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10/22/09 Northern* Olympia, WA
Solo Discography
10/23/09 The Artistery* Portland, OR 10/24/09 Luigi’s Fungarden* Sacramento, CA 10/25/09 Gilman St.* Berkeley, CA 10/27/09 Vacation Vinyl Instore - LA, CA 10/27/09 Echo Curio* Los Angeles, CA 10/28/09 Biko Garage* Santa Barbara, CA 10/29/09 Needles and Pens* San Francisco, CA * with Kellarissa
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I came to know and became a fan of Rose Melberg from her DIY all-girls fun group Tiger Trap (the name comes from Calvin and Hobbes), which I often play on my radio show on KFSR 90.7FM, back in the day!
What I love about Tiger Trap is that all their songs (from all three singles they've released) is that they're short, they're cute, and Melberg's twittery vocals. Even though the term "twee" (I hate that word) existed since the 80s, I have often thought that Tiger Trap were pioneers of modernday twee-pop.
Melberg would continue her unique songs with Go Sailor and The Softies, sort of simultaneously in 1994. Between the two projects, it was obvious which one seem more important, since Go Sailor quickly went away after only three singles.
The Softies (Melberg's collaboration would be with Jen Sbragia) was more significant, releasing four albums, their last one being Holiday in Rhode Island, available from K Records. The thing about The Softies, is that they were going for that two-vocals harmony thing and their songs are often pretty mellow... unlike their punk-counterpart with the same name (I think they were from the UK).
Since I left the radio station in the mid-90s, I will admit to not keeping up with the whereabouts of Rose Melberg and her various projects (working as a drummer in another short-lived band, Gaze, working with Elliott Smith, The Potatomen, etc). I did know she went solo, or at least had solo records, but I was still surprise to find out that Rose Melberg is back with her third studio album, Homemade Ship, released last Tuesday on K Records.
I was actually pretty excited to listen to the new album, but since my only knowledge of her music were pre-1996, it seems a lot more mellow acoustic than even the softest Softies music. In fact, with all the background vocals by Larissa Loyva, one could mistaken Homemade Ship to be the latest Softies album.
The album seems very personal to me, especially on "Sidewalk" and "Old Days". But I also get the impression that Melberg must really love two other things in life: nature and animals.
In the form of nature, she seems obsessed with water ("we watch the water float you"), moon, wind, ships, and sailing. As for animals, she just doesn't just write about them, but often singing that she is an animal ("Bear in a Cave", "Sharks", crows on "Old Days", raccoon on "Moon Singer").
In some ways, the title track, "Homemade Ship", about being lost due to instruments failure, is my favorite song, because I feel as if Melberg simply isn't singing about sailing, but more about life and where she is.
If you were hoping for the new record to sound like Tiger Trap or Go Sailor, you will be disappointed. If you're already comfortable with The Softies, then I think you'll feel right at home with this very quiet and tender Homemade Ship album.
Can't get enough of Melberg? Head over to NPR to hear "Old Days" as the Song of the Day for August 19th. Pick up Homemade Ships at K Records (LP for $10, cheap!).
What I love about Tiger Trap is that all their songs (from all three singles they've released) is that they're short, they're cute, and Melberg's twittery vocals. Even though the term "twee" (I hate that word) existed since the 80s, I have often thought that Tiger Trap were pioneers of modernday twee-pop.
Melberg would continue her unique songs with Go Sailor and The Softies, sort of simultaneously in 1994. Between the two projects, it was obvious which one seem more important, since Go Sailor quickly went away after only three singles.
The Softies (Melberg's collaboration would be with Jen Sbragia) was more significant, releasing four albums, their last one being Holiday in Rhode Island, available from K Records. The thing about The Softies, is that they were going for that two-vocals harmony thing and their songs are often pretty mellow... unlike their punk-counterpart with the same name (I think they were from the UK).
Since I left the radio station in the mid-90s, I will admit to not keeping up with the whereabouts of Rose Melberg and her various projects (working as a drummer in another short-lived band, Gaze, working with Elliott Smith, The Potatomen, etc). I did know she went solo, or at least had solo records, but I was still surprise to find out that Rose Melberg is back with her third studio album, Homemade Ship, released last Tuesday on K Records.
I was actually pretty excited to listen to the new album, but since my only knowledge of her music were pre-1996, it seems a lot more mellow acoustic than even the softest Softies music. In fact, with all the background vocals by Larissa Loyva, one could mistaken Homemade Ship to be the latest Softies album.
The album seems very personal to me, especially on "Sidewalk" and "Old Days". But I also get the impression that Melberg must really love two other things in life: nature and animals.
In the form of nature, she seems obsessed with water ("we watch the water float you"), moon, wind, ships, and sailing. As for animals, she just doesn't just write about them, but often singing that she is an animal ("Bear in a Cave", "Sharks", crows on "Old Days", raccoon on "Moon Singer").
In some ways, the title track, "Homemade Ship", about being lost due to instruments failure, is my favorite song, because I feel as if Melberg simply isn't singing about sailing, but more about life and where she is.
If you were hoping for the new record to sound like Tiger Trap or Go Sailor, you will be disappointed. If you're already comfortable with The Softies, then I think you'll feel right at home with this very quiet and tender Homemade Ship album.
Can't get enough of Melberg? Head over to NPR to hear "Old Days" as the Song of the Day for August 19th. Pick up Homemade Ships at K Records (LP for $10, cheap!).
09/25/2009 02:35:10 ♥ vu (
) ♥ myspace.com/rosemelberg ♥ krecs.com
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