-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: Christine Owman
ALBUM...: Little Beast
GENRE...: Jazz
STYLE...: Art Pop, Avant-garde Jazz, Singer-Songwriter, Trance, Electronic
YEAR....: 2013
LABEL...: Glitterhouse
COUNTRY.: Sweden
PLACE...: Malm÷, Skσne lΣn
ENCODER.: FLAC 1.3.1 -8 -V
BITRATE.: 818 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / 2 channels
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 10
SIZE....: 219.06 MB
URL..: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Owman
- TRACKLIST
1 Wait No 2:57
2 One Of The Folks (feat. Mark Lanegan) 4:05
3 Fear & The Body 3:28
4 Familiar Act (feat. Mark Lanegan) 3:35
5 Deathbed 3:41
6 Day 1 4:10
7 I'm Sorry I 4:30
8 Devils Walk 3:36
9 I'd Rather Die Than Play Dead 4:07
10 Your Blood 3:09
Total Playtime: 37:18
Almost a Swedish one woman band, Christine Owman produced and plays cello,
ukulele, guitar, bass, violin, percussion, piano, melodica, glocken- spiel
and saw on this intriguing album. She uses these instruments to create a
shifting, spectral backdrop to her often multitracked vocals which are
similar to that of Julee Cruise as arranged by Angelo Badalmenti although she
doesn't have the hushed essence of innocence invoked by Cruise.
While some of the songs embrace the timbrous effect of the cello, others are
dominated by a rather dated electro-pop sound such as on Death Bed, which
could have been hidden away on a Depeche Mode album. Perhaps the ethereal
minimalism of I'm Sorry might offer solace to wounded teenagers moping in
their bedrooms especially if they are of a Goth inclination this, along with
the sub Siouxie "Devil's Walk" has been done before and better.
There are some moments that do stand out. "I'd Rather Die Than Play Dead,",
apart from being a perfect contender for the soundtrack of the next big
Hollywood teen vampire flick, utilises the cello and violin to good effect
while Owman's vocals do sound as if she is singing from beyond the grave.
Then there are two songs where Owman is accompanied on vocals by Mark Lanegan
(who seems to be making a living these days by adding his gravelly gravitas
to vulnerable sounding damsels). "One of The Folks" plays on the lyrics of
Blue Suede Shoes on a song that doesn't really go anywhere. "Familiar Act"
however stands head and shoulders above the other fare here. Owman's cello
doggedly runs throughout the song which is peppered with odd effects as
Lanegan and Owman trade verses in best Lee Hazlewood fashion while the lyrics
seem to allude to what could be a questionable sado-masochistic set up.
Perhaps a possibility for the soundtrack if they ever make a movie of the
popular supermarket porn novel Fifty Shades of Gray. ~ americana-u
*
A mesmerizing show, headbanging on stage to obscure movie projections from
the 20s - playing the saw, the cello, the ukulele and singing through effect
pedals."Robert Plant said he liked what he heard when I opened for him in
Stockholm. As a Zeppelin fan this was a big moment for me!" - Christine Owman
Little Beast
Since the release of the album Throwing Knives 2010, apart from writing music
to three theatre pieces (one in the US/Canada/UK and two in Sweden) Christine
Owman from Sweden has been touring Russia, Italy, The UK, Iceland, Germany,
Canada and the US promoting her album. In 2012, when finishing her new album
Owman was signed to Glitterhouse Records. As a cellist Owman has roots in
classical music but as she started listening to rock, psychedelic and
experimental music at a young age. Producing everything herself, Christine
has created music that is a dichotomous blend of dreamy folk and raw
distortion, reverb, bass and noise expressed through clever, uninhibited
lyrics. Owman is a young woman eager to express herself without the
limitations of conventional boundaries. The forthcoming album - Little Beast
is set to be released on January 18 2013 and includes two songs with guest
vocals from Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Gutter Twins).
Live
Christine Owman has travelled the world with her captivating and
unconventional performances with movie projections from the 20s , the cello,
the saw and singing through effect pedals. She has not only toured everything
from Russia, Italy, The UK, Iceland, Germany, Canada and the US with her
album - Throwing Knives - but she has also written music for two theatrical
performances - one in Sweden (Exit Presence) and one in New York City
(Endure) and a third one is in the making.The importance of perspectives
Burlesque dancers, mothers throwing knives at their daughters and courageous
men shot through canons.. Inspired by visual art, documentaries and films
Christine Owman makes movie projections for all of her songs. "... they are
another perspective of my music. And the contrasts they make express another
side of me."
Collaborations
Christine Owman has worked & toured with a number of talented, well-known
musicians in different bands throughout the years. Including Golden Kanine,
Andi Almqvist and members of the Cardigans (Magnus Sveningsson & Lasse
Johansson) in the psychadelic stoner band DunDun where Christine sings and
plays the guitar. Her latest collaborator is Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees,
Queens of the Stone Age) who sings with Christine on two of her songs which
will be relesed on Christine's third fullength album through Glitterhouse
during January 2013.
*
Eine faszinierende Show einer faszinierenden Kⁿnstlerin: Headbanging zu
obskuren Schwarz-Wei▀-Filmprojektionen aus den 20er Jahren, sie spielt auf
einer SΣge, einem Cello oder einer Ukulele und jagt ihre Stimme durch
Effektpedale, ist dabei ganz sie selbst, auch wenn sie entrⁿckt mit ihren
Rollen vereint erscheint - das ist Christine Owman. Nachdem die aus Schweden
stammende Kⁿnstlerin Christine Owman 2003 ihr Album Open Doors
ver"ffentlichte, begann sie mit verschiedensten KlΣngen, Instrumenten,
Effekten und Aufnahmetechniken zu experimentieren. Sie produzierte alles
selbst und schuf sich dabei eine unersch"pfliche Bandbreite - vertrΣumter
Folk wird von rohen, verzerrten, Bass-lastigen KlΣngen attackiert,
Hall-Kaskaden schwellen auf und ab, ihre Stimme kommt nicht nur von ⁿberall
her, nein, sie IST ⁿberall. ▄ber effekthascherische Soundeskapaden geht ihre
Musik jedoch weit hinaus, Klang wird nie Selbstzweck. Dies ist nicht art pour
l'art. Dazu sind ihre Texte clever, von gro▀er Betrachtungs- und
ErkenntnisfΣhigkeit geprΣgt. Sie produziert aber nicht nur Alben und geht auf
Tour sondern schreibt au▀erdem noch Musik fⁿr Theaterproduktionen: äExit
Presence" in ihrem Heimatland Schweden und äEndure" in New York City sind mit
der Musik der jungen Kⁿnstlerin versehen. ▄berhaupt ist das Zusammenspiel von
visuellen Elementen mit Musik ein zentraler Bestandteil von Owmans
kⁿnstlerischem Schaffen. Burlesque-TΣnzerinnen, Mⁿtter und ihre Kinder, die
als Messerwerfer-Team auftreten oder MΣnner als lebende Kanonenkugeln: Sie
kreiert fⁿr jedes ihrer Stⁿcke eine Videoprojektion und lΣsst sich dabei von
visueller Kunst, Dokumentationen oder Filmen inspirieren. ▄ber die
Videoprojektionen sagt sie selbst: ä...sie verk"rpern eine andere Perspektive
meiner Musik. Die Kontraste, die dabei entstehen, zeigen eine andere Seite
von mir".Christine Owman hat in der Vergangenheit mit einigen namhaften
Kⁿnstlern zusammen gearbeitet. Dazu geh"ren u.a. Golden Kanine, Andi
Almqvist, sowie Magnus Sveningsson und Lasse Johansson von den Cardigans mit
denen sie gemeinsam in der Psychedelic Stoner Band DunDun spielt. Fⁿr ihr
neues, europaweit auf Glitterhouse Records erscheinendes Album äLittle Beast"
arbeitete sie u.a. zusammen mit Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the
Stone Age), der auf zwei Songs mitsingt.Die schwedische Indie-K"nigin ist
eine Kⁿnstlerin im wahrsten Sinne. Ihre Aufnahmen und ihre Live-Konzerte sind
sehr eigene, fordernde Erfahrungen, sind anspruchsvolle Ereignisse. Von ihr
wird man noch viel h"ren.
*
Rustic and so delicate... a cover image could hardly be more contrasting. The
craftsman's saw is juxtaposed with the filigree design of a mesh glove. Not
only that which is hollow can be made to sound. Christine Owman, from Sweden,
can make a saw sing and is by all means a talented artist whose skills seem
endless. In addition to the saw, she's is able to get sound out of everything
that has strings or keys.
What she offers us on her second work "Little Beast", the follow-up to
"Throwing Knives" (2010), is magic in a lot of minor and little of major.
Before that, "Open Doors" (2008) was released.
Christine Owman is a master of gloom. Song after song, she loads the
listeners shoulders (or maybe eardrums?) with ton after ton of weight. It's
unbelievable how patiently she feeds the apparently starved melancholy
without ceasing. Song titles like "Deathbed" or "I'd Rather Die Than Play
Dead" immediately suggest drama already after the opener "Wait No". To speak
only of Christine Owman's singing does not do justice to the way she can use
her voice. The protagonist is absolutely convincing and skilful in using the
spoken word as well as the sung. A reference to Laurie Anderson should
suffice at this point. The range of her voice, however, extends to an elfin
intonation.
"Little Beast" gives sadness a new name. "Devil's Walk" seems to be Christine
Owman's musical cosmetic for happiness the way she understands it. It's hard
to imagine that the artist is also a member of a psychedelic stoner band
called DunDun (with Magnus Sveningsson and Lasse Johansson from The Cardigans
). She may also be known to some from her participation in Golden Kantine or
Andi Almquist. She was also a guest on Bring The Mourning On's album Going,
Going, Gone, among others.
The songs "One Of The Folks" and "Familiar Act" reach a transcendental level
through the additional vocals by Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees). The first
aforementioned track could have sprung straight out of the bottom drawer of a
freezer. The atmosphere of that number seems to send one shiver after the
other down your spine. Something like that gives a different type of
goosebumps, but in no way fails to achieve its desired effect. Amazing!
Christine Owmanare chose a variety of instruments for the individual
compositions with a great deal of sensitivity and they are used in an almost
minimalist way. Consequently, the numbers have a decidedly extraordinary
intensity. Even though the cello is once again the main instrument on
"Familiar Act", the artist manages to give both songs a different ambience.
The monotonously repeating cello gives the track the industrial groove of an
outdated, run-down warehouse with broken windows, rusted iron girders and
water dripping from the ceiling in slow motion.
The coolness creeping like an amoeba under the listener's skin has an
alluring fascination. "Your Blood" marks the end of a musical journey into
the abysses of the soul, that hardly anyone ever sweeps clean. The
glockenspiel meets the singing saw along with fine, subtle percussion to make
it clear that even chaos has an order. The counterpart here is the text of an
intimate love affair:
╗When you bleed I bleed as well
when your heart aches mine aches too
Like a chill a sunny day
frightens first but goes away½
+++
Rustikal und so zart... kontrastierender kann ein Coverbild kaum sein. Das
HandwerkergerΣt SΣge steht der filigranen Machart eines Netzhandschuhs
gegenⁿber. Nicht nur was hohl ist, kann zum Klingen gebracht werden. Die
Schwedin Christine Owman bringt die SΣge zum Singen und ist allem Anschein
nach eine talentierte Kⁿnstlerin, deren FΣhigkeiten schier unersch"pflich zu
sein scheinen. Sie ist in der Lage, neben der SΣge alles zum Klingen zu
bringen, was Saiten oder Tasten hat (s. Line-up).
Was sie uns auf ihrem zweiten Werk "Little Beast", dem Nachfolger von
"Throwing Knives" (2010) bietet, ist Magie in viel Moll und wenig Dur. Davor
erschien "Open Doors" (2008).
Christine Owman ist die Meisterin des Schwermuts. Song fⁿr Song lΣdt sie dem
H"rer eine Tonne nach der anderen auf die Schultern (oder vielleicht
Trommelfell?).
Unglaublich, mit welch langem Atem sie die anscheinend ausgehungerte
Melancholie ohne Unterlass fⁿttert. Alleine schon Songtitel wie "Deathbed"
oder "I'd Rather Die Than Play Dead" lassen bereits nach dem Opener "Wait No"
Dramatik erahnen. Bei Christine Owman nur von Gesang zu sprechen, wird dem
Einsatz ihrer Stimme nicht gerecht. Die Protagonistin ist so
ⁿberzeugend-gewandt im Einsatz des gesungenen wie auch gesprochenen Wortes.
Da dⁿrfte an dieser Stelle nur ein Hinweis auf Laurie Anderson reichen. Die
Spannweite ihrer Stimme geht allerdings bis zur elfenhaften Intonation.
"Little Beast" gibt der Traurigkeit einen neuen Namen. "Devil's Walk" scheint
Christine Owmans musikalische Schminke fⁿr Fr"hlichkeit, wie sie sie
versteht, zu sein. Man kann sich gar nicht vorstellen, dass die Kⁿnstlerin
auch in einer Psychedelic Stoner-Band namens DunDun (mit Magnus Sveningsson
und Lasse Johansson von den Cardigans) Mitglied ist. Dem einen oder anderen
mag sie durch ihr Mitwirken bei Golden Kantine oder Andi Almquist bekannt
sein. Au▀erdem war sie unter anderem Gast auf Bring The Mourning Ons Going,
Going, Gone.
Die Songs "One Of The Folks" sowie "Familiar Act" erreichen durch die
zusΣtzlichen Vocals von Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) eine transzendentale
Ebene. Erstgenannter Track k"nnte direkt aus der untersten Schublade eines
Tiefkⁿhlschrankes entsprungen sein. Die gesamte AtmosphΣre der Nummer scheint
einem einen Schauer nach dem anderen ⁿber den Rⁿcken zu jagen. So etwas eine
GΣnsehaut der anderen Art, verfehlt aber seine Wirkung in keiner Weise.
Hammer! Die Vielzahl von Instrumenten, die Christine Owman einsetzt, werden
fⁿr die einzelnen Kompositionen mit Fingerspitzengefⁿhl ausgewΣhlt und fast
schon minimalistisch eingesetzt. Folglich verfⁿgen die Nummern ⁿber eine
ausgesprochen au▀ergew"hnliche IntensitΣt. Auch wenn bei "Familiar Act"
abermals das Cello das im Zentrum stehende Instrument ist, schafft es die
Kⁿnstlerin, beiden genannten Liedern ein unterschiedliches Ambiente zu
verleihen. Das sich monoton wiederholende Cello gibt dem Track den
industriellen Groove einer veralteten, heruntergekommen Lagerhalle mit
zerbrochenen Fenstern, verrosteten EisentrΣgern und im Zeitlupentempo aus der
Decke tropfendem Wasser.
Die wie eine Am"be unter die Haut des H"rers kriechende Kⁿhle hat eine
anziehende Faszination. Der Schlusspunkt einer musikalischen Reise in die
Abgrⁿnde der Seele, dort, wo kaum jemand mit dem Besen sΣubert, wird durch
"Your Blood" gesetzt. Das Glockenspiel trifft auf die singende SΣge sowie
fein-dezente Percussion und verdeutlicht, dass auch das Chaos eine Ordnung
hat. Den Gegenpart spielt hier der Text einer innigen Liebesbeziehung:
╗When you bleed I bleed as well
when your heart aches mine aches too
Like a chill a sunny day
frightens first but goes away½
*
About:
Christine Elisabeth Owman
Profile:
Swedish musician and composer, born September 29, 1981.
She is a trained cellist and vocalist and in addition plays guitar, bass,
piano, ukulele and saw. As a composer and musician, she has also worked in
the theater where she wrote and performed music in the Swedish performances
Exit Presence with the actress Pia "rjansdotter and R"da Rum, Prost and
Cleveland by Teater Mutation. In the USA, Owman has collaborated with the
Canadian actress and screenwriter Melanie Jones in the project Endure, which
Owman composed and played the music for.
Owman has, among other things, recorded and / or toured with Robert Plant,
Woven Hand, Mark Lanegan, Soko, Vσnna Inget, Golden Kanine and Andi Almqvist.
She has toured all over the world with her live concept where she plays
cello, saw and guitar accompanied by video projections from the beginning of
the last century. With her on stage are Magnus Sveningsson from The Cardigans
and AndrΘas Almqvist from Vσnna Inget.
The development of video art led to Owman collaborating with Pia "rjansdotter
in 2011 and made video art for her performance The White in White in Malm" in
2012. In 2013, Andi Almqvist released the album Warsaw Holiday where Owman is
a musician and producer on two of the songs. On his own album Little Beast,
which was released by Glitterhouse Records in January 2013, Owman was visited
by Mark Lanegan.
Owman has written music with children and young people in many different
projects, for example Popkollo, where she has also been a board member and in
Skapande Skolan and Gunga Malm".
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