LISTEN: Blonde Maze – ‘Fade Into You’

Following last year’s ‘To The Moon’ and ‘Not All Flowers Bloom’, GIHE fave Blonde Maze has now shared an exquisite rendition of a Mazzy Star classic.

Oozing all the poignant, rich emotion of the original, Blonde Maze’s ‘Fade Into You’ adds her own unique blend of soaring electronics and uplifting chiming beats to create a truly stirring offering steeped in a euphoric, ethereal splendour. With its soothing, shimmering grace, it’s another blissfully cathartic creation from Blonde Maze, showcasing her ability to take an already beautiful track and transform it into something that is completely, undeniably, and majestically, her own.

Listen now on Spotify:

 

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Maja Lena – ‘Birch’

Formally of the band Low Chimes, Marianne Parrish – aka Maja Lena – has now announced her debut solo album, set for release this summer.

Taken from the album, new single ‘Birch’ offers a truly captivating alt-folk soundscape. Reflecting on new beginnings and oozing a pastoral elegance, it’s propelled by resplendent vocals and a luscious shimmering musicality, with shades of the likes of Rozi Plain. With a majestic, ethereal grace, sweeping soothing melodies are interwoven with exquisitely put-together layers of twinkling instrumentation, creating a bewitching sonic gem. Of the track, Maja Lena explains:

“‘Birch’ is a song about feeling vulnerable yet elated. About starting a new phase of life and love, yet also knowing that this elation could be snatched away at any given moment. The Birch tree here is a symbol for this feeling, and its branches moving in the wind resemble a feeling of freedom and excitement.”

‘Birch’ is accompanied by a beautifully made video, filmed entirely on Super 8 in the Lake District, with Martha Webb. Watch here:

‘Birch‘ is out now, and The Keeper – the upcoming album from Maja Lena – is set for release 23rd July via Chiverin Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Five Favourites: Tyler Holmes

I’ve only recently become acquainted with innovative artist Tyler Holmes, but I have fast fallen in love with their poignant, affecting and utterly unique sweeping electronic soundscapes. Holmes (They/Them) is a singer-songwriter, visual and performance artist who uses music as a therapeutic device. Coming from a turbulent and traumatic ‘cult-like’ early life, they have spent a lifetime crafting their own Black, Queer narrative by pushing the limits of their imagination, Holmes envisions themselves as the imaginary child of Björk and Tricky, using a surrealist lens on a wide variety of genres, often blending diaristic narratives with dark, dream-like whimsy. Autobiographical and absurd, their writing is alluring and uncomfortable. Both brutal and beautiful, bringing the audience into a shared space of healing and catharsis. They perform with a constantly changing electro-acoustic arrangement, always finding new ways to showcase an intimate horror.

Ahead of the release of their upcoming new album ‘Nightmare In Paradise’ via Ratskin Records next month, we spoke to Tyler about the five albums that mean the most to them. Check out their choices below, and watch their latest video for single ‘Nothing’ at the end of this article. You can also listen to their recent rendition of SOPHIE’s ‘BIPP’ over on bandcamp now.

Mariah Carey – Butterfly
Butterfly was a departure for Mariah. A record that embraced Hip Hop and Mariah as a sexual and sorrowful entity, which I have always related to. I have always been obsessed with Mariah and I’ve been singing her songs for as long as I can remember. This was the first album that I would listen to all the way through, over and over and over. There is a real variety to the record and I can now see this as the first in a series of emotional breakdown albums (this one even has a song called ‘Breakdown’ which is unbelievably beautiful and rich and has the amazing Bone Thugs N Harmony guesting). The through-line through this quite varied record is sadness, longing and identity struggle; all running themes in my life and music as well. My favourite track is ‘Outside’ – about being a weirdo, just singing the melody makes me cry.

The Knife – Silent Shout: An Audiovisual Experience – Live In Gothenburg
Reinvention is something that always turns me on. This album was the electronic equivalent to dying your hair black and doing acoustic renditions of your record. The Knife was this mysterious band back in the early internet days and Gothenburg showcased them reborn in a syrupy goth trance inducing void that was even more mysterious than they had been. It was as if they had this colourful image and they thought “let’s give them even less information and appear in a black abyss as ghostly floating lights…” The songs are darker, gothic, stark and beautiful. Dance music made for crying and being a freak to maybe more so than dancing. I love a singer who can be different characters and Karin plays a whole cast on this record and a cast of ghouls, sea monsters, aliens and demons. She is so otherworldly, possessed and perfect. My favourite track is ‘Kino’, which I covered a long time ago. They took an old track and brought it back through the Pet Cemetery. The mourning in that song will haunt me forever.

Tricky – Pre Millenium Tension
A theme of coming back darker, and more vulnerable emerges. While Tricky’s first record was murky and muddy,Pre Millennium is obsidian. A dark smoke filled room. I love how Tricky always has two singers of varying genders singing the same lyrics at the same time creating one genderless or many gendered being. The opening song ‘Vent’ talking about someone hiding their lover’s medicine to watch them suffer and need them speaks volumes about the album in front of the listener. Very much about codependency, dark urges, self destruction. The gnarling, repeating loops grind nightmares into your head like noogies. The reimagining of ‘Bad Dreams’ by Chill Rob G gives the song a chilling, fever dream realness that is necessary and sadly timeless.

Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley –  A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness
I listened to this album on repeat while writing my new record. It’s vintage goth. Astrud Gilberto, best known for the timeless hit ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, is practically motionless. Her stoic and serious performance even over more dance oriented tracks like ‘Nega do Cabelo Duro’ really sets the tone without beating the listener over the head. There is a bittersweet breeze blowing through every song on an album that has some rather peppy tempos and almost chipper organ lines. The theme of the album is dark, not quite hopeless but almost. The opener ‘A Certain Smile’ sets the tone that, like love, peace of mind and temperament are cyclical. “That certain smile to haunt your heart again.” OUCH. ‘Smile’ is followed by ‘A Certain Sadness’ (JOKES!!!) that lays the cards on the table and directly discusses unrequited love, longing and depression. To me it is so interesting and inspiring to hear these jazz chords that have over time become associated with elevator music here set to such depressive and moody themes. Even the fast songs contain some really ‘ugly’ chords and organ solos that hint at a jazzy, almost punk antagonism that alongside the subject matter and vocal delivery make me really see Bossa Nova as a precursor to New Wave music (Bossa Nova means ‘New Trend’ or ‘New Wave’ after all.) ‘Tristeza’ and ‘So Nice’ are absolutely brilliant, tongue in cheek songs that in a heavy-lidded tone hint at a sunny life in a bitchy way that seem to me as sarcastic as they are dreamy.

Björk – Post
Choosing a Björk album to discuss is really difficult but this is probably the singular record that has influenced me the most. Eleven songs that are all different genres and on different planets. This record has such anger, such venom, such sadness and such spacious, calm, quietness. It is truly a rollercoaster masterpiece. It calls to mind Goldie Hawn’s famous line (from First Wives Club) about emotions “I’m an actress! I have all of them!” That’s what Björk showcases here; every emotion, texture, and sound in her body at the time and it is resplendent. ‘I Miss You’ is one of the best and most original takes on the standard longing pop song, with horn freak-outs, screaming, and a panic attack about “cuddles” for a bridge. The song sounds like a cartoon zoo where the animals train the humans just like the surrealist nightmare of a music video that is as amazing as the song. The album features one of my favourite songs ever; ‘Enjoy’, where mother weaves a bizarre love triangle over a beat made by one of her boyfriends at the time and one of my biggest inspirations: Tricky. The intimate tabloid lyrics are leaked over a beat that sounds like a jungle full of haunted wildlife that know your secrets and want to punish you with electrical torture. It’s one of the most titillating experiences you can have as a listener. An album that is full of so much motion and noise ends with the purely ambient ‘Headphones’. It’s built on barely there electronic bass notes and Miss Björk whispering about falling asleep to a transformative tape! I had this on cassette as a kid and it was a meta experience, this is one goal I have definitely taken from Mother. Her goal was to give others the same transcendental experience that music gave her, passing on the gift. Post is one of her greatest gifts.

Massive thanks to Tyler for sharing such beautiful words about their favourite albums!

Nightmare In Paradise, the upcoming album from Tyler Holmes, is set for release 26th March via Ratskin Records. Pre-order here. And watch the poignant video for ‘Nothing’ below:

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Introducing Interview: Tender Central

Having previously worked with the likes of Ben Howard and A Blaze Of A Feather, classically trained cellist and songwriter India Bourne – aka Tender Central – has just released her poignant debut album The Garden. 

Creating rich layers of twinkling electronic folk-pop, the album showcases Bourne’s reflective, emotive lyrical storytelling and a sweeping, ethereal musicality.

We caught up with India to find out more about the album, and how she’s been managing to continue creating and releasing music during a pandemic…

Hi India, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a musician, songwriter and mum of one, nearly two (second coming in a couple of weeks!). I am passionate about nature, food, running, wild swimming and period dramas. I am an emotional person with a great curiosity about the world and people and how we all work. I feel music is a fundamental part of me; nothing else makes me feel the way music does when I am in the flow of performing or writing. 

How did you initially decide to start creating music?
It feels like the urge to write and play music has been there from a very young age. I think it became just another way of expressing myself and my thoughts and feelings. I believe music is innate in all of us though, as is dance, art and all forms of the creative arts. I see this so clearly when watching my toddler and my nieces and nephews navigate the world. The way they play and sing all day; it’s undeniable to me. I was also lucky to be brought up in a musical family where music was a daily activity. We all played an instrument, and growing up in a small house with 3 other sisters, we couldn’t get far away from each other! So there was always a lot of noise and activity going on. My dad was a composer and ran an accapella choir which my mum also sung in, so we’d regularly go and watch them perform. I took up the cello aged ten and have played ever since, thanks to my mum for nudging me that direction when she felt I really needed something to get my teeth into.

You’ve just released your beautifully poignant debut album The Garden – are there any particular themes running throughout it?
Thank you for describing it that way. It was interesting looking at the whole body of work with a bit of space once it had been completely finished. It became quickly apparent to me that there was a strong theme and narrative in there, and it all led to the song ‘The Garden’ which is the last track on the record and possibly my favourite. The album took the best part of a decade to make and spanned a time in my life when I was very busy touring with Ben Howard and later Ry X and A Blaze Of Feather, so I had little time at home and even shorter times to ground myself and write music. Although I loved performing all over the world, this desire to find my ‘home’, my stability, my ground and my peace amongst the constant movement is a strong theme in this album. There is a lot of emotional turbulence in many of the tracks where I see the light as well as the dark, but in ‘The Garden’ I feel I reached my place of belonging and calm. The song acknowledges challenge and hard times, but is deeply rooted in my sense of “everything is ok!” The blue sky above the clouds; the peace always within me, but “hard to learn” as I sing in the song. I wrote it whilst off tour, digging the small patch of earth in my garden flat in London, shoving bulbs into the ground and heaving a fork through the earth. I needed to find quiet in myself, and here is where I found it. 

How are you connecting with your audience and other musicians during the pandemic?
I’ve never been more grateful for technology than I have been this past year! It’s been a lifeline socially and musically. Musicians have created so many new ways to share work and be creative during this time, I’ve found it really uplifting and inspiring. Online gigs, live streams, Zoom choirs… It’s been really awesome. And at the same time I am craving those days of performing live and talking face to face with people. I was lucky enough to record and film four live tracks from the record back in September with a full band and crew, knowing that the possibility to do an album tour or album release show would be unlikely. So, I am very happy to be sharing these with my audience via social media now the album is out, and to be able to still engage in conversation despite the distance between us all.

And has there been anything/anyone specific that has been inspiring you, or helping to motivate you, throughout these strange times?
Yes!
My 3 year old. His joy in the everyday and his focus on the present has gotten me through some really challenging times during the pandemic. Spending such quality time with him has been the best reminder to not get swept away in thought or worry, but just to be and to appreciate what’s around me. He also has such a great sense of humour, we are always cracking up!
My producer James. His faith in me and my music from the early days has made releasing this album possible. He has been unwavering in his support and has been a core part of Tender Central from the beginning.
My dad. He and I speak the same musical language and whenever I have been stuck, he has been my rock.
Nature. Being in the wild outdoors and swimming in the local river has been deeply nourishing and inspiring. Often when I have hit a wall all I’ve needed to do was get my wellies on and head to the woods for a walk, or the river to swim. The answers always come! 

How do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Every sector of the industry has been affected by the pandemic and some have had to almost completely shut down because of it, so certainly at the moment I would say it’s difficult to get noticed or breakthrough, yes. But at the same time there is a greater thirst from the online community for artists to produce something because we are all missing gigs and face to face interaction, so there’s an opportunity in that. So, although the industry is much quieter, there’s a lot going on in the background I believe, and people definitely haven’t stopped writing or releasing music. We are all just doing it differently than before. Certainly, even without the pandemic, it’s not easy getting heard as new artists, especially if you’re only just starting out. There’s so much you have to do yourself to build your profile; not least working on your own music, but also having a strong online presence, being in touch with your fanbase, getting good PR, having good press shots… I haven’t had a manager for a couple of years and it’s definitely harder to get noticed, but not impossible! You need a good and supportive team around you. Whether that be your family and friends and a few contacts in the industry, or a manager/label/agent etc. Most importantly, you need faith in yourself, that what you are creating is worthy to be heard/seen/experienced and the drive to see it through. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists that you’d recommend we check out?
Absolutely. Over the last six years I’ve worked with the most amazing vocalist/pianist/songwriter, Greta Vaughan, on her music. You must check her out here. Her lyrics are poetry and her music is complex and deep and incredibly heartfelt. I feel every song of hers is such a journey and she definitely demanded a lot of me as a player and collaborator, which was fantastic and invigorating. Her debut record is soon to be released, I can’t wait.

Finally, what does 2021 have in store for Tender Central?
Firstly, the birth of my second child! It’s very much on my mind at the moment, given there’s not long to go now. I will understandably be very focussed on my family this year, but at the same time I am eager to see how this album will unfold and what life it will have. I have just finished a short piece for a film commission and I am already planning on recording and filming the next set of live tracks from The Garden later this year, all being well. And I am also excited about doing more collaborations. I find that way of working so inspiring and surprising; you just never know what’s going bubble up or what direction a song is going to go in. Keeps life very fresh and exciting. 

Massive thanks to India for answering our questions! 

 

Tender Central’s latest album, The Garden, is out now via Hello Friendly Recordings. Listen on Spotify.

Photo Credit: Harvey Pearson

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