Popey Face North

While Mike Nichols' 1966 film of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? gets more frightening every time you watch it, Alexander North's score to the same film gets more consoling every time you hear it. Nichols' film, particularly the performances by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, has scenes of terrific intensity, but North's score, though faithful to what's on screen, has a tenderness, even a sweetness, that transforms the ultimate meaning of the film. Part of it is North's characteristically evocative orchestration with some cues delicately scored for guitar, celesta, bass clarinet, harpsichord, and a pair of harps, while others are scored for spare almost spooky winds arrayed against soothing strings. But most of it is North's soaring melodies and brooding harmonies – and especially his big-hearted main theme. By prefiguring the film's reconciliatory ending, the solace offered by North's score transfigures all the horrors enacted between Taylor and Burton.

Above the Arctic Circle, a-ha recorded their 1st collection of new songs since 2015’s Cast in Steel: True North is a letter from a-ha, and a poem from the far north of Norway. Accompanied by a film, the album combines the band’s visions and the talent of Norwegian orchestra Arctic Philharmonic to weave a narrative reminding us of our collective connection to the environment. This multimedia experience with a powerful narrative is unique for a-ha.

All tracks recorded live at The North Sea Jazz Festival, 1985, Tuinpaviljoen, The Hague, The Netherlands.

Exit North - Book Of Romance And Dust (2018) {EN 01} (ft. Steve Jansen}
FLAC (tracks) - Official Digital Download (bandcamp.com) -> 341 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Exit North | EN 01
Experimental / Art Rock / Ambient / Atmospheric / Melancholic

An uncompromising debut album that explores the collective psyches and diverse influences of its renowned members. The focus is on songcraft that seamlessly combines genres and lyrical perspectives that shift between shadows and light.

Bursting with youthful passion, California's Run River North create a lush and soothing world on their self-titled debut album. Since forming in 2011, the six-member ensemble from the San Fernando Valley has diligently honed their brand of heartfelt, orchestral indie pop on-stage and at home, and they've even filmed a video of themselves recording tracks in their cars. With their folky, anthemic sound and warm harmonies, comparisons to similarly minded bands like Of Monsters and Men and The Head and the Heart are apt, although even at their most serious, they still exude a sort of laid-back West Coast charm that could only come from kids who grew up in the Valley. Working with producer Phil Ek, whose credits include other throaty troubadours like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses, the group has laid a sturdy foundation of well-written acoustic pop with songs like "Monsters Calling Home," "Fight to Keep," and the buoyant rocker "Excuses." Their music is rich and expansive and the songs often deal with broad themes of emotional and spiritual struggle like on "Beetle" and "Somewhere."