Author: Doug Wallen
Source: Philadelphia Weekly Doug Wallen
Despite a name change from the already-taken Illumina, this Brooklyn/Philly troupe hasn’t altered its charismatic strain of super-sized orchestral pop. The new Out of Our Mouths, following 2004’s Nightlight, soars to thrilling altitudes where grandiose indie rock collides with copious amounts of strings and horns.
Author: M.J. Fine
Source: Philadelphia City Paper
Link to this article
If Illumina lulled you to sleep with 2004’s Nightlight, it’s time to wake up and pay attention. Since their dreamy, drony debut, the seven-piece Philly-New York chamber-pop collective gained an upright bass player, lost a cellist and added a syllable to their name. And just as the single extra letter complicates Illuminea’s pronunciation, their new album, Out of Our Mouths (High Two), gains strength by stretching a bit. It’s prettier and perkier than its predecessor, and with three singers splitting 12 tracks, there’s too much going on to snooze. Guitarist Jen Appel has the most compelling voice and the best lyrics. The brooding album opener “In Retrospect” subtly turns Appel’s influences — a little country, a little Sleater-Kinney — into something completely different. (And it gives violinist Maura DiBerardinis the first of many well-deserved spotlights.) Guitarist Marc Alan Goodman’s songs corner the artiest moments; “I Waited Too Long to Tell You How I Feel” sounds a little like R.E.M. circa Automatic for the People, while “Build Your Own” stages a brawl between Brian Wilson, B.C. Camplight and a psychotic tuba player. Keyboardist Minna Choi grabs the disc’s top tune with “Homewrecker,” which manages to sound sweet, goofy and totally slick. Wherever it takes you, it won’t send you to sleep.
Illuminea-Out of Our Mouthsea
Produced by Joel Hamilton and illuminea
Tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 11 recorded by Marc Goodman
Tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, and 12 recorded by Joel Hamilton
Mixed by Joel Hamilton
Songs 1, 5, and 9 written by Jen Appel
Songs 2, 4, 8, 10, and 12 written by Marc Goodman
Songs 3, 6, 7, and 11 written by Minna Choi
Track 11 orchestrated by Minna Choi
String and Horn arrangements on tracks 2 and 8 by Marc Goodman
Horn arrangement on track 12 by Pete Angevine
Performed by:
Marc Goodman
Jennifer Appel
Minna Choi
Pete Angevine
Maura DiBerardinis
Timothy Nelson
Matthew Stein
additional performers:
Dan Blacksberg-Trombone on track 2
Meena Cho-Cello on track 11
Amnon Freidlin-Guitar on track 2
Jon Guez-Vocals on track 11
Joel Hamilton-Tape Loops on track 6
Brian Hayes-Maracas on track 4
Charles Hoey-Air Guitar on track 4
Patrick Hughes-Trumpet, Flugelhorn on tracks 2, 11, 12
Tony Maimone-Vocals on track 6
Jimmy Parker-Sousaphone on track 4
Zeena Parkins-Harp on track 11
Benna Shelanski-Cello on tracks 5, 6, 8
Colin Stetson-Saxophones, Clarinet on tracks 2 and 12
Alana Vegter-French Horn on track 11
In August 2007, High Two released illuminea’s Out of Our Mouths.
With three distinct singers/songwriters in the band, Out of Our Mouths plays like a mix CD, albeit one that was created by a close group of friends intent on sharing their individual experiences with love and
loss as a collective work. Though there are frequent sonic and tonal shifts throughout Out of Our Mouths—it is at turns epic, intimate, stormy, playful, pensive, and jubilant—each song remains inherently illuminea. “In Retrospect” introduces itself sweetly with pizzicato strings and woodwinds before revealing a caustic heart; “Build Your Own” wobbles along with drunken tuba, guitar, and percussion until it bursts into a choir of la-la-las; turbulent rocker “Sleep It Off” evokes both Fiddler on the Roof and Ennio Morricone; “Out of Our Mouths” floats on twinkling harp, swelling gradually as gorgeous orchestration tumbles in; and “I Can’t Wait” closes the album with spiky piano, round robin vocals, and a lurching brass ensemble.
Produced by Joel Hamilton (Tom Waits, Sparklehorse) and illuminea, Out of Our Mouths was recorded in Brooklyn and Philadelphia. Harpist Zeena Parkins (Bjork), singer Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu), and
saxophonist/clarinetist Colin Stetson (Tom Waits) contribute musical gifts.
With its origin as a home recording project between college classmates Jen Appel and Marc Goodman in 2002, Illuminea grew to become a seven-person band as friends and lovers joined them. Illuminea’s
debut album Nightlight was self-released in 2004. Having focused on playing shows in Philadelphia and New York City, the band has opened for Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Sam Prekop, The Like, I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, The Radar Brothers, and The Spinto Band.
Philadelphia Weekly {Doug Wallen, Aug2007} Despite a name change from the already-taken Illumina, this Brooklyn/Philly troupe hasn’t altered its charismatic strain of super-sized orchestral pop. The new Out of Our Mouths, following 2004’s Nightlight, soars to thrilling altitudes where grandiose indie rock collides with copious amounts of strings and horns.
Philadelphia City Paper {MJ Fine, Aug 2007} Since their dreamy, drony debut, the seven-piece Philly-New York chamber-pop collective gained an upright bass player, lost a cellist and added a syllable to their name. And just as the single extra letter complicates Illuminea’s pronunciation, their new album, Out of Our Mouths (High Two), gains strength by stretching a bit. It’s prettier and perkier than its predecessor, and with three singers splitting 12 tracks, there’s too much going on to snooze.