lifeblood: listlogs: 2006v09n053-news

ig-news-digest       saturday, september 2 2006       volume 09 : number 053

today's subjects:
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  [ig-news] sovo article              [sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>]

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date: sat, 2 sep 2006 10:08:01 +1000
from: sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>
subject: [ig-news] sovo article

hi everyone,

here's an article from southern voice.  you can read it online at:
http://www.southernvoice.com/2006/9-1/arts/music/indigo.cfm

cheers,
sherlyn

- ---begin forwarded article---
music | www.sovo.com

despite their differences
indigo girls come together on new label for 12th studio album

by bo shell
sep. 01, 2006

its been two years since indigo girls amy ray and emily saliers joined forces
for a studio album. but for their 12th offering, despite our differences, the
two have seamlessly bridged the time lapse, coming together from their very busy
and very separate lives as one forceful musical duo, still going strong after 20
years in the business.

lucky atlanta fans had the chance to hear some of the new tunes on aug. 31 and
sept. 1, when indigo girls headlined back-to-back benefit nights at eddies
attic. as a testament to their enduring popularity among hometown fans, the
shows at the small decatur venue sold out in roughly 16 minutes, according to
owner bob ephlin.

the 13-track album, set for release sept. 19, denotes a shift away from indigo
girls tightly wound vocal stylings toward a more off-the-cuff feel, and away
from their standard recording methods.

>from their opening song pendulum swinger, to their first single little
perennials, and their most traditionally indigo track last tears, the album
feels simpler, more open, even more in-your-face than previous efforts.

the sound is less produced, more raw, an effect that comes in part from the fact
that the lesbian duo recorded most of the album live in one room, as opposed to
working with separate tracks and combining them after theyre laid down.

ray says the freshness, the energy of the album has to do in part with their
trek to santa monica, where for the first time they recorded with producer
mitchell froom, whos worked previously with paul mccartney, sheryl crow and
bonnie raitt, alongside mixer david boucher and new drummer matt chamberlain.

also inspiring their sound, ray says, was their punctuated time in the studio.
usually working over a period of three months, differences was recorded in
just four weeks.

i think the time element of working fast was a big thing to me, says ray, who
wrote six of the albums tracks. it made us not labor too much over decisions.
for me, my feeling was just that its better that way sometimes because we dont
take so long, sometimes that takes the heart right out of it.

heart is certainly not some-thing the indigo girls lack. even through their
hectic schedules, they collaborate before recording to arrange their separate
songs and choose which ones make the final cut.

one of those tracks, rock and roll heavens gate, features singer pink, who
invited ray and saliers to perform on a track on her most recent album. like
many of the other tracks, heavens gate is driven by an up-tempo rock beat
thats very concert-friendly  and very amy ray.

ray was the first of the pair to venture off for a solo career and insists that
her solo work  albums stag (2001) and prom (2005), released on her own
label, daemon records  only helps the duo when they join.

what makes the music more magical is the partnership of it and that it melds
into one voice, ray says. in order to keep doing that, i need to have other
things going just to bring in other flavors to my creativity  it gives me a
chance to get my ya-yas out.

saliers says shes been planning a solo album for at least at year, but has had
trouble making the time to complete a solo effort, which she hopes will have a
head-bobbing vibe, a shift away from the trademark indigo feel.

changes in studio personnel and recording styles are just a part of the
behind-the-scenes differences the girls faced this go-round of recording, as
their last studio album as a pair, 2004s all that we let in, was their final
obligation to epic records.

ray and saliers say leaving epic, their label since 1988, was a mutual decision
with the sony music subsidiary, because their contract was up and executives
werent particularly interested in signing another agreement  perhaps
struggling to figure out what theyd do with a very political, very queer pop
folk duo.

we just ran our course with them, saliers says. we were with them a long time
and there was no energy behind us from them. there were some empty promises and
stuff, so there was a time for a change.

hollywood records, a west coast label parented by the walt disney company,
piqued the girls interest, even with its ties to a family-oriented
mega-company.

we tried to go as indie as possible, but that was the hardest part, signing
with an indie label owned by a huge corporation, saliers says. hollywood
[records] is packed with renegade music people who are all about the music, so
we hope to continue our career, make the records we want to make, and expand our
fans base  i think were going to do that.

after two decades, the duo that met in a dekalb county elementary school says
they plan to continue making music together for years to come  despite their
differences.

ray, in a relationship of three and a half years, says she wants kids one day,
while saliers, in a relationship of 12 years, isnt interested in starting her
own family, as shes particularly satisfied with the strong nuclear family and
bevy of nieces and nephews that surround her.

but despite their varied life choices and song writing styles, both saliers and
ray say their formula for success is not to be altered, as theyve long proven
their ability to keep on driving, even if theyre going in separate directions.

were friends, saliers says, and sometimes we end up at the same social
events, but were like family in the fact that we can have respect for the
separation of our lives.

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
) 2006 the southern voice | a window media publication

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