Artists
Biography
Rough Trade Records is pleased to announce the forthcoming release from Alela Diane. Her new album, To Be Still, will be in-stores on February 17, 2009.
To Be Still is the follow-up to Alela Diane's critically-acclaimed 2006 debut The Pirate's Gospel. That record brought the Nevada city, CA-reared musician a dedicated following across the globe (especially in Europe, where she recently finished a tour of mid-sized concert halls). Considering that early copies of The Pirate's Gospel were given away to friends in hand-sewn covers just a few years ago, this is not only quite a leap, but a well-deserved one.
To Be Still was created throughout 2007 & 2008. "It began in Portland, OR and was finished in scatters between tours at my dad's home studio in Nevada City, CA," Alela says. "I wanted to record this collection of songs using arrangements which represent them in their finest form. These songs requested more instrumental filigree than those on The Pirate's Gospel. It was challenging to delicately yet purposefully incorporate instrumentation into songs that I was so used to singing by myself. I was determined to make it work, because I wanted percussion! I wanted to hear the lonesome bow of the violin! I heard many harmonies in my head, and so I set out to capture them."
In the past, Alela's work has been associated with one or more musical movements, notably the alleged "freak-folk" genre of the early to middle Oughts. And while no music exists in a complete vacuum, the wholly original music on To Be Still was borne of contemplation and isolation. "Most were written in the cabin in Nevada City, and during my stint of domesticity in the Victorian flat further North; others were captured elsewhere, in moments of calm," she says. The album shows Alela Diane to be a compelling and unique voice.
Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade Records, says "Alela Diane is a real American Songwriter. Both flinty and beautiful. She draws from a tradition that might include Sandy Denny and Karen Dalton and she suffers not a jot in comparison. Rough Trade is proud to be able to bring you this release."
*****
“Accompanied mostly by her acoustic guitar, newcomer Alela Diane sings stark, ghostly folk. .. she’s already flaunting a large, lived-in growl flavored by antediluvian blues and jazz inflections. This Portland based siren shares with (Joanna Newsom) a primitivism shaped by backward glances and backwoods living.... Diane seems destined for grander endeavors." Spin [3.5 out of 4 stars]
"Diane’s guitar’s strong impression and haunting arpeggios give a sense of moving forward undaunted and each song gets a push from the nimble style of a bluegrass banjo. Among these strenths, Diane’s greatest asset is her voice. Echoing wide, her timbre is rich and thick and her range is higher than most acoustic singer-songwriters, bringing each track to peaks and valleys that draw you in." Venus