For those following the sounds of the underground noise/pop scene, the Olde English Spelling Bee label was something of a key player up until the beginning of a self-imposed hiatus around 18 months ago. In 2010 alone they were responsible for great long players from the likes of James Ferraro – back when his sound was so murky it threatened to swallow itself – French synth architect Stellar OM Source, Autre Ne Veut, Liverpool’s Forest Swords, Julian Lynch and Monopoly Child Star Searchers, among others.
Now, after a considerable break, the label is set to return with Alice Cohen’s Pink Keys, a shimmery, soft-focus pop record that features Cohen’s honeyed vocals wrapped around buzzing electronic instrumentation and slow synth swells. We’re very pleased to be able to offer you the first view of the video for the album’s first track, the harpsichord-drizzled ‘Cascading Keys’ – watch it above. The video was shot and directed by New York-based filmmaker/artist Micki Pellerano on Super-8, and its grainy textures, mirrored images and vague sense of foreboding lend it an air of the uncanny, a great fit for the song’s blend of near-Baroque harpsichord figures and great rippling synth melodies. For more on the director, click here.
Cohen herself has a strikingly rich and varied musical history. Beginning her career in 1979 as vocalist/songwriter/keyboardist for Philadelphia band Fun City – who later had a billboard hit ‘Deetour’ – she was later lead singer for The Vels, a member of alt rock band Die Monster Die, and throughout the nineties played in a number of indie/rock groups.
In 2007, Cohen played live with DFA’s Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom alongside legendary analogue visual unit the Joshua Light Show, something that led neatly into a series of solo albums, including 2009’s Walking Up Walls, also released via Olde English Spelling Bee. Since around that time she has also been creating animated music videos for bands including Ducktails, Band In Heaven, Broken Deer and Majical Cloudz/Grimes.
In keeping with that approach, almost everything on Pink Keys was played by Cohen herself, with the rhythms provided by a manually played vintage Linn Drum machine. The album features guest percussion by Swans/Smog/Shearwater’s Thor Harris, guest sax on one track, and guest vocals from OESB/Hippos In Tanks pop powerhouse Autre Ne Veut. The whole thing was recorded at home over nine months before being produced by Chris Moore (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, Liars).
Pink Keys will be released on June 12th. Its tracklist runs as follows:
‘Cascading Keys’
‘Silent Movie’
‘The Locksmith’
‘Dead Leaves In Milk Glass’
‘Sheepshead Bay’
‘La Fete Etrange’
‘Mauve Mood’
‘Sunspots’
‘Salamander’s Tale’
‘The Lacemaker’
‘Colour Of The Sea’
