After an 18-year career with partner Ben Watt in best-selling alt-pop duo Everything But The Girl (1982-2000), followed by a self-imposed hiatus to start a family, Tracey Thorn re-emerged in 2007 to a wave of critical acclaim with the glittering autobiographical folk-disco of Out of the Woods, her first solo album since 1982's indie classic A Distant Shore. Now she is back with another: the starkly beautiful Love and Its Opposite on Merge Records.
Partnering again with Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson (who worked on much of Out of the Woods and more recently with Delphic), Tracey has created an album that is striking in its simplicity. Recorded in Berlin and London, and featuring guest contributions from Hot Chip's Al Doyle, The Invisible's Leo Taylor, Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, Nashville songwriter-drummer Cortney Tidwell and Lost Valentinos' guitarist Jono Ma, Love and Its Opposite is steeped in a compassionate directness. The tight, often undecorated arrangements for guitar, piano, bass, and drums (and a smattering of strings and woodwinds) serve ten songs over a compact thirty-nine minutes that confront the full unvarnished weight of complex relationships in flux.
'It is a record about the person I am now and the people around me,' says Tracey. 'About real life after forty.'
Covers of Lee Hazlewood's 'Come on Home to Me' (a duet with Jens Lekman) and 'You Are a Lover' by Budapest's The Unbending Trees (with whom Tracey collaborated in 2008) are added to eight originals that tackle head-on the realities of life in its middle years: marriage and divorce ('Long White Dress' and 'Oh, the Divorces!'); family ghosts ('Kentish Town'); confronting life alone ('Singles Bar'); and the collision of youth and adulthood ('Hormones'). In talking about 'Why Does the Wind?' and 'Late in the Afternoon,' Tracey says, 'Life needs stamina. Love is often either under threat or being urged to stand the test of time.' The album closes with 'Swimming' (featuring Cortney Tidwell on drums and backing vocals). 'I really wanted it to be the closing track,' she says. 'It holds out hope for love's survival even when it seems to be in hibernation.'
Backtracking, it is hard to find a decade recently where Tracey Thorn's songwriting has not been influential. Often overlooked by those who choose to focus on her uniquely sensual yet confessional voice, her direct, unadorned stories have cut through to find many revered supporters. Fresh out of school in the UK in the early 1980s, she formed the cult girl band Marine Girls, whose two-album career of edgy teen love songs has influenced lo-fi indie bands ever since. Among noted Marine Girls fans you'll find Kurt Cobain (Nirvana was reportedly rehearsing 'In Love' before Cobain's death) and The xx. In 1982, she followed it with her own eight-song classic, A Distant Shore, which catapulted her to the top of the UK indie charts. Throughout the 1980s, she shared writing with partner Ben Watt in the British duo Everything But The Girl (EBTG). In the ?90s, she co-wrote EBTG's global smash 'Missing' before delivering lyrics, melody, and vocals for one of the decade's seminal ballads, Massive Attack's 'Protection,' and contributing centrally to EBTG's best-selling electronica crossover albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental. In 2006, she returned to the dance floor, writing 'Damage' for cult German duo Tiefschwarz before releasing Out of the Woods in 2007.
Love and Its Opposite also signals Tracey's return to the independent scene and unites her in a fresh alliance with longtime partner Ben Watt. The album will be released on Ben's Strange Feeling Records where she joins labelmates such as The Unbending Trees and Copenhagen's Figurines. Meanwhile, in North America, Merge Records will release the album, making Tracey one of only a handful of UK artists to have graced the illustrious Stateside independent.
Despite spending time out of the public eye, Tracey has been keen to stay engaged with her fans via MySpace, Facebook and Twitter where she now corresponds daily, posting photos of her garden and providing mixtapes, Spotify playlists and casual observation on everything from politics to X Factor, all with a dry, laconic sense of humor that has endeared her to many new followers.
Love and Its Opposite is a humane and truthful collection from one of our finest singers and songwriters. It will be released on May 18 (North America) and May 17 (rest of the world).
http://www.traceythorn.com
http://www.twitter.com/tracey_thorn
http://www.facebook.com/traceythorn4ever
http://www.strangefeelingrecords.com
Partnering again with Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson (who worked on much of Out of the Woods and more recently with Delphic), Tracey has created an album that is striking in its simplicity. Recorded in Berlin and London, and featuring guest contributions from Hot Chip's Al Doyle, The Invisible's Leo Taylor, Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, Nashville songwriter-drummer Cortney Tidwell and Lost Valentinos' guitarist Jono Ma, Love and Its Opposite is steeped in a compassionate directness. The tight, often undecorated arrangements for guitar, piano, bass, and drums (and a smattering of strings and woodwinds) serve ten songs over a compact thirty-nine minutes that confront the full unvarnished weight of complex relationships in flux.
'It is a record about the person I am now and the people around me,' says Tracey. 'About real life after forty.'
Covers of Lee Hazlewood's 'Come on Home to Me' (a duet with Jens Lekman) and 'You Are a Lover' by Budapest's The Unbending Trees (with whom Tracey collaborated in 2008) are added to eight originals that tackle head-on the realities of life in its middle years: marriage and divorce ('Long White Dress' and 'Oh, the Divorces!'); family ghosts ('Kentish Town'); confronting life alone ('Singles Bar'); and the collision of youth and adulthood ('Hormones'). In talking about 'Why Does the Wind?' and 'Late in the Afternoon,' Tracey says, 'Life needs stamina. Love is often either under threat or being urged to stand the test of time.' The album closes with 'Swimming' (featuring Cortney Tidwell on drums and backing vocals). 'I really wanted it to be the closing track,' she says. 'It holds out hope for love's survival even when it seems to be in hibernation.'
Backtracking, it is hard to find a decade recently where Tracey Thorn's songwriting has not been influential. Often overlooked by those who choose to focus on her uniquely sensual yet confessional voice, her direct, unadorned stories have cut through to find many revered supporters. Fresh out of school in the UK in the early 1980s, she formed the cult girl band Marine Girls, whose two-album career of edgy teen love songs has influenced lo-fi indie bands ever since. Among noted Marine Girls fans you'll find Kurt Cobain (Nirvana was reportedly rehearsing 'In Love' before Cobain's death) and The xx. In 1982, she followed it with her own eight-song classic, A Distant Shore, which catapulted her to the top of the UK indie charts. Throughout the 1980s, she shared writing with partner Ben Watt in the British duo Everything But The Girl (EBTG). In the ?90s, she co-wrote EBTG's global smash 'Missing' before delivering lyrics, melody, and vocals for one of the decade's seminal ballads, Massive Attack's 'Protection,' and contributing centrally to EBTG's best-selling electronica crossover albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental. In 2006, she returned to the dance floor, writing 'Damage' for cult German duo Tiefschwarz before releasing Out of the Woods in 2007.
Love and Its Opposite also signals Tracey's return to the independent scene and unites her in a fresh alliance with longtime partner Ben Watt. The album will be released on Ben's Strange Feeling Records where she joins labelmates such as The Unbending Trees and Copenhagen's Figurines. Meanwhile, in North America, Merge Records will release the album, making Tracey one of only a handful of UK artists to have graced the illustrious Stateside independent.
Despite spending time out of the public eye, Tracey has been keen to stay engaged with her fans via MySpace, Facebook and Twitter where she now corresponds daily, posting photos of her garden and providing mixtapes, Spotify playlists and casual observation on everything from politics to X Factor, all with a dry, laconic sense of humor that has endeared her to many new followers.
Love and Its Opposite is a humane and truthful collection from one of our finest singers and songwriters. It will be released on May 18 (North America) and May 17 (rest of the world).
http://www.traceythorn.com
http://www.twitter.com/tracey_thorn
http://www.facebook.com/traceythorn4ever
http://www.strangefeelingrecords.com
12/17/12
To kick off the last week of the year here at Merge HQ, we are giving away a Merge Holiday SuperBundle as well as a CD of Julian Koster’s The Singing Saw at Christmastime. To enter, send us a photo of your favorite holiday scene via Instagram (@MergeRecords) or email (merge@mergerecords.com). We’ll choose the winner on Friday, December 21st.
The Giveaway includes:
- Your choice of a CD or LP of She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas
- Your choice of a CD or LP of Tracey Thorn’s Tinsel and Lights
- a CD of Julian Koster’s The Singing Saw at Christmastime
- a She & Him floaty pen
- a set of five beautiful Tinsel and Lights notecards
Be sure to visit the Merge Holiday Store for our biggest sale of the year! Enter MERGEHOLIDAYS at checkout for 10% off all orders over $50—CDs, LPs, digital downloads, and Merge gear! All orders of $100 or more will receive a free Merge tote bag designed by Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner with help from Vic Chesnutt. Also, buy three or more LPs or preorder any of our 2013 releases on LP and receive a free Merge slipmat for your turntable!
All orders placed after 10 a.m. on December 21 will not ship until January 7, 2013. Pre-orders will ship to arrive on or around release date.
The Giveaway includes:
- Your choice of a CD or LP of She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas
- Your choice of a CD or LP of Tracey Thorn’s Tinsel and Lights
- a CD of Julian Koster’s The Singing Saw at Christmastime
- a She & Him floaty pen
- a set of five beautiful Tinsel and Lights notecards
Be sure to visit the Merge Holiday Store for our biggest sale of the year! Enter MERGEHOLIDAYS at checkout for 10% off all orders over $50—CDs, LPs, digital downloads, and Merge gear! All orders of $100 or more will receive a free Merge tote bag designed by Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner with help from Vic Chesnutt. Also, buy three or more LPs or preorder any of our 2013 releases on LP and receive a free Merge slipmat for your turntable!
All orders placed after 10 a.m. on December 21 will not ship until January 7, 2013. Pre-orders will ship to arrive on or around release date.
12/10/12
Tracey Thorn is celebrating the holiday season with a new album Tinsel and Lights, and a new Advent Calendar with new treats every day until Christmas. Also, she premiered the new video for her original song “Joy,” today at Slate.com, and spoke with NPR’s Scott Simon over the weekend about her unconventional holiday album. A new digital single featuring the album version and new acoustic version of “Joy” is available at iTunes today as well.
Watch the video for “Joy” now at Slate.com
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano.
NPR Weekend Edition writes, “A season for being with friends and family can be hard on those who are lonely; a season of giving can be hard on those who go without. All the tinsel and lights can also make people blink, shudder and wonder about which of life’s gifts they’ll never find under the tree — or which they’ll unwrap and find fleeting and fragile. The mixed blessings of the holiday season aren’t lost on Tracey Thorn. The new album by the English singer and songwriter, formerly of the dance-pop duo Everything but the Girl, is called Tinsel and Lights, and it confronts that ambivalence head on.”
Listen to Tracey’s interview with NPR Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. Also, Tinsel and Lights is included in our special holiday superbundle with She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas. And don’t forget to use the Merge Holiday coupon at checkout! The “Joy” digital single can be found at iTunes.
Watch the video for “Joy” now at Slate.com
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano.
NPR Weekend Edition writes, “A season for being with friends and family can be hard on those who are lonely; a season of giving can be hard on those who go without. All the tinsel and lights can also make people blink, shudder and wonder about which of life’s gifts they’ll never find under the tree — or which they’ll unwrap and find fleeting and fragile. The mixed blessings of the holiday season aren’t lost on Tracey Thorn. The new album by the English singer and songwriter, formerly of the dance-pop duo Everything but the Girl, is called Tinsel and Lights, and it confronts that ambivalence head on.”
Listen to Tracey’s interview with NPR Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. Also, Tinsel and Lights is included in our special holiday superbundle with She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas. And don’t forget to use the Merge Holiday coupon at checkout! The “Joy” digital single can be found at iTunes.
11/26/12
The holiday season is upon us, and Tracey Thorn’s Tinsel and Lights is a beautiful new album to add to your collection!
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano. NPR says of the album, “Tinsel and Lights is as warmly rendered as it is achingly bittersweet.”
Listen to Tinsel and Lights in its entirety now at NPR Music
MTV Hive has premiered a 10-minute mini-documentary filmed while Tracey was recording Tinsel and Lights. John Norris spoke with her about how she chose the songs to cover and the process of making a holiday album.
Watch Tracey Thorn’s ‘Making of Tinsel and Lights’ mini-documentary now at MTV Hive
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. Also, Tinsel and Lights is included in our special holiday superbundle with She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas. And don’t forget to use the Merge Holiday coupon at checkout!
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano. NPR says of the album, “Tinsel and Lights is as warmly rendered as it is achingly bittersweet.”
Listen to Tinsel and Lights in its entirety now at NPR Music
MTV Hive has premiered a 10-minute mini-documentary filmed while Tracey was recording Tinsel and Lights. John Norris spoke with her about how she chose the songs to cover and the process of making a holiday album.
Watch Tracey Thorn’s ‘Making of Tinsel and Lights’ mini-documentary now at MTV Hive
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. Also, Tinsel and Lights is included in our special holiday superbundle with She & Him’s A Very She & Him Christmas. And don’t forget to use the Merge Holiday coupon at checkout!
10/30/12
Start the holiday season now with Tinsel and Lights, Tracey Thorn‘s follow-up to her acclaimed 2010 album Love and Its Opposite.
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano.
Watch a brief video with footage from the recording of Tinsel and Lights now
New York Magazine included Tinsel and Lights in their “Picks for Fall” saying “Tinsel and Lights is part Christmas album, part covers album, and bound to be good company when it gets colder,” while The Guardian declares that the album, “captures the emotions particular to the season and stands comparison with anything [Thorn]‘s done.”
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. CD and LP from the Merge store will receive a Tinsel and Lights holiday card set while supplies last.
Featuring ten seasonal cover versions of songs by Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Sufjan Stevens, Low and more as well as two new original tracks, Tinsel and Lights was produced by Ewan Pearson, and showcases Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano.
Watch a brief video with footage from the recording of Tinsel and Lights now
New York Magazine included Tinsel and Lights in their “Picks for Fall” saying “Tinsel and Lights is part Christmas album, part covers album, and bound to be good company when it gets colder,” while The Guardian declares that the album, “captures the emotions particular to the season and stands comparison with anything [Thorn]‘s done.”
Tinsel and Lights is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store. The LP version includes Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart as well as limited-edition wrapping paper. CD and LP from the Merge store will receive a Tinsel and Lights holiday card set while supplies last.
09/27/12
Today at RollingStone.com, Tracey Thorn premieres “Tinsel and Lights,” the title track from her forthcoming holiday album due in stores on October 30.
Stream “Tinsel and Lights” now at RollingStone.com
On October 22, Merge will partner with Tracey’s UK label Strange Feeling Records to release a transatlantic double A-side digital single. The two tracks have been chosen to show different sides of the album: one is a part-contemporary, part-retro seasonal cover version; the other is an original penned by Tracey herself.
Strange Feeling is going with her stark cover version of Jack White’s “In the Cold, Cold Night” (previously performed by The White Stripes), while Merge has chosen the album’s rolling title track, “Tinsel and Lights,” a brand-new song written by Tracey.
“The album is a mixture of songs that give you that warm, fuzzy, festive glow and others that are perhaps a little darker and more wintry,” says Tracey. “This double A-side is a simple of way of showing what’s in the window.”
Stream “In The Cold, Cold Night” now at the Guardian‘s website, and pre-order Tinsel and Lights now in the Merge store. The first 100 preorders will receive a Tinsel and Lights holiday card set. All physical preorders will include a poster, and all LP preorders will include the poster plus gift wrap and a coupon for full download. Preorders and will ship to arrive on or around the release date of October 30.
Stream “Tinsel and Lights” now at RollingStone.com
On October 22, Merge will partner with Tracey’s UK label Strange Feeling Records to release a transatlantic double A-side digital single. The two tracks have been chosen to show different sides of the album: one is a part-contemporary, part-retro seasonal cover version; the other is an original penned by Tracey herself.
Strange Feeling is going with her stark cover version of Jack White’s “In the Cold, Cold Night” (previously performed by The White Stripes), while Merge has chosen the album’s rolling title track, “Tinsel and Lights,” a brand-new song written by Tracey.
“The album is a mixture of songs that give you that warm, fuzzy, festive glow and others that are perhaps a little darker and more wintry,” says Tracey. “This double A-side is a simple of way of showing what’s in the window.”
Stream “In The Cold, Cold Night” now at the Guardian‘s website, and pre-order Tinsel and Lights now in the Merge store. The first 100 preorders will receive a Tinsel and Lights holiday card set. All physical preorders will include a poster, and all LP preorders will include the poster plus gift wrap and a coupon for full download. Preorders and will ship to arrive on or around the release date of October 30.
08/02/12
On October 30, Tracey Thorn follows her acclaimed 2010 album Love and Its Opposite with a brand-new Christmas album, Tinsel and Lights, featuring ten seasonal cover versions, two new original tracks, and Green from Scritti Politti.
Produced by Ewan Pearson, Tinsel and Lights features Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano. Her longtime partner, Ben Watt guests on guitar and piano on several tracks. Leo Taylor (Adele, Hot Chip) plays drums, Steve Pearce – who played on Everything But The Girl’s feted album, Idlewild – is on bass, while Pearson adds signature synths and electronics. Three tracks include orchestral arrangements by Nick Ingman.
Tracey says, “I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas record. Every year, when the Christmas albums start appearing in November, I get jealous and wish I had one coming out. Last year, I made a resolution to get recording in January to be ready for the following Christmas. And so that’s just what I did. They’re not all strictly Christmas songs, but if they mentioned winter or snow or even just being cold, that was good enough for me.”
Tinsel and Lights will be released on CD, LP and digital by Merge Records in North America and Strange Feeling in the UK/EU. The LP version will include Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart.
Track listing:
1. Joy (written by Tracey Thorn)
2. Hard Candy Christmas (originally performed by Dolly Parton)
3. Like a Snowman (written by Stephin Merritt)
4. Maybe This Christmas (written by Ron Sexsmith)
5. In the Cold, Cold Night (written by Jack White)
6. Snow (written by Randy Newman)
7. Snow in Sun (written by Green Gartside of Scritti Politti)
8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (holiday classic)
9. Tinsel and Lights (written by Tracey Thorn)
10. River (written by Joni Mitchell)
11. Taking Down the Tree (feat. Green Gartside) (written by Low)
12. Sister Winter (written by Sufjan Stevens)
Bonus LP track: 25th December (written and originally sung by Ben Watt)
Produced by Ewan Pearson, Tinsel and Lights features Tracey’s famously rich vocals and contributions on guitar and piano. Her longtime partner, Ben Watt guests on guitar and piano on several tracks. Leo Taylor (Adele, Hot Chip) plays drums, Steve Pearce – who played on Everything But The Girl’s feted album, Idlewild – is on bass, while Pearson adds signature synths and electronics. Three tracks include orchestral arrangements by Nick Ingman.
Tracey says, “I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas record. Every year, when the Christmas albums start appearing in November, I get jealous and wish I had one coming out. Last year, I made a resolution to get recording in January to be ready for the following Christmas. And so that’s just what I did. They’re not all strictly Christmas songs, but if they mentioned winter or snow or even just being cold, that was good enough for me.”
Tinsel and Lights will be released on CD, LP and digital by Merge Records in North America and Strange Feeling in the UK/EU. The LP version will include Tracey’s rendition of “25th December” originally written and sung by Ben Watt on Everything But The Girl’s 1994 album Amplified Heart.
Track listing:
1. Joy (written by Tracey Thorn)
2. Hard Candy Christmas (originally performed by Dolly Parton)
3. Like a Snowman (written by Stephin Merritt)
4. Maybe This Christmas (written by Ron Sexsmith)
5. In the Cold, Cold Night (written by Jack White)
6. Snow (written by Randy Newman)
7. Snow in Sun (written by Green Gartside of Scritti Politti)
8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (holiday classic)
9. Tinsel and Lights (written by Tracey Thorn)
10. River (written by Joni Mitchell)
11. Taking Down the Tree (feat. Green Gartside) (written by Low)
12. Sister Winter (written by Sufjan Stevens)
Bonus LP track: 25th December (written and originally sung by Ben Watt)
11/01/11
In the summer of 2010, Mercury Prize winners (and Everything But The Girl fans) The xx asked Tracey Thorn and her long-time partner in EBTG Ben Watt to record a track from The xx’s debut album for a special compilation the band was commissioning of covers of the album’s songs by their favorite artists.
Unfortunately, the project fell apart a few months later for numerous logistical reasons (not the least of which was the second wind breathed into the original album by the Mercury Prize victory) but not before Tracey had sung a new version of one of the album’s most beautiful songs, “Night Time.”
The track gathered dust for a few months, but it is rightfully seeing the light of day on a new digital EP from Tracey Thorn called Night Time, available today!
Night Time track listing:
1. Night Time
2. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
3. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
4. Swimming (Charles Webster Dub)
On November 8, Merge Records will release Extended Plays, an extensive digital compilation that includes the Night Time EP and all other bonus content that Tracey has compiled with the release of Love and Its Opposite. Pre-order Extended Plays now at iTunes.
Tracey writes:
Although there is a minimal and traditional feel to the recordings on Love And Its Opposite, the remixes and B-sides from the same period offer more experimentation and playfulness. “Taxi Cab” was recorded in an afternoon for fun. The Andre Lodemann remix of “Why Does The Wind?” is one of my favourite deep house mixes of my songs, and WALLS brought a woozy dreaminess to the reflective “Kentish Town.” I love them all. A perfect companion piece to the original album.
Extended Plays 2010-2011 track listing:
1. Taxi Cab (Vampire Weekend Cover)
2. Why Does the Wind? (Ewan Pearson Radio Edit)
3. Why Does the Wind? (Morgan Geist Remix)
4. Why Does the Wind? (Michel Cleis Remix)
5. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Remix)
6. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Dub)
7. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
8. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
9. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
10. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
11. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens Cover)
12. Night Time (The xx Cover)
13. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
14. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
15. Swimming (Charles Webster Underwater Mix)
We have a very limited amount of import vinyl for Love and Its Opposite, Oh, The Divorces! b/w Taxi Cab, and You Are a Lover EP in the Merge store. Buy them before they’re gone!
Unfortunately, the project fell apart a few months later for numerous logistical reasons (not the least of which was the second wind breathed into the original album by the Mercury Prize victory) but not before Tracey had sung a new version of one of the album’s most beautiful songs, “Night Time.”
The track gathered dust for a few months, but it is rightfully seeing the light of day on a new digital EP from Tracey Thorn called Night Time, available today!
Night Time track listing:
1. Night Time
2. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
3. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
4. Swimming (Charles Webster Dub)
On November 8, Merge Records will release Extended Plays, an extensive digital compilation that includes the Night Time EP and all other bonus content that Tracey has compiled with the release of Love and Its Opposite. Pre-order Extended Plays now at iTunes.
Tracey writes:
Although there is a minimal and traditional feel to the recordings on Love And Its Opposite, the remixes and B-sides from the same period offer more experimentation and playfulness. “Taxi Cab” was recorded in an afternoon for fun. The Andre Lodemann remix of “Why Does The Wind?” is one of my favourite deep house mixes of my songs, and WALLS brought a woozy dreaminess to the reflective “Kentish Town.” I love them all. A perfect companion piece to the original album.
Extended Plays 2010-2011 track listing:
1. Taxi Cab (Vampire Weekend Cover)
2. Why Does the Wind? (Ewan Pearson Radio Edit)
3. Why Does the Wind? (Morgan Geist Remix)
4. Why Does the Wind? (Michel Cleis Remix)
5. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Remix)
6. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Dub)
7. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
8. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
9. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
10. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
11. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens Cover)
12. Night Time (The xx Cover)
13. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
14. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
15. Swimming (Charles Webster Underwater Mix)
We have a very limited amount of import vinyl for Love and Its Opposite, Oh, The Divorces! b/w Taxi Cab, and You Are a Lover EP in the Merge store. Buy them before they’re gone!
10/18/11
In the summer of 2010, Mercury Prize winners (and Everything But The Girl fans) The xx asked Tracey Thorn and her long-time partner in EBTG Ben Watt to record a track from The xx’s debut album for a special compilation the band was commissioning of covers of the album’s songs by their favorite artists. Unfortunately, the project fell apart a few months later for numerous logistical reasons (not the least of which was the second wind breathed into the original album by the Mercury Prize victory) but not before Tracey had sung a new version of one of the album’s most beautiful songs, “Night Time.”
The track gathered dust for a few months, but it is rightfully seeing the light of day on a new EP from Tracey Thorn called Night Time, to be released on Merge on November 1.
“Night Time” was handpicked by Tracey and features Ben guesting on guitars and backing vocals (it’s the first time the two have played together on a recording in over ten years) with the drums, programming, and mix coming courtesy of Tracey’s current production collaborator Ewan Pearson (producer of both Tracey’s recent acclaimed album Love and Its Opposite and 2007’s Out of the Woods). As Tracey rearticulates Romy’s lyrics, Ben fluidly arpeggiates the original interwoven guitar lines into one seamless pass while Ewan adds crisp, fresh half-tempo drums, atmospheric misty synths, and booming bass.
“Swimming,” one of Love and Its Opposite’s most popular tracks, is also revisited on this release. Ewan buffs up and re-edits last year’s remix by then-emerging-and-now-current dance producers du jour Visionquest (Detroit’s Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, and Lee Curtiss) into a new version, with judicious new drum parts and a sparkling widescreen mix-down. Meanwhile, UK underground house legend Charles Webster adds his magic to “Swimming” too, with a beautifully percussive main mix and a rainy, autumnal dub.
Tracey Thorn’s Night Time EP will be released on Merge as a digital download on November 1. Pre-order the Night Time digital EP now in the Merge store. Also, you can pre-order Night Time on blue vinyl from Buzzin’ Fly in the UK.
Night Time track listing:
1. Night Time
2. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
3. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
4. Swimming (Charles Webster Dub)
On November 8, Merge Records will release Extended Plays, an extensive digital compilation that includes the Night Time EP and all other bonus content that Tracey has compiled with the release of Love and Its Opposite. Pre-order Extended Plays now at iTunes.
Tracey writes:
1. Taxi Cab (Vampire Weekend Cover)
2. Why Does the Wind? (Ewan Pearson Radio Edit)
3. Why Does the Wind? (Morgan Geist Remix)
4. Why Does the Wind? (Michel Cleis Remix)
5. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Remix)
6. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Dub)
7. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
8. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
9. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
10. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
11. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens Cover)
12. Night Time (The xx Cover)
13. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
14. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
15. Swimming (Charles Webster Underwater Mix)
Tracey Thorn’s Love and Its Opposite is out now on CD, LP, and digital download on Merge Records.
The track gathered dust for a few months, but it is rightfully seeing the light of day on a new EP from Tracey Thorn called Night Time, to be released on Merge on November 1.
“Night Time” was handpicked by Tracey and features Ben guesting on guitars and backing vocals (it’s the first time the two have played together on a recording in over ten years) with the drums, programming, and mix coming courtesy of Tracey’s current production collaborator Ewan Pearson (producer of both Tracey’s recent acclaimed album Love and Its Opposite and 2007’s Out of the Woods). As Tracey rearticulates Romy’s lyrics, Ben fluidly arpeggiates the original interwoven guitar lines into one seamless pass while Ewan adds crisp, fresh half-tempo drums, atmospheric misty synths, and booming bass.
“Swimming,” one of Love and Its Opposite’s most popular tracks, is also revisited on this release. Ewan buffs up and re-edits last year’s remix by then-emerging-and-now-current dance producers du jour Visionquest (Detroit’s Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, and Lee Curtiss) into a new version, with judicious new drum parts and a sparkling widescreen mix-down. Meanwhile, UK underground house legend Charles Webster adds his magic to “Swimming” too, with a beautifully percussive main mix and a rainy, autumnal dub.
Tracey Thorn’s Night Time EP will be released on Merge as a digital download on November 1. Pre-order the Night Time digital EP now in the Merge store. Also, you can pre-order Night Time on blue vinyl from Buzzin’ Fly in the UK.
Night Time track listing:
1. Night Time
2. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
3. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
4. Swimming (Charles Webster Dub)
On November 8, Merge Records will release Extended Plays, an extensive digital compilation that includes the Night Time EP and all other bonus content that Tracey has compiled with the release of Love and Its Opposite. Pre-order Extended Plays now at iTunes.
Tracey writes:
Although there is a minimal and traditional feel to the recordings on Love And Its Opposite, the remixes and B-sides from the same period offer more experimentation and playfulness. “Taxi Cab” was recorded in an afternoon for fun. The Andre Lodemann remix of “Why Does The Wind?” is one of my favourite deep house mixes of my songs, and WALLS brought a woozy dreaminess to the reflective “Kentish Town.” I love them all. A perfect companion piece to the original album.Extended Plays 2010-2011 track listing:
1. Taxi Cab (Vampire Weekend Cover)
2. Why Does the Wind? (Ewan Pearson Radio Edit)
3. Why Does the Wind? (Morgan Geist Remix)
4. Why Does the Wind? (Michel Cleis Remix)
5. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Remix)
6. Why Does the Wind? (Andre Lodemann Dub)
7. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
8. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
9. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
10. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
11. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens Cover)
12. Night Time (The xx Cover)
13. Swimming (Visionquest Remix, Ewan Pearson Re-Edit)
14. Swimming (Charles Webster Remix)
15. Swimming (Charles Webster Underwater Mix)
Tracey Thorn’s Love and Its Opposite is out now on CD, LP, and digital download on Merge Records.
05/12/11
Tracey Thorn’s new digital EP, You are a Lover, is available now via our usual digital outlets including iTunes, Amazon, and the Merge store.
The Merge store version includes a free set of five JPG wallpapers created specifically for iPhone (320×480), iPad (1024×1024), and monitor resolutions 1280×800, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200. The iPad version is available for free to test out; all others only available with purchase exclusively in the Merge store.
The You Are a Lover EP was originally released as a limited-edition Record Store Day UK 10-inch on green vinyl. There are a few copies available in the Merge store in addition to the digital version.
Got a blog? Want to interview Tracey Thorn? Email us the link to your blog plus six imaginative questions about the new EP, Tracey’s most recent album, Love and Its Opposite or anything at all, really! The best blogs with the best questions will get a personal set of answers from Tracey. And when it’s finished, we’ll even circulate the link to your interview to push more people your way.
If you have a burning question for Tracey or if this just sounds like fun, send your entry to merge@mergerecords.com by May 24, 2011.
You Are a Lover EP track listing:
1. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
2. You Are a Lover (album version)
3. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens cover)
The Merge store version includes a free set of five JPG wallpapers created specifically for iPhone (320×480), iPad (1024×1024), and monitor resolutions 1280×800, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200. The iPad version is available for free to test out; all others only available with purchase exclusively in the Merge store.
The You Are a Lover EP was originally released as a limited-edition Record Store Day UK 10-inch on green vinyl. There are a few copies available in the Merge store in addition to the digital version.
Got a blog? Want to interview Tracey Thorn? Email us the link to your blog plus six imaginative questions about the new EP, Tracey’s most recent album, Love and Its Opposite or anything at all, really! The best blogs with the best questions will get a personal set of answers from Tracey. And when it’s finished, we’ll even circulate the link to your interview to push more people your way.
If you have a burning question for Tracey or if this just sounds like fun, send your entry to merge@mergerecords.com by May 24, 2011.
You Are a Lover EP track listing:
1. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
2. You Are a Lover (album version)
3. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens cover)
04/25/11
Today, we are releasing Tracey Thorn’s new digital EP You are a Lover via our usual digital outlets including iTunes, Amazon, and the Merge store. The Merge store version includes a free set of five JPG wallpapers created specifically for iPhone (320×480), iPad (1024×1024), along with monitor resolutions 1280×800, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200. The iPad version is available for free to test out, all others only available with purchase exclusively in the Merge store.
The You Are a Lover EP was originally released as a limited-edition Record Store Day UK 10-inch on green vinyl. There are a few UK import 10-inches available in the Merge store in addition to the digital version.
The You Are A Lover EP kicks off with a brand new remix of the title track (pulled from Tracey’s acclaimed recent album Love And Its Opposite) by hotly-tipped electronic chop-pop specialists, Clock Opera.
“Guy Connelly has a great voice, and I just like what he does with sounds, cutting things up and clipping them together,” says Tracey of the Clock Opera frontman. “Their song “Once and For All” was probably my favourite track of last year. There’s always a very human emotional element to their music, alongside the clockwork-y sounds. Perfect to remix me I thought, and Guy even sings some extra backing vocals on the remix!”
The EP also includes the stark original album version of “You Are A Lover” written by Hungarian gothic pop duo, The Unbending Trees, with whom Tracey collaborated in 2008.
“I ended up singing on their debut album after Ben signed them,” continues Tracey. “I then chose to record their song “You Are A Lover” for Love and Its Opposite. It was recorded in [producer] Ewan Pearson’s demo studio in Berlin. It was at the end of a day of recording ideas for songs. I wanted to capture a version of this and then decide how to do it. I plugged in my electric guitar and did the vocal at the same time. Because the studio is tiny, Ewan was sitting right beside me, trying not to cough or make his chair creak. It was slightly tense, but also had that end of the day relaxed feeling. Ewan thought it was only a demo but as soon as I’d finished it I knew I’d want to keep that version.”
To round off the release, the EP also features another cover version – Sufjan Stevens’ “Sister Winter” – that was originally offered as a free Christmas download for fans in December and is now available on vinyl for the first time, but it nearly never saw the light of day at all.
“I’d recorded it last summer, again with Ewan in Berlin, intending to put out maybe a brand new Christmas single,” says Tracey picking up the story. “Halfway through the recording though my Mum was taken very ill and I had to fly home to England. The project got shelved, the track half-finished. Then in November I suddenly thought it would be nice to mark Christmas in some way, and I asked Ewan to finish off and mix what we had recorded. I’m really happy in retrospect that we managed to salvage something so lovely and positive from that sad and difficult time last year.”
The new You Are a Lover EP is available now via digital download at iTunes, Amazon and the Merge store. The Merge store version includes a free set of five JPG wallpapers created specifically for iPhone (320×480), iPad (1024×1024), along with monitor resolutions 1280×800, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200. The iPad version is available for free to test out, all others only available with purchase exclusively in the Merge store.
You Are a Lover EP track listing:
1. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
2. You Are a Lover (Album version)
3. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens cover)
The You Are a Lover EP was originally released as a limited-edition Record Store Day UK 10-inch on green vinyl. There are a few UK import 10-inches available in the Merge store in addition to the digital version.
The You Are A Lover EP kicks off with a brand new remix of the title track (pulled from Tracey’s acclaimed recent album Love And Its Opposite) by hotly-tipped electronic chop-pop specialists, Clock Opera.
“Guy Connelly has a great voice, and I just like what he does with sounds, cutting things up and clipping them together,” says Tracey of the Clock Opera frontman. “Their song “Once and For All” was probably my favourite track of last year. There’s always a very human emotional element to their music, alongside the clockwork-y sounds. Perfect to remix me I thought, and Guy even sings some extra backing vocals on the remix!”
The EP also includes the stark original album version of “You Are A Lover” written by Hungarian gothic pop duo, The Unbending Trees, with whom Tracey collaborated in 2008.
“I ended up singing on their debut album after Ben signed them,” continues Tracey. “I then chose to record their song “You Are A Lover” for Love and Its Opposite. It was recorded in [producer] Ewan Pearson’s demo studio in Berlin. It was at the end of a day of recording ideas for songs. I wanted to capture a version of this and then decide how to do it. I plugged in my electric guitar and did the vocal at the same time. Because the studio is tiny, Ewan was sitting right beside me, trying not to cough or make his chair creak. It was slightly tense, but also had that end of the day relaxed feeling. Ewan thought it was only a demo but as soon as I’d finished it I knew I’d want to keep that version.”
To round off the release, the EP also features another cover version – Sufjan Stevens’ “Sister Winter” – that was originally offered as a free Christmas download for fans in December and is now available on vinyl for the first time, but it nearly never saw the light of day at all.
“I’d recorded it last summer, again with Ewan in Berlin, intending to put out maybe a brand new Christmas single,” says Tracey picking up the story. “Halfway through the recording though my Mum was taken very ill and I had to fly home to England. The project got shelved, the track half-finished. Then in November I suddenly thought it would be nice to mark Christmas in some way, and I asked Ewan to finish off and mix what we had recorded. I’m really happy in retrospect that we managed to salvage something so lovely and positive from that sad and difficult time last year.”
The new You Are a Lover EP is available now via digital download at iTunes, Amazon and the Merge store. The Merge store version includes a free set of five JPG wallpapers created specifically for iPhone (320×480), iPad (1024×1024), along with monitor resolutions 1280×800, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200. The iPad version is available for free to test out, all others only available with purchase exclusively in the Merge store.
You Are a Lover EP track listing:
1. You Are a Lover (Clock Opera Remix)
2. You Are a Lover (Album version)
3. Sister Winter (Sufjan Stevens cover)
12/15/10
As a Thank You for all the love and attention paid to her album this year, Love And Its Opposite, Tracey Thorn shins down the chimney to deliver a FREE Christmas Stocking to warm the winter fireside.
Inside you’ll find a brand new cover version of Sufjan Stevens’ seasonal classic, “Sister Winter” recorded in Berlin with producer Ewan Pearson, plus a filmed live-at-home performance of “Singles Bar” (from her current album Love And Its Opposite) featuring Ewan on keyboards and Tracey’s partner, Ben Watt on electric guitar. In addition there is a personal photo of Tracey snapped by Ben in Brooklyn during her promo trip to New York in April this year.
Spin.com is offering a stream of “Sister Winter” now, and click here to download the whole “Christmas Stocking” full of goodies from Tracey Thorn!
Inside you’ll find a brand new cover version of Sufjan Stevens’ seasonal classic, “Sister Winter” recorded in Berlin with producer Ewan Pearson, plus a filmed live-at-home performance of “Singles Bar” (from her current album Love And Its Opposite) featuring Ewan on keyboards and Tracey’s partner, Ben Watt on electric guitar. In addition there is a personal photo of Tracey snapped by Ben in Brooklyn during her promo trip to New York in April this year.
Spin.com is offering a stream of “Sister Winter” now, and click here to download the whole “Christmas Stocking” full of goodies from Tracey Thorn!
12/02/10
It’s easy to miss out on some of the digital-only releases we throw your way—the Internet is a pretty crowded place these days! Here’s a quick summary of what you may have missed:
The limited-edition Destroyer 12-inch “Archer on the Beach” is out-of-print in the Merge store, but you can now buy the songs via digital download!
Don’t miss out on Swim Remixes—Caribou’s answer to what happens when you put one of the year’s hottest dance records in the hands of some of the world’s best DJs! With reworks of some of Swim’s hottest cuts by Junior Boys, Fuck Buttons, Nite Jewel, DJ Koze, Walls, Gold Panda, Gavin Russom, and more, Swim Remixes contains over an hour-and-a-half of new, fresh takes on Caribou’s latest opus.
Let’s Wrestle bring us a tasty piece of next year’s sophomore record with the “Getting Rest”/“When I Was In Hospital” digital single. Be warned: these young Londoners are not to be missed.
Shout Out Louds’ Fall Hard EP expands upon Work’s catchy first single with non-album cuts “Fall Hard Pt. 2” and “Can’t Explain.”
Lou Barlow + the missingmen’s = Sentridoh III is Lou’s first recorded output with new backing band the missingmen. Described by the band as “an almost live representation of the Lou Barlow + the missingmen live show,” this mini-album breathes new, rocking life into Sebadoh and Sentridoh classics, Lou’s solo material, and even a haunting cover of the timeless Skip James song “I’m So Glad.”
Tracey Thorn followed up this year’s gorgeous Love and Its Opposite with a pair of digital EPs, Why Does the Wind? and Opposites, that offer up wildly creative remixes of some of the album’s most-loved songs. Why Does the Wind? pairs the album track of the same name with remixes by Morgan Geist, Michel Clies, and André Lodemann, along with a radio edit and dub version. As for the Opposites EP, Tracey herself probably says it best: “If the remixes for the last single ‘Why Does the Wind?’ were aimed at the dancefloor, these are perhaps aimed more at the head.” Visionquest (“Swimming”), Walls (“Kentish Town”), and Blue Daisy (“Late in the Afternoon”) provide penetrating new takes presented alongside the originals.
Let’s also revisit Lambchop’s magnetic Live at XX Merge performance; Portastatic’s Make It Sound In Tune EP; digital reissues of Richard Buckner’s landmark albums Impasse, The Hill, and Bloomed; and The Ladybug Transistor’s fantastic Here Comes the Rain covers EP.
Our Holiday Coupon applies to digital releases, too, so download away!
The limited-edition Destroyer 12-inch “Archer on the Beach” is out-of-print in the Merge store, but you can now buy the songs via digital download!
Don’t miss out on Swim Remixes—Caribou’s answer to what happens when you put one of the year’s hottest dance records in the hands of some of the world’s best DJs! With reworks of some of Swim’s hottest cuts by Junior Boys, Fuck Buttons, Nite Jewel, DJ Koze, Walls, Gold Panda, Gavin Russom, and more, Swim Remixes contains over an hour-and-a-half of new, fresh takes on Caribou’s latest opus.
Let’s Wrestle bring us a tasty piece of next year’s sophomore record with the “Getting Rest”/“When I Was In Hospital” digital single. Be warned: these young Londoners are not to be missed.
Shout Out Louds’ Fall Hard EP expands upon Work’s catchy first single with non-album cuts “Fall Hard Pt. 2” and “Can’t Explain.”
Lou Barlow + the missingmen’s = Sentridoh III is Lou’s first recorded output with new backing band the missingmen. Described by the band as “an almost live representation of the Lou Barlow + the missingmen live show,” this mini-album breathes new, rocking life into Sebadoh and Sentridoh classics, Lou’s solo material, and even a haunting cover of the timeless Skip James song “I’m So Glad.”
Tracey Thorn followed up this year’s gorgeous Love and Its Opposite with a pair of digital EPs, Why Does the Wind? and Opposites, that offer up wildly creative remixes of some of the album’s most-loved songs. Why Does the Wind? pairs the album track of the same name with remixes by Morgan Geist, Michel Clies, and André Lodemann, along with a radio edit and dub version. As for the Opposites EP, Tracey herself probably says it best: “If the remixes for the last single ‘Why Does the Wind?’ were aimed at the dancefloor, these are perhaps aimed more at the head.” Visionquest (“Swimming”), Walls (“Kentish Town”), and Blue Daisy (“Late in the Afternoon”) provide penetrating new takes presented alongside the originals.
Let’s also revisit Lambchop’s magnetic Live at XX Merge performance; Portastatic’s Make It Sound In Tune EP; digital reissues of Richard Buckner’s landmark albums Impasse, The Hill, and Bloomed; and The Ladybug Transistor’s fantastic Here Comes the Rain covers EP.
Our Holiday Coupon applies to digital releases, too, so download away!
07/30/10
On August 31, Tracey Thorn will release Opposites - a special digital-only EP of experimental remixes of tracks from her acclaimed new album Love And Its Opposite. If the album, produced by Ewan Pearson, was heralded for its unadorned and direct honesty, the remixes are deliberately oblique reinterpretations that throw a new sidelight on three of the album’s key tracks.
“If the remixes for the last single ‘Why Does The Wind?‘ were aimed at the dancefloor, these are perhaps aimed more at the head.” says Tracey. “People often only remember the dance remixes I have been involved with, and forget the great futuristic re-works of my voice over the years by people like Photek, Omni Trio and Howie B. If my versions of my songs are often plain and direct, these mixes add question marks and blind alleys, and I like that. It adds a different colour and makes them closer to my work with Massive Attack perhaps.”
For the EP, the album’s closing track, ‘Swimming’ (featuring Nashville’s Cortney Tidwell) is remixed into a psychedelic West Coast journey by Visionquest. Fronted by Detroit’s Seth Troxler, Visionquest is Seth plus American sparring partners Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss, who all ran the influential Tesh Club together before Seth moved to Berlin to become resident DJ at the city’s pivotal Club der Visionare and Weekend Clubs in 2008. The move has made Seth one of Europe’s most in-demand DJs of late. Cortney and Tracey’s backing vocals are looped into a swirling head-swim before the track locks onto a killer Fleetwood Mac groove for a deep Balearic summer ride.
WALLS are Sam Willis (from influential electronic music blog, Allez-Allez) and Alessio Natalizia (Banjo or Freakout). Their recent debut album on German uber-label Kompakt has been one of the year’s sleeper hits. Mixing the same influences that pepper the album, their rework of ‘Kentish Town’ is a woozy blissed-out dream, part Krautrock, part Eno-esque ambience.
Kwesi Darko aka Blue Daisy runs Camden Town’s Black Acre and has turned it into one of the labels to watch over the past few months. The imprint has delivered a string of inventive post-dubstep soundscapes for forward-looking dancefloors and afterhours parties alike. Drawing on dub, hip-hop and rich synthetic orchestration, Blue Daisy’s take on ‘Late In The Afternoon’ is blunted and cinematic, heavy on sub-bass and twinkling stressed-out FX.
Tracey Thorn’s Opposites EP will be available beginning August 24 exclusively on Beatport and then on the usual digital outlets beginning August 31. Download a free MP3 of “Kentish Town (Walls Remix)” and feel free to share!
Tracklist:
1. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
2. Swimming (Album Version)
3. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
4. Kentish Town (Album Version)
5. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
6. Late in the Afternoon (Album Version)
“If the remixes for the last single ‘Why Does The Wind?‘ were aimed at the dancefloor, these are perhaps aimed more at the head.” says Tracey. “People often only remember the dance remixes I have been involved with, and forget the great futuristic re-works of my voice over the years by people like Photek, Omni Trio and Howie B. If my versions of my songs are often plain and direct, these mixes add question marks and blind alleys, and I like that. It adds a different colour and makes them closer to my work with Massive Attack perhaps.”
For the EP, the album’s closing track, ‘Swimming’ (featuring Nashville’s Cortney Tidwell) is remixed into a psychedelic West Coast journey by Visionquest. Fronted by Detroit’s Seth Troxler, Visionquest is Seth plus American sparring partners Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss, who all ran the influential Tesh Club together before Seth moved to Berlin to become resident DJ at the city’s pivotal Club der Visionare and Weekend Clubs in 2008. The move has made Seth one of Europe’s most in-demand DJs of late. Cortney and Tracey’s backing vocals are looped into a swirling head-swim before the track locks onto a killer Fleetwood Mac groove for a deep Balearic summer ride.
WALLS are Sam Willis (from influential electronic music blog, Allez-Allez) and Alessio Natalizia (Banjo or Freakout). Their recent debut album on German uber-label Kompakt has been one of the year’s sleeper hits. Mixing the same influences that pepper the album, their rework of ‘Kentish Town’ is a woozy blissed-out dream, part Krautrock, part Eno-esque ambience.
Kwesi Darko aka Blue Daisy runs Camden Town’s Black Acre and has turned it into one of the labels to watch over the past few months. The imprint has delivered a string of inventive post-dubstep soundscapes for forward-looking dancefloors and afterhours parties alike. Drawing on dub, hip-hop and rich synthetic orchestration, Blue Daisy’s take on ‘Late In The Afternoon’ is blunted and cinematic, heavy on sub-bass and twinkling stressed-out FX.
Tracey Thorn’s Opposites EP will be available beginning August 24 exclusively on Beatport and then on the usual digital outlets beginning August 31. Download a free MP3 of “Kentish Town (Walls Remix)” and feel free to share!
Tracklist:
1. Swimming (Visionquest Remix)
2. Swimming (Album Version)
3. Kentish Town (Walls Remix)
4. Kentish Town (Album Version)
5. Late in the Afternoon (Blue Daisy Remix)
6. Late in the Afternoon (Album Version)
A Distant Shore :: (Cooking Vinyl) 1982
Raise the Roof :: single (Virgin) 2007
King's Cross :: single (Virgin) 2007
It's All True :: single (Virgin) 2007
Out of the Woods :: (Astralwerks) 2007
Grand Canyon :: single (Virgin) 2007
Love and Its Opposite :: CD (Merge) 2010
"Oh, the Divorces" b/w/ "Taxi Cab" :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Why Does the Wind? :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Opposites :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Night Time :: digital EP (Merge) 2011
You Are a Lover :: digital single (Merge) 2011
Extended Plays 2010-2011 :: digital (Merge) 2011
Joy :: digital single (Merge) 2012
Tinsel and Lights :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
Raise the Roof :: single (Virgin) 2007
King's Cross :: single (Virgin) 2007
It's All True :: single (Virgin) 2007
Out of the Woods :: (Astralwerks) 2007
Grand Canyon :: single (Virgin) 2007
Love and Its Opposite :: CD (Merge) 2010
"Oh, the Divorces" b/w/ "Taxi Cab" :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Why Does the Wind? :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Opposites :: digital single (Merge) 2010
Night Time :: digital EP (Merge) 2011
You Are a Lover :: digital single (Merge) 2011
Extended Plays 2010-2011 :: digital (Merge) 2011
Joy :: digital single (Merge) 2012
Tinsel and Lights :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
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