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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : Empress
t i t l e : Tea For Two EP
d a t e : 2003
l a b e l : Misplaced Music (MM05)
g e n r e : Indie
r l s. d a t e : January/2005
t r a c k s : 04
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 19,2 MB
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"An excellent return. Their music is simply wonderful. A quiet
pastoral drift with bits of guitar, piano, electronics and
lovely lady vocals." - Norman Records
"Delicately frail 4 track offering from Empress that oozes tear
stained lullabies and deep melancholia like it was going out
of fashion. 'Tea for Two' has the same kind of icy fragility
that's more associated with the likes of Mum, clockwork toy
electronics recalling early Plone quietly unfurl growing in
stature from a whisper to a murmur all the time Nicola
Hodkinson's softening vocals caressing the surface. 'Tutto
Solo' is both haunting and tragic sounding so much so that
you'll find it difficult to resist giving it a re-assuring
cuddle. Rustic chords and a listless piano with the merest of
clicks and shuffles flutter elegantly catching cold in the
winters gaze. So sparsely arranged is 'People do worse' that
you'll literally be heart breaking on the spot, shyly
beautiful but painfully sorrowful as the near still melodies
almost pick at your emotions. Concluding with 'Drink the town
dry' that courts with child like melodies lovingly lost in
their own beguiling magic, it's enough to make a grown man
weep and I should know. All in all think of a docile Broadcast
being remixed by Boards of Canada and Low in the background
fooling with the resulting tapes." - Losing Today
"Like the ever-lovely Low, Leeds duo Empress make music that is
ultra-slow and not so much ultra-quiet as infra-loud, in that
the lack of apparent volume mearly cranks up the tension in
your ears, making each slowly plucked acoustic guitar not and
breath of Nicola Hodgkinson's wispy vocals as important as a
stadium riff. Raindrop-light piano and unobtrusively shuffing
beats add more featherweight texture: the title track of this
four-song 'Tea For Two' EP is so subtle that you can only
conclude that it must have recorded itself whilst they had
popped out for a cuppa." - Leeds Guide
"Empress make a long awaited return with this limited 7"
featuring 4 brand new songs. Now a duo of Nicola Hodgkinson
(ex Boyracer, Hem, Hood collaborator) and Chris Coyle (who
also records under the name Halkyn) their stripped down sound
has remained intact whilst sampled beats and loops have come
to the surface. This does not however detract from the lovely
minimilist compositions that have previously drawn comparisons
to Low, Catpower and Ida. Empress have recorded for 555 and
Geographic and played shows with Low, Rachel's, Alasdair
Roberts and The Pastels. Limited to 500 numbered copies with
sleeves handmade by the band." - www.tonevendor.com/item/9947
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01-People Do Worse [03:03]
02-Drink The Town Dry [03:15]
03-Tea For Two [03:08]
04-Tutto Solo [02:47]
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12:13 min
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