My Brightest Diamond Releasing New Album + "Reaching Through To the Other Side" MP3

My Brightest Diamond (nee Shara Worden) is set to release her third studio album, All Things Will Unwind, on October 18th via Asthmatic Kitty. Download the beautiful chamber pop piece "Reaching Through To the Other Side" below.

MP3: My Brightest Diamond - "Reaching Through To the Other Side"

There's a deep, subtle but haunting throb of bass that plays throughout, absorbing your attention as it establishes a striking mood. Living up to its title, "Reaching Through To the Other Side" sounds like a beautiful, awe-inspiring trip past the veil of reality. Worden's voice is incredibly sweet, and, backed by a lush arrangement of instruments, is equally as penetrating.

REVIEW: Liz Janes - Say Goodbye

Liz Janes - Say Goodbye
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Saying Liz Janes is a bit of a chanteuse is like saying Ella Fitzgerald was a great singer. Like Fitzgerald, there’s a soothing serenity to Janes’ voice, one that’s capable of quieting anything with its gentle, angelic, honeyed tone. Surrounded by a yin-yang of spacey folk and jazz-inflected soul, cradled by a spacious amount of reverb, Janes’ voice soars with a comforting, reassuring strength.

It’s been five years since Liz Janes’ last release (the 2005’s collaboration with LA free-jazz collective Create (!) ) and nearly six years since Janes’ last solo album (2004’s Poison & Snakes). Say Goodbye, released this past December, moves away from the indie and folk rock tendencies of Poison & Snakes and the avant folk experimentalism of 2005’s Create (!) collaboration towards more jazz and pop-oriented material. It’s refreshing to hear an artist take risks with his or her sound and direction, and Janes is no exception – precisely why Say Goodbye sounds somewhat adventurous without ever really attempting to do so.

LISTEN: Liz Janes - "I Don't Believe"

By Danny Santos II

MP3: Liz Janes - "I Don't Believe"

There's something truly profound about Liz Janes' chanteuse-style and cool jazz appeal. She sings from the roots of her heart and soul, and yet manages to leave something for the imagination to mull over. There's a reserved beauty to it all, and yet it still radiates a brilliant aura of emotion. It's this unspoken intimacy that draws you deep inside the song's sultry mood. It's a song that crosses a jazz cool with pop accessibility as Janes ruminates over a soulful rhythm. All throughout it's an airy meditation on love, and, in its own special way, rather dreamlike.

BUY: "I Don't Believe" is from Liz Janes' new album, Say Goodbye, out December 7th on Asthmatic Kitty. You can pre-order it on Amazon or directly from Asthmatic Kitty here.

Liz Janes
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SURPRISE! New Sufjan Stevens EP Available Right Now

Whenever singer-songwriter/composer/indie folk mastermind Sufjan Stevens releases new music, it always seems like a good time to celebrate and get excited. Right now, you can pick up the new 8-song, hour-long All Delighted People EP online. A quote on Sufjan's Bandcamp site explains it all.

All Delighted People is built around two different versions of Sufjan’s long-form epic ballad "All Delighted People," a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s "Sounds of Silence." Sounds delightful, yes! The song was originally workshopped on Sufjan’s previous tour in the fall of 2009. Other songs on the EP include the 17-minute guitar jam-for-single-mothers "Djohariah," and the gothic piano ballad "The Owl and the Tanager," a live-show mainstay (and Debbie Downer if you ask us; what’s it doing on a "Delighted" EP?).

Stream the new EP below and pick it up here.

Learn more about the EP, its physical releases as well as additional digital releases at Asthmatic Kitty's website.