphoric and romantic track recounts the first time she met her husband while she was sitting on a futon couch in her friends living room. The story is told perfectly and will have you gushing and feeling all giddy. The production is all euphoric which fittingly ties into the story while her vocals have never sounded so positive and bright before. Second single “49 Candles” delivers something a little different with a politically charged storyline that questions the events that are going on in the world. The moody production highlights the serious undertone of the song and uplifts it to give it that empowerful sound. She still knows how to write a killer hook that will be stuck in your head for hours and this song is no different. Compared to the lead single the contrast of the different emotions is impressive and is quite cinematic. I am very intrigued to hear how the rest of the album will compare and uplift the vulnerability she has already shared. •★ζ√ https://thomasbleach.com/
Review
•★ζ√ Although there’s quite a bit of thematic doom and gloom on this record, expect plenty of highs, too.
•★ζ√ A departure into the electro fringe, this is Missy Higgins as far away from organic/acoustic pop as she has ever ventured, and it’s well worth the journey. Working back from the end and the fully wobby synth and vox treatment of The Old Star is just great fun, albeit a little apocalyptic (as you do). However for the rest Higgins’ clear tone is mostly maintained — with straight forward sweet songs like Futon Couch and Don’t Look Down — as well as Eurythmics~esque explorations in Hallucinate and Yesterday Must Die. There’s an interesting crossover with opener Starting Again (dedicated to Higgins’ young son), while Cemetery jumps straight in and onto the dancefloor — lots of fun and very singable.
•★ζ√ A bold standout is 49 Candles, a protest/lament about the Orlando hate shootings in 2016 where 49 young people were gunned down in an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community. As she sings, “All our voices, where do they go?” backed by well~placed rolling (military, even) drums, the message hits. Mournful and a little lost, there’s a definitive and rightful anger underpinning here too.
•★ζ√ A sonically different, thematically diverse album. •★ζ√ http://themusic.com.au/
About
★ With a flair for poignant ballads and pop/rock singles, Missy Higgins became one of Australia’s most popular artists during the early 21st century. Her songwriting career began in Melbourne, where she attended boarding school and balanced her time between academics and music. Higgins’ sister got ahold of “All for Believing,” one of Missy’s earliest songs, and mailed a copy to Australia’s Triple J radio station without her sister’s consent. The song ended up winning an unsigned artist competition named Triple J Unearthed, which effectively sparked Higgins’ career as a singer~songwriter.
★ After signing with Eleven, the same Australian record company used by such homeland heroes as Silverchair, Higgins issued a self~titled EP in November 2003. The Scar EP appeared in August 2004 and set the scene for her full~length debut, Sound of White, which appeared the following September. Sound of White proved to be remarkably successful, remaining on the Australian charts for two years and going platinum nine times. Higgins then set her sights on America, where she made her debut in January 2005 with the domestic~only All for Believing EP. Released through Warner Bros., it included the title track and four other songs cherry~picked from the Sound of White LP (which was reissued in the U.S. shortly thereafter).
★ Missy Higgins issued her sophomore album, On a Clear Night, in 2007, with an American release following in early 2008. While Sound of White had emphasized Higgins’ flair for piano, On a Clear Night featured a new emphasis on guitar, which Higgins had used to compose the majority of the tracks. “Steer,” the album’s leadoff single, became her second number one hit in Australia.
★ After finishing up with touring and promoting the album, Higgins took some time off from music. In 2010, she enrolled in college at the University of Melbourne and acted in the Australian film Bran Nue Dae. She never strayed far from music, though, and after meeting fellow singer~songwriter Butterfly Boucher while playing Lilith Fair shows in the summer of 2010, went to Nashville to record her next album with Boucher's help. The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle was released in June 2012, promptly debuting at the top of the Australian charts (her third straight album to reach number one). Higgins’ next work was an album of Aussie cover versions, titled OZ, that also became the name of an accompanying book as well as a tour. It appeared in September of 2014. ~ Andrew Leahey & Johnny Loftus
Website: https://www.missyhiggins.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/missyhiggins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missyhiggins
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/missy-higgins
Press: Eleven: A Music Company (Aust & SE Asia) | / Warner Bros (USA, Europe, Japan)
Agent: The Harbour Agency (Aust) / CAA UK & Europe / CAA USA:
Discography:
ζ 2005 Ten Days EMI Music Distribution
ζ 2005 The Sound of White Reprise
ζ 2005 Live & Acoustic [iTunes Exclusive] Warner Bros.
ζ 2007 On a Clear Night EMI Music Distribution
ζ 2012 The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle [iTunes Deluxe Version] Vagrant
ζ 2014 Oz Eleven/Universal
ζ 2018 Solastalgia EMI
STARTING AGAIN
1.) Your father was always the rational kind
He followed the news he read all the science
There’s no room for more, no room to expand
Would you really give birth astride sinking sand?
For the world is a lung we barely breathe through
Why make a new life to pass it on to?
So I searched for a way to keep you a dream
One that lived in my heart and would never be seen
2.) But you, my son, you broke through it all
Through every reason each side of the wall
You, my light, my hope at the end
You my son, my starting again
My starting again
3.) Your father was always a practical man
The oceans are rising, the hole is expanding
I’ve seen what’s coming, the ash in the sky
He told me “My woman, we don’t have a right
You’ll never find a reason better than this
To keep your heart in a closed fist.”
So I searched for a meaning bigger than you
Tried telling myself the right to do
4.) But you, my son, you broke through it all
Every reason each side of the wall
You, my light, my hope at the end
You my son, my starting again
My starting again
My starting again
My starting again
5.) When you appeared
It was louder than sense
Stronger than life
Bigger than fear
Yeah when you appeared
It was fire and God and tears and oceans of light and suddenly hearing his heart loud and clear
Like he was starting again
Starting again, starting again, starting again, starting again
Yeah we were starting again, starting again, starting again
Your father was always the rational kind, till you arrived…
Written by Missy Higgins & Pip Norman
Published by Missy Higgins Productions / Mushroom Music Publishing
_____________________________________________________________