Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead

I wanted to mention a few cool indie bands that I've revisited this week:



The first band is Azure Ray. The band consists of Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The two met at the age of 15 and have been playing together ever since. Their style has an alt-country feel to it with the lyrics being very personal. The song "Look To Me" from the CD titled Hold On Love is almost a doomed love song. The wispy vocals emit strong feelings with a hint of resignation that it won't last. Admitting a sense of dysfunction almost excuses the inevitability of doom. The featured song from the November EP CD is called "For The Sake Of The Song". It was written by the great Townes Van Zant, a sort of cult musician for country and folk music. The song tries to explain the failures of a relationship, explaining that a realization will come down the road in reflection.

Both CD's are very good for those into low-key sounds such as Mazzy Star or Cowboy Junkies. Maria Taylor recently released her 2nd solo album and Orenda has one to her credit. They have also appeared on recordings for Bright Eyes and Moby, too.



The second group is called Now It's Overhead. The mastermind and songwriter for the band is Andy LeMaster. He penned all of the songs off of the two albums reviewed. The first song from Dark Light Daybreak from 2006 is called "Let The Sirens Rest". It is about breaking away from a past life and throwing off the chains of old and embracing the new better life. On 2004's Fall Back Open album, the song titled "Surrender" is the realization that there is no running from this love that is found. There's no sense in fighting it and the resignation is final.

Not so coincidentally, Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink are also a part of this band, recruited by Andy. He liked them when he heard their Azure Ray recordings and layers their voices in brilliantly. The sound is a sort of dream-pop with synthy overtones. Andy and Orenda have also appeared with the band Japancakes, too.

If you get a chance to check any of these above indie releases from the past few years, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and might wonder how you missed them. The Saddle Creek label has a great reputation for cranking out great alt-folk and these above artists are a few of the best.

My next posting will be on my trips to Japan.

K