Album Review: Nite Jewel ‘One Second of Love’
I have been closely tapped into the buzz surrounding Bloomington’s Secretly Canadian artist Nite Jewel. It did not matter which blog I read, I could not escape the build up to the release of One Second of Love. While Nite Jewel was new to me, the strength of the release was reaffirmed in too many different locations to ignore. Nite Jewel has spent the last four years on an EP release cycle since her 2008 LP Good Evening. By giving her fans just enough since her first full release, she has found a way to engage and grow her following.
Romona Gonzalez is the comforting voice behind the Nite Jewel project. Created in Los Angeles, Gonzalez has found a unique way to attract and maintain relevancy in the one and done independent music scene. Nite Jewel followed Good Evening by releasing three separate EP’s: Want You Back, You F O, and Am I Real. Leaning on extended plays, Nite Jewel, has countered obscurity by constantly satisfying listeners’ short attention spans. This style has been leveraged by artists such as Toro y Moi and is beginning to provide some statistical data to back up the approach. The fact that One Second of Love was released from a local label should make local readers proud. Left coast bred and Bloomington fed, the attention surrounding Nite Jewel has helped give our local scene some more deserved national buzz.
While listening to One Second of Love I begin to identify many important moments that carry me from track to track. Synths help support Gonzalez’s deep melodies throughout the entire record. Many moods appear while listening. Some sound happy like Class Actress and others sound dark like Bat for Lashes. The dichotomy of sound and provides a comforting contrast. Coming across more eager than anxious, Nite Jewel displays a subtle confidence that earns my attention.
Title track, “One Second of Love” pops off with a catchy HQ rhythm and funky synth line. It’s simple, soothing, and now I’m sold. As the chorus repeats, the listener is able to identify Nite Jewel’s ability to transition quickly between ranges. With many artists, such transitions can wind up sloppy and distracting. However, with Nite Jewel pulls makes the switch seamlessly, each and every time.
“One Second of Love”
“Autograph” serves as the darling of this record for me. Gonzalez showcases her versatility, dropping a 90s pop, female R&B vibe. She smoothly states that “I still got your autograph, it is on my heart”. This line could have been ripped out of the Zhane discography and I would not have noticed any difference. As Nite Jewel strikes my sweet spot, I begin to think that Secretly Canadian must be proud to have her autograph inked to their hearts.
“Autograph”
Nite Jewel’s massive vocal range mixed with contrasting melodies makes this project worth a listen. I am excited to see what happens after this record marinates in listeners minds. My guess is that it will continue to garner attention, leaving listeners anticipating Gonzalez’s next move. I recommend that you sit back and relax with this one for a while.
Connect with Nite Jewel via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Brett McGrath
Album Review: Memoryhouse ‘The Slideshow Effect’
Time. No matter how hard you try, the runaway train that is life always seems to be one step ahead. You can mark your calendar weeks in advance so you have something to look forward to, but that day you’ve spent so much time looking forward to and yearning for will come and go as quickly as any other. My Facebook used to be full of pictures of all my drunk college friends. Now? Babies, ring fingers, and…well, I guess that’s really all it’s used for. But while we can’t stop our lives from moving forward, we should seek to soak in the moment when we can.
“All Our Wonder”
Memoryhouse’s debut LP The Slideshow Effect is a dream-pop DeLorean for me. Not a note seems out of place as every melody is impeccably crafted. At its core, this album is about the end of a relationship. However, it’s also about all of the memories made and lived along the way. Like going through your old photographs and reliving the smells in the air or the feeling of the wind at your face of a specific moment in time. The album has a calming aesthetic, with thoughtful songs designed to inspire fondly remembered events.
“Bonfire”
Best served with a glass of wine on a Monday night, The Slideshow Effect is a inspiring debut that will help the slow down your constantly running daily clock. High points include the upbeat “The Kids Were Wrong” at the beginning of the album, which I featured in our Mix Tape 2 last friday, the picturesque “Bonfire” and the dreamy “Walk With Me”. I equate the album listening experience to visiting an art gallery of simple brush strokes and earthy colors. While you may not remember any of the portraits individually, you leave with the peace of mind knowing that the whole was much greater than any individual part.
“Walk with Me”
Connect with Memoryhouse via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Greg Dahman
Album Review: Doe Paoro ‘Slow to Love’
I love surprises. Particularly pleasant surprises. I enjoy discovering an artist that, on the surface, appears a direct contradiction to my typical musical tastes, but somehow manages to earn my affection nonetheless. Such was the case with Brooklyn’s Doe Paoro, who released her debut LP Slow to Love last week.
My ears left the female R&B scene behind sometime after TLC and long before Nicki Minaj. That’s not to say that I am deaf to the genre’s bright spots. I appreciate a strong voice as much as the next listener. However, so much of what has found my ears in the last decade felt machine made, pre-packaged and thoughtless. As a result, I largely tuned out.
Enter Doe Paoro. Her debut release is accessible and radio-ready without reverting to cliché, formulaic banality. Paoro’s voice is left to dance in front of a stark, minimalist backdrop. The album’s sparse production brings the singer’s strengths to the forefront, allowing her emotions to shine rather than get lost in the shuffle.
Stereogum was apt to cite Erykah Badu as a prominent influence on the album’s debut single “Born Whole” in their Band to Watch post last week. The track certainly bares more resemblance to Badu than other prominent 90s R&B vixens. On “I’ll Go Blind” Paoro strides closer to the masculine end of the spectrum, calling to mind Musiq Soulchild or Maxwell’s best work. Listen below.
This isn’t to say that Slow to Love is a flawless home run. “Trying to Impress” and “Body Games” toe the line of predictable, boy-crazy pop music. But the ablum’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses by a long shot. A refusal to pigeonhole Paoro’s talent has resulted in a release that could appeal to a broad cross-section of listeners, much in the way that Lykke Li was able to accomplish last year.
I will be interested to see how this release fares in 2012. At its best, Slow to Love can be gorgeous, haunting and danceable. The question will be whether Doe Paoro’s vision is cohesive enough to become a release that the masses will latch to. Name your price for a digital download via Bandcamp. Watch the video for “Born Whole” below.
Connect with Doe Paoro via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 