Snowbird | |
---|---|
Origin | UK/USA duo |
Genres | Alternative, dream pop |
Years active | 2009-present |
Labels | Bella Union |
Members | Stephanie Dosen Simon Raymonde |
Website | www |
Snowbird is a British/American band consisting of instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) and vocalist Stephanie Dosen. Dosen, originally a member of the 1990s techno band Virus, sang live with Massive Attack in 2008 [1] and later collaborated with The Chemical Brothers. Dosen and Raymonde first worked together on her second solo album, A Lily for the Spectre, released by Bella Union in 2007. The duo's debut album as Snowbird, Moon , was released on 27 January 2014 on Bella Union. [2]
Snowbird debuted with a concert in June 2009 at Union Chapel, Islington. [3]
The band's recorded a cover of Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Blue Sky" that year, which appeared on The Wall Re-Built! compilation, a tribute to The Wall given away free with the December 2009 issue of Mojo. It was followed by a version of the British nursery rhyme "The North Wind Doth Blow" on 2010 compilation Sing Me to Sleep, Indie Lullabies.
In winter 2013, Snowbird announced the upcoming release of Moon in January 2014. [4] Guest musicians on the album included Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway of Radiohead, Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith of Midlake, Paul Gregory of Lanterns on the Lake, and Jonathan Wilson. [5]
The album came packaged with a second disc titled Luna, consisting of remixes of each song by RxGibbs.
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Simon Philip Raymonde is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer Ivor Raymonde. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player with the Scottish band Cocteau Twins from 1983 to 1997.
Snowbird is a common name for the dark-eyed junco.
Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
Aikea-Guinea is a March 1985 7" single and 12" EP by Scottish dream pop band Cocteau Twins, released on 4AD. The 7" featured two non-album tracks, while the EP added two more.
Echoes in a Shallow Bay is an EP by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 4AD. The EP featured four non-album tracks. It was issued on 29 November 1985, two weeks after another EP, Tiny Dynamine. The two EP sets, which featured complementary artwork, were also released as a combined double EP in a gatefold cover, and as an eight-track CD. The EP was reissued in 1991 as part of The Box Set and in 2005 as part of the singles/EP collection Lullabies to Violaine. A new vinyl version, sourced from digital files created from a new transfer of the original analogue tapes, was released in 2015, combined with the Tiny Dynamine EP.
Tiny Dynamine is an EP by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 4AD Records. The EP featured four non-album tracks. It was issued on 15 November 1985, two weeks prior to another EP, Echoes in a Shallow Bay. The two EP sets, which featured complementary artwork, were also released as a combined double EP in a gatefold cover and as an eight-track CD. The EP was later included in its entirety on the 1991 compilation The Box Set and the 2005 singles/EP collection Lullabies to Violaine.
The Moon and the Melodies is a collaborative studio album by Scottish dream pop band Cocteau Twins and American minimalist composer Harold Budd. It was released 10 November 1986 by 4AD. The name "Cocteau Twins" did not appear on the release, which instead credited the band's three members and Budd individually.
Dif Juz were an English instrumental post-punk band, formed in London in 1980 and remaining active until 1986. The band comprised Dave Curtis (guitar), Alan Curtis (guitar), Gary Bromley and Richard Thomas.
The Autumns were an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, comprising Matthew Kelly, Frankie Koroshec (guitar), Dustin Morgan (bass) and Steve Elkins (drums).
The Pink Opaque is a 1986 compilation album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, composed of tracks recorded between 1982 and 1985. A joint release by the UK-based 4AD and the American Relativity Records, it was their first official U.S. release.
Ivor Raymonde was a British musician, songwriter, arranger and actor, best known for his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements for Dusty Springfield and others in the 1960s.
"Bluebeard" is a single by the Cocteau Twins. It was released by Fontana Records in February 1994 as the second single to be released from the Four-Calendar Café album. All three members of the band – Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde – are credited as songwriters as well as producers.
The Czars were an American alternative rock band, formed in 1994 in Denver by John Grant and Chris Pearson. They released six studio albums, one EP, and three singles in the duration of their career. After the release of Goodbye in 2004, five of the six members of The Czars left the band over the span of nine months, leaving John Grant as the sole member of the band. After the exit of the other members, John Grant continued to tour under the name before deciding to pursue a solo career. Members Andy Monley and Roger Green, along with musician David Devine, appear on Sorry I Made You Cry as guitarists.
Stephanie Dosen is an American singer-songwriter, knitwear designer and member of the band Snowbird. She was raised in Wisconsin. Her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of the TV shows Dawson's Creek, NUMB3RS and Party of Five.
American Laundromat Records is an independent record label founded in 2004 by Joe Spadaro.
Snow is a 1993 EP by Scottish band Cocteau Twins, released in December 1993 on Fontana Records. It contains cover versions of the Christmas standards "Frosty the Snowman" and "Winter Wonderland". It is out of print, though its tracks appear on the compilation Lullabies to Violaine.
The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads is the debut studio album from Denton, Texas-based indie rock trio Lift to Experience. The double album was released on June 26, 2001, and is thus far the only full-length recording from the band. A concept album about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ that "casts Texas as the Promised Land," it was produced by guitarist/vocalist Josh T. Pearson, and mixing was handled by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie, both of Cocteau Twins fame. The album was released on Guthrie and Raymonde's record label Bella Union. Receiving very little attention upon release, the album gradually found an audience via the internet and has developed a minor cult following.
Drowning Craze was a London-based post-punk band, active from 1980 to 1982.
Moon is the debut studio album by American/British duo Snowbird. It was released in January 2014 by Bella Union. The album also contains a bonus second disc, titled Luna, consisting of remixes by RxGibbs.