Alela & Alina: Harmonies Good for the Soul

Alela & Alina: Harmonies Good for the Soul

Alela and Alina: Alliteration Abounds!
So, big news in the folk world (which consists of more people than just myself, turn out), is that Alela Diane and Alina Hardin are teaming up for an EP! It is called "Alela and Alina." Duh. It's being sold as a "companion album" to Diane's (excellent) album released earlier this year To Be Still.

There are six songs total on this ep: some old, some new. The three I have heard are absolutely lovely, my favorite being "Bowling Green"

While I must admit that I had not even heard of Alina's name before this glorious event, I gave both her and the duo a good listening to (based on the sole theory that anything Alela is involved with must be pleasant to the ears) and I was not disappointed. Alina has a soft, whispery voice, and a simple guitar to accompany her. Together, their voices find their home. Somehow they just fit perfectly. It is beautiful to behold.

The EP is available now via Rough Trade Records and there's even a special 10" vinyl. But, buy quickly. They are only printing 100 copies!

(plus, their song, "The Rake" correlates with my homework reading, so this can't even be considered procrastination. Thanks guys!)

Cuddle Buddies: Alela Diane

Cuddle Buddies: Alela Diane

Alela Diane Promotes Tranquility

In order to support artists from the Great Northwest, we here at BCB present Cuddle Buddies. A biweekly article about regional artists we think you should check out.

When I first began listening to Alela Diane, it was purely because of how much I love singing along to her songs. But, after a while, I realized that I couldn't stay away for more than a few days. I'd be scrolling through my itunes looking for music to listen to and her name's always at the beginning of the alphabet, I would try to skip over her name, but a little voice in my head would say, "ooh! alela!" (not to mention Alela is so much fun to say...) Her voice is captivating. Even mesmerizing, and it kept drawing me back.

Her new album, To Be Still, has been receiving a lot of attention lately. The folks over at poptartssucktoasted labeled her new album "definitely buzzworthy." Similarly, Gorillavs.Bear has a "well-documented love"for Diane and most recently they posted her warm and eerie video, "White As Diamonds." It seems that no one can quite get enough of Alela, newly signed on Rough Trade Records. And with good cause. She's amazing.

Many of the new songs aren't really new at all, they're remakes of her older songs, but every one of the remakes is much fuller and richer. Her music has a great old folk feeling; each of the songs tell a story with such imagery to place you directly in the nature she so seems to love. But don't think you'll just get the same old thing that's already been done either: her voice is her own (with a tiny hint of Joanna Newsom's whimsically warbly warble) and it turns the classic folk into a story out of a different world. Every song is completely wonderful and each time I listen, I am transported to isolated woods of nostalgia.

Also, if you're lucky enough to make it over to Austin, TX by March 20, you can catch Alela Diane at SXSW. And this is a cute video she did with her dad accompanying her on mandolin

Download "White as Diamonds" hizzle

Listen To Be Still at Rhapsody here

Buy Amazon.com here