Minna Choi, of the late, great Illuminea, has been residing in San Francisco and leading an pop-music orchestra, Magik*Magik Orchestra.
The orchestra is featured in full on John Vanderslice’s new album White Wilderness. The album is featured now at NPR Music, where you can stream “The Piano” from the album.
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.
We’re currently working on some east coast shows for June and July that we’ll announce soon, but we’ll start with this new internet only Live Video EP from High Two: Tiny Little Things. This festival of awesomeness features two songs from our previous record, Out of Our Mouths, and one new jammer. Check it out here :::
www.hightwo.com/ht018.html
illuminea.blip.tv
This summer will see a triumphant return to the creation, performance and release of our music!
More Soon…
THANKS
Friends and Bloggers: Use this text to post around the ‘Net:
Illuminea - Tiny Little Things
Tiny Little Things EP
Recorded live in the waning days of 2007. All Songs by Illuminea. Audio recording by Marc Alan Goodman. Video recording by Demetrius Wren. Thanks to Nicholas Krill and Eric Hora.
Tracks 1 and 3 appear on the High Two release Out of Our Mouths.
Illuminea is Pete Angevine, Jen Appel, Minna Choi, Maura DiBernardinis, Marc Alan Goodman, Tim Nelson, Matt Stein
Watch the videos online at illuminea.blip.tv
Written by Marc Alan Goodman whilst enjoying dual residences in his 15 passenger van and Tim Nelson’s couch, “Build Your Own” has become a staple in the illuminea catalog. While the recorded version is supported by a throbbing sousaphone, limitless percussion overdub arrangements and immaculately in-tune acoustic guitar, live the song sheds some of its slow-jam sultriness and bristles with joyous romp, yet still including so many of the bells and whistles (literally) heard on the album.
Arranged together as seven people playing in a room, and as of yet having no studio version to speak of, this is the latest from the Jen Appel hit factory. From the disorienting if dancey rhythms of the introduction to the bombastic climax of the epic coda, this song shows perhaps a tougher and more complex, yet still inviting and interesting side of illuminea. This is the future.
This gem of a summertime positivity jam was written by the inimitable Ms. Minna Choi. Delving deep into obscure and underground musical phenomena such as Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and Michel Jackson for inspiration, illuminea produced this booty-shaker for backyard BBQ blowouts. A rarity for this group, the live arrangement of this number is very similar to the recorded version, though this particular performance features the subtle yet textured Cowbell rhythms of Nicholas Krill. Let it in.
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.
After five years, Cynthia is back with her best album. Helping to celebrate with her, us, and you will be three super-talented individuals: Larry D. Brown, Amy Pickard, and Joshua Marcus. The show is only $5 and we will be selling the new CDs for just $5 that night too. The show is early (7:30), so you still have time for nightlife…
Sonic Liberation Front celebrates the release of its third album, Change Over Time, at Tritone on Dec. 8. Opening for SLF is Breakfast a new band featuring musicians from three of High Two’s favorite Philly bands: Bryan Rogers – saxophone (Shot x Shot), Amnon Freidlin – guitar (Normal Love), Pete Angevine – drums (Illumina). The show is late.
| Cynthia G. Mason with sets from special guests Amy Pickard, Larry D. Brown, Joshua Marcus Dec. 8, 7:30 pm Ethical Society Building 1906 Rittenhouse Square $5 – All ages, new CD on sale for $5 |
Sonic Liberation Front with Breakfast Dec. 8, 10 p.m. |
