Video: Jessie Baylin ‘Little Spark’ Trailer
To put it mildly, I have been head over heels for Jessie Baylin since the release of her free Pleasure Center EP in late November. The EP, of mostly covers, has been a weekly listen and my go-to before bed spin. January 17th will serve as the release date for her full length album Little Spark. My guess is that you won’t find Baylin gaining much coverage across the indie blogosphere. Her pop music upbringing and marriage to Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill make her too un-hip for the likes of Pitchfork. This is an outright shame, because Little Spark has the potential to contend for one of the top releases of the first half of 2012.
Baylin reached out to some seriously talented folks to add their touch to the album. Richard Swift, of The Shins, served as multi-instrumentalist and played an integral role in Little Spark‘s arrangements. (Pleasure Center EP was recorded in a single day on a four-track in Baylin’s living room, with Swift at the helm.) Legendary composer and three-time Grammy winner Jimmie Haskell played the role of conductor, while Kevin Augunus rounded out the squad as producer. Augunus has worked with a wide range of artists from Sinead O’Connor to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Watch the trailer for the album below, and prepare yourself for one of the pleasant surprises of 2012.
For a limited time, Amazon is offering a FREE DOWNLOAD of the track “Hurry Hurry.” Stream below.
Connect with Baylin via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
Album Stream: Jessie Baylin ‘Pleasure Center EP’
New Jersey native and Nashville transplant Jessie Baylin released an EP worth getting excited about last week. Pleasure Center EP clocks in at just under 21 minutes, achieving an astonishing amount of fun in such a short time. The EP features four covers and one original.
I was immediately intrigued by the variety of artists that Baylin chose to cover: Thin Lizzy, Stevie Nicks, Sonic Youth, and Arthur Russell is a diverse group to draw from. Yet Baylin makes each track her own, much the same way that Cat Power was able to achieve on her 2000 release The Covers Record.
Pleasure Center EP is a direct departure from Baylin’s 2008 release Firesight. She trades a full, studio sound for the stark simplicity of the 4-track. The EP was produced by Richard Swift (The Shins), giving Baylin an indie credibility that until now was nonexistent. Here’s hoping her new sound rubs off on hubby Nathan Followill of The Kings of Leon.
Baylin will release a LP of original material in mid-January entitled Little Spark. Listen and download the entirety of Pleasure Center EP below. Connect with Baylin via Facebook and Twitter.
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 