Gray Days and Gold - February 2020
Warm tunes for chilly days. Plus, win a download of A Girl Called Eddy's new album!
 |
Hello, friends! The second episode of Gray Days and Gold is now available for your delectation. One of my goals at the outset of this endeavor was to devote more undivided attention to new music, and I’m pleased to say it’s working: over half of the songs in this month’s collection are mere weeks old, with nothing earlier than 2019.
Personally, this episode’s highlight is the long-awaited return of A Girl Called Eddy (Erin Moran), who released one magnificent record in 2004 and then essentially wasn’t heard from again for fifteen years. I’ve never stopped banging the drum for that debut album: I’ve written about it here, I’ve called in to a nationally syndicated radio show to proselytize on its behalf (something I’m not even remotely in the habit of doing)… so strong has been my need to spread its gospel. Now she’s back with her second solo record, surely the result of my indefatigable support, right?
Turns out I’d missed the fact that Moran had actually re-entered the ring in late 2018 with The Last Detail, a collaborative album with Mehdi Zannad (aka FUGU).
Because I’m more than slightly obsessed with ensuring that people hear her music, I’ll be giving away a free download of the new A Girl Called Eddy album, Been Around, to one lucky listener.
“How can a person such as myself be eligible for this once-in-a-lifetime offer,” you ask? In one of the following ways:
follow me on Mixcloud or subscribe to my newsletter here (The newsletter really only exists to alert you of new episodes, and you won't be spammed. Existing followers/subscribers are automatically eligible.)
share any of the Gray Days and Gold mixes on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (Make sure your privacy settings allow me to see your post, and please include the hashtag #graydaysandgold)
for those who feel dirty about engaging in any of the above, there’s an alternative. This month’s mix includes four distinct lyrical references to winter, snow, the coming of spring, etc. (By distinct, I mean both that they’re plainly understandable in English and that a repeated lyric doesn’t count toward the total.) Write down those four lyrics and email them to me with the subject line "Been around".
A winner’s name will be randomly drawn from the eligible entries at noon EST on Monday, Feb. 24.
Without further ado, here’s the sound of February. (Click the link to open the Mixcloud website.)
Gray Days and Gold, February 2020
A Girl Called Eddy, "Been Around" (2020) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
CUP, "Spinning Creature" (2019) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
Aoife Nessa Frances, "Less Is More" (2020) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
The Innocence Mission, "We Don't Know How to Say Why" (2020) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
Jason McMahon, "Big Earth" (2020) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
Vanishing Twin, "You Are Not An Island" (2019) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
David Ian Roberts, "The Holloway" (2019) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
Paul Andrews, "Light And Dust" (2019) • Bandcamp • Amazon • iTunes
Photo: This month’s spirit guides — A Girl Called Eddy, and the Mellotron M-400.
While assembling this episode, I ran across some enjoyable video supplements:
First, there’s Efterklang with the Belgian ensemble B.O.X (Baroque Orchestration X), demonstrating what each of them brings to a performance of the piece “Vi Er Uendelig” (another song from their newest album Altid Sammen).
And here’s David Ian Roberts, joined by Kirsten Miller on cello and Jason Ball on electric guitar, playing a beautiful version of “Sending Out Fires,” (another track from his album Travelling Bright). I love watching David’s guitar playing.
That’s all for this month. I’ll see you again in March after I’ve returned from a trip to London, presumably with five to ten extra pounds of CDs and LPs in my luggage. Thanks for listening.
MFG