July 23, 200619 yr So, a friend of mine came across an artist recently that has really grabbed my attention. I know it's a bit way off the beaten path, but I'm enjoying it so much I just had to pass it along. And lets face it, most music like this doesn't exactly discover itself! Emilie Autumn She's a classically trained violinist who specialized in boroque pieces. She pretty much abandoned her classical career by the age of 18. She started her own label, releasing one boroque solo-violin album, On A Day... before developing a sound she describes as "Victoriandustrial" and her look as "Punktorian." Both seem quite fitting. A little bit of harpsichord, a little bit of violin with some samples, beats and her developing vocal skills and the result is a pleasant surprise. The resulting albums, the Chambermaid EP, By The Sword Charity Single, Enchant, the Opheliac EP & the upcoming Opheliac LP are quite the sonic adventures. Her work reminds me a little of the queens of "Neo-Victorian Chamber Rock," Rasputina. There's something fun and subversive combining classical instruments and training with rock sensibilities. And Emily Autumn manages to walk the line of playful and aggressive, with theatrics and style to spare. My favorite quote from her bio: "Originally from Malibu, California, EA is now a proud Chicagoan, and can most often be found at nightspots such as the Metro and DoubleDoor as well as cavorting around the city's downtown in her Victorian bustle skirt, corset, and combat boots, attracting a ridiculous amount of attention." It's nice that someone who makes such an effort with the visuals backs it up with some serious talent and creativity. Anyway, you can check her out at: http://www.emilieautumn.com/main.html http://www.myspace.com/emilieautumn Unfortunately her albums aren't available anywhere but from the label, which doesn't seem to have the best track record for speedy service. But full-length samples are floating out there and worth looking for. So, if you check her out, let me know what you think... Hope someone likes it! Ian
July 23, 200619 yr I'd try her stuff too! looks interesting. She needs to add some leather to her wardrobe though.... j/k welll.. maybe not.
July 23, 200619 yr She needs to add some leather to her wardrobe though...If she's anything like my friends from that particular circle of people, she is wearing leather...underneath...
July 23, 200619 yr If she's anything like my friends from that particular circle of people, she is wearing leather...underneath... quoted for appreciation. :o
July 23, 200619 yr Author I've been listening to her a bunch today at work. It's been pretty fun to hear her growth as an artist and the process of finding her own thing. Enchant, the corresponding Chambermaid EP and the By the Sword single are more melodic, with only flashes of the "edge" to come. Enchant is available for free download @ her official site. The Opheliac EP seems to be a pretty big step from gothic/fantasy/rock/classical pieces with limited electronic & industrial flourishes to the full-on "Victoriandustrial" sound she's been working towards. And with the LP to come, I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more. The newer stuff is definitely the kind of stuff I want to hear!
July 24, 200619 yr Her Enchant Microsite wont let me downlaod the album... care to share it? I'm assuming this wouldn't be a big deal since you can download it for free from her.
July 24, 200619 yr Did you try downloading it track by track? That's what I did and it worked just fine. I'm listening to it now, interesting stuff for sure and not at all what I expected. Not sure what exactly I expected though .
July 24, 200619 yr Author I might be able to get them up somewhere... I'll check tonight & let you know.
July 24, 200619 yr No need I have them and zipped them already for anyone that wants it: http://head-case.org/Emilie_Autumn-Enchant.zip
July 24, 200619 yr No need I have them and zipped them already for anyone that wants it: http://head-case.org/Emilie_Autumn-Enchant.zip Awesome, Thanks.
July 25, 200619 yr Thanks tkam... What bitrate are these in? I forgot to check before I ripped them to a CD...running out of hard drive space.
July 25, 200619 yr Author 160 kbps. Unfortunately all the downloads, with the exception of the Opheliac EP (192 kbps), are @ 160. The Opheliac EP is definitely my favorite. "Opheliac" is out-fucking-standing.
July 25, 200619 yr 160 kbps. Unfortunately all the downloads, with the exception of the Opheliac EP (192 kbps), are @ 160. The Opheliac EP is definitely my favorite. "Opheliac" is out-fucking-standing. I just may look into buying it. Thanks for the reccomendation.
July 26, 200619 yr Okay, I take back what I said in the now listening thread, this is outstanding. Those are real harpsichords, not presets, and the music is nicely layered, hearing more things on every listen. Listen carefully, for example, to what she does with her voice during "Second Hand Faith". On first glance, it sounds like a Fiona Apple thingy. But those shifts from head-voice to chest-voice sound...I don't know what the word is...unreal? "Heard It All" is easily my favourite track. So...checking out her website, Opheliac is temporarily out-of-print and they're offering it at a discounted download, but without the extras (whatever those are)...think I'll wait until it comes back into print. I like extras. And apparently they were robbed almost two months ago. So if you like her stuff, buy it eventually. She would definitely fit right in with the DC goth/industrial crowd.
July 26, 200619 yr Oh, and love the "influence" list (on her MySpace site). And her singing style (especially on Opheliac) reminds me of someone -- I can't put my finger on it. Anyone know of whom she reminds me?
July 27, 200619 yr Finally had some time to give Enchant a try, very good stuff I'm impressed. Thanks for the recommendation.
July 27, 200619 yr Author I've been listening to the Opheliac EP a lot the last few days. The stand-out tracks are definitely:"Opheliac" This track has a little bit of everything... Gotta love the harpsichord intro, followed by the ebb & flow of aggression. Plenty of atmosphere here, with lots of textures."Misery Loves Company" Now this is just amazing. It's got a some great vocal work (dualing vocals with different tone), and the synth line is sooooo good."Marry Me" If you looked up subversive in the dictionary, this could be what you see. A very simple harpsichord base with some truely twisted lyrics that aren't what you'd expect given the setting or her singing style. Hidden Track ("Thank God I'm Pretty"??) After "Marry Me" finishes, there's a fucking great track that's strings and vocals with some great subtly sarcastic lyrics. This is the best kind of hidden track... Definitely not a throw-away. It's a track that could stand on its own, but is also so much fun to find burried at the end of the album. I'm glad people are liking what they hear... It's definitely a breath of fresh air. I love when someone has the creativity to try something new and the talent to pull it off. Her voice was really a pleasant surprise knowing she was trained as a violinist.
August 7, 200619 yr Author Well, a little news on the EA front... So I guess it's time to check her site & MySpace page daily to make sure I get in on the pre-order.
August 19, 200619 yr Author Check out Emilie's'>http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=3355281&blogID=157379882&MyToken=1d0f2b59-5b4b-4511-8920-906ae121e54e"]Emilie's Latest MySpace Blog Entry for pre-order info. Needless to say, this news makes me very happy, and my pre-order has been placed!!!
September 27, 200619 yr Author Well, a certain shipment arrived for me yesterday. The packaging is absolutely beautiful, and it's nice to have an uncompressed version of this. "Marry Me" and the hidden "Thank God I'm Pretty" have been moved to the bonus disc, so now the actual CD has the first 6 songs from the EP and 6 new songs. It's going to take a while to figure out exactly what I think of the 6 new tracks (and 2 new bonus tracks), but after a couple of listens there doesn't appear to be a weak one among them. So, if anyone liked what they heard and were holding out until the actual CD became available, now's the time!
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