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Azure Ray

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Azure Ray
Azure Ray live in Los Angeles, California in 2019. Photo by Veronika Reinert.
Azure Ray live in Los Angeles, California in 2019. Photo by Veronika Reinert.
Background information
OriginAthens, Georgia, United States
GenresDream pop, indie pop, indie rock
Years active2001–2004; 2008–present
LabelsSaddle Creek
Flower Moon Records
WARM Electronic Recordings
MembersMaria Taylor
Orenda Fink
Websitewww.azureraymusic.com

Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor. Formed in Athens, Georgia, in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and became part of the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive. Azure Ray's music has often been featured in film and television, including Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, and The Devil Wears Prada. They have released five albums and several EPs.[1]

Biography

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Formation

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The pair met while attending the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham.[2][3] They fronted a band called Little Red Rocket, which released two albums, Who Did You Pay (1997, Tim/Kerr) and It's in the Sound (2000, Monolyth Record Group), which earned them frequent comparisons to Veruca Salt.[4] For the first album, the duo co-wrote with the band's drummer Louis Schefano who would become a frequent collaborator.[5]

After the band broke up, Fink and Taylor moved to Athens, Georgia, and eventually formed Azure Ray. "My boyfriend had just died and we had written all of these songs that were helping us cope with everything. We had a night where all of our friends and family got together. We played those songs, which later would turn into the songs on our first Azure Ray record..." said Taylor.[6]

Azure Ray (2001)

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The pair signed to the Warm Electronic Recordings label and released their self-titled debut in 2001, produced by Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf). Pitchfork praised the album, giving it a 7 out of 10, describing it as a collection of "maudlin but beautiful, expertly crafted pop songs".[7] The song "Sleep" was later featured in the 2006 Academy Award-nominated movie The Devil Wears Prada.[8] In February 2015, Taylor Swift included "Sleep" on a six-song "breakup playlist" made for a fan via her official Tumblr.[9][10] DJ Paul Kalkbrenner also sampled "Rise" in his 2008 song "Azure".[11]

Burn and Shiver and November EP (2002)

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Azure Ray's second album, Burn and Shiver, was released in 2002, again produced by Bachmann.[12] With Burn and Shiver, Pitchfork said the duo had "come closer than ever to wielding an emotional potency like master Cohen's".[13] After meeting Fink and Taylor in Athens, Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst invited the band on tour and introduced them to the people at Saddle Creek, the label to which he was signed. They relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, and joined the music scene there. The November EP was released on January 22, 2002, and was the band's first for Saddle Creek.[14]

The duo collaborated with Moby and co-wrote the songs "Great Escape" (on his album 18) and "Landing" (which appeared on the XXX soundtrack), and afterwards joined him on tour.[15][16]

Hold On Love (2003), New Resolution EP (2004) and hiatus

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Hold On Love was the band's third full-length, released October 7, 2003, on Saddle Creek. Pitchfork called it a departure from their previous records, with "newly arresting manipulations of electronic elements interlock[ing] with the duo's traditional organic fare, as well as bolder and sharper production".[17] The first single from this album, New Resolution, was released as an EP/Single by Saddle Creek on January 20, 2004.[18] Azure Ray went on hiatus in 2004, leaving Fink and Taylor to work on solo albums and other collaborative projects, including a stint in Now It's Overhead.[19][20]

Reunion and Drawing Down the Moon (2010)

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Fink and Taylor reformed the band for a one-off show in Los Angeles at the iconic Troubadour on November 30, 2008, accompanied by Andy LeMaster of Now It's Overhead and Nick White of Tilly and the Wall.[21] In 2009, Taylor announced on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic that the duo had reformed on a semi-permanent basis, with the intention of playing "five or six" shows before working on a new Azure Ray album. Their fourth album, Drawing Down the Moon, was released in September 2010.[22] On August 4, 2010, Stereogum premiered the first song from the album, "Don't Leave My Mind";[23] they later premiered the video, directed by Ryan Berg, on September 30.[24] Pitchfork said the new album "sounds warmly familiar, a reminder of why we missed them in the first place",[25] while a reviewer for the BBC called it "a warming blanket of an album, here for you to wrap up in".[26] On January 25, 2011, Azure Ray released a new single from the recording sessions, titled "Silverlake", recorded with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse.[27]

As Above, So Below EP (2012)

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Azure Ray's next release, a six-song EP entitled As Above So Below, came out on Saddle Creek on September 5, 2012.[28] After a two-year hiatus following the release of Drawing Down the Moon, Fink and a pregnant Taylor entered the studio to record six news songs with a more "hypnotic" "electronica" influence in collaboration with Andy LeMaster and Todd Fink.[29] On July 17, Stereogum premiered "Scattered Like Leaves", calling it a "starry, shivering cut",[30] while NPR premiered "Red Balloon" on August 9, describing it as a "long, slow summer swoon" with "devastating melancholy".[31] Rolling Stone premiered the full EP stream on August 28.[32]

Reunion and Waves EP (2018)

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In October 2017, after another hiatus, it was announced that Azure Ray's self-titled debut and Burn and Shiver were now newly available through Taylor's own label, Flower Moon Records.[33][34] The next month, the duo announced they would once again reunite for a one-off show in Los Angeles at the Lodge Room on January 20, 2018.[35][36]

On September 26, 2018, Stereogum announced the first new Azure Ray record in six years, an EP titled Waves, and premiered a new single, "Palindrome", praising it as a "mournful string-driven ballad which offers the best of the band's spectral harmonies, woodsy storytelling and aching wisdom".[37] Billboard premiered the video for "Palindrome", directed by Alan Tanner, on October 19,[38] along with a new recording of "Hold On Love" (from their 2003 record of the same name), which the band said "reflects the live version that we came to love playing through the years".[39] KCRW premiered the video for the "hauntingly beautiful" "Last Summer in Omaha" on October 25, the day before the EP was released on Flower Moon.[40]

2021 saw the release of Remedy, their first new album in 11 years.[41] Recently, the band has begun to re-release their backcatelogue via their own label Flower Moon.[34][42]

Other projects

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Fink and Taylor have both recorded and released numerous solo albums, and have performed as part of Now It's Overhead. They have also appeared together on numerous Bright Eyes records, as well as others by Moby, Cursive, Two Gallants, and Georgie James. Fink is also a member of Art in Manila, O+S, Harouki Zombi, Closeness, and High Up, and has played with or appeared as a guest on records by The Faint, Pete Yorn, Old Canes, and others. Taylor has recorded or performed with Ben Lee, Joshua Radin, Nik Freitas, and others.[1]

Discography

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Albums

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Singles and EPs

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  • "Sleep" (Rubber Records, 2002)
  • November (Saddle Creek, 2002)
  • "The Drinks We Drank Last Night" (Saddle Creek, 2003)
  • "New Resolution" (Saddle Creek, 2004)
  • "Don't Leave My Mind" (Saddle Creek, 2010)
  • "Silverlake" (Saddle Creek, 2011)
  • As Above So Below (Saddle Creek, 2012)
  • Waves (Flower Moon Records, 2018)

References

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  1. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Azure Ray biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  2. ^ Whitley, Carla Jean (2012-09-12). "Azure Ray's ethereal sound enchanted the Bottletree crowd". al. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  3. ^ Ander, Jason (June 2009). "#46. A Conversation with Orenda Fink". Fulle Circle Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  4. ^ Chiu, David (February 2, 2021). "Azure Ray Look Back On Grief And Friendship As Their Debut LP Turns 20". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ^ Calamar, Gary (2017-12-20). "Track Premiere: Maria Taylor and Louis Schefano "Light of the World"". KCRW. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  6. ^ Grubbs, Eric (October 11, 2011). "Maria Taylor Can't Recall Much About Her First Cyndi Lauper Show. But It Made Her Dad Cry". Dallas Observer.
  7. ^ Arturo Leslie, Camilo (February 28, 2001). "Azure Ray: Azure Ray". Pitchfork.com.
  8. ^ Phares, Heather, The Devil Wears Prada - Original Soundtrack review, retrieved 2024-08-06
  9. ^ Feeney, Nolan (11 February 2015). "Taylor Swift Made This Break-up Playlist for a Recently Dumped Fan". Time.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  10. ^ Woodward, Ellie (11 February 2015). "Taylor Swift Gave A Fan Breakup Advice And A "Moving On" Playlist". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  11. ^ "Paul Kalkbrenner's 'Azure' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled.com.
  12. ^ Schneyer, Jeremy (June 6, 2002). "Azure Ray: Burn and Shiver". PopMatters.com.
  13. ^ "Azure Ray: Burn and Shiver". Pitchfork.com. May 28, 2002.
  14. ^ "Azure Ray: November, PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. 2002-04-24. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  15. ^ Hochman, Steve (July 11, 2002). "Azure Ray Makes a Quiet Entrance". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ Billboard Staff (2003-12-04). "Moby Jams With Azure Ray, Hosts 'House Party'". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  17. ^ "Azure Ray: Hold on Love". Pitchfork.com.
  18. ^ "Azure Ray - New Resolution". saddle-creek.com.
  19. ^ "Now It's Overhead: self-titled". www.popmatters.com. 2001-09-27. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  20. ^ Ruiz, Matthew (23 March 2004). "Now It's Overhead - Fall Back Open". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  21. ^ Reverte, Michele (November 20, 2008). "LAist Interview: Maria Taylor: LAist". Archived from the original on 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  22. ^ Breihan, Tom (2010-06-18). "New Release: Azure Ray: Drawing Down the Moon". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  23. ^ Suarez, Jessica (August 4, 2010). "Azure Ray – "Don't Leave My Mind"". Stereogum.com.
  24. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (2010-09-30). "Azure Ray – "Don't Leave My Mind" Video (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  25. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (September 23, 2010). "Azure Ray: Drawing Down the Moon". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  26. ^ Wade, Ian (14 September 2010). "BBC - Music - Review of Azure Ray - Drawing Down the Moon". Bbc.co.uk.
  27. ^ Young, Alex (2011-01-28). "Check Out: Azure Ray's collaboration with Sparklehorse". Consequence.net. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  28. ^ Rolling Stone Magazine. EP Premiere: Azure Ray, 'As Above, So Below' Archived 2017-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 Nov 2012
  29. ^ Houle, Zachary (4 September 2012). "Azure Ray: As Above So Below EP". Popmatters.com.
  30. ^ Goble, Corban (17 July 2012). "Azure Ray – "Scattered Like Leaves" (". Stereogum.com.
  31. ^ Thompson, Stephen (9 August 2012). "Song Premiere: Azure Ray, 'Red Balloon'". NPR.
  32. ^ "EP Premiere: Azure Ray, 'As Above So Below'". Rolling Stone. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  33. ^ "News". Flowermoonrecords.com.
  34. ^ a b Prillaman, Ashley (May 10, 2018). "Interview + Premiere: Maria Taylor of Flower Moon Records". Audiofemme. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  35. ^ "Photos: Azure Ray, the Elected and Whispertown at the Lodge Room". buzzband LA. January 22, 2018.
  36. ^ "Azure Ray To Perform At The Lodge Room". November 21, 2017.
  37. ^ Goldfine, Jael (2018-09-26). "Azure Ray - "Palindrome"". Stereogum. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  38. ^ Engelman, Nicole (October 19, 2018). "Azure Ray Returns With 'Palindrome' Video: Premiere". Billboard.com.
  39. ^ Payne, Chris (2018-10-24). "Azure Ray Debuts Heartfelt New Version Of 2003 Track 'Hold On Love': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  40. ^ "Video Premiere: Azure Ray "Last Summer In Omaha"". Kcrw.com. October 25, 2018.
  41. ^ Minsker, Evan (March 25, 2021). "Azure Ray Announce First New Album in 11 Years, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  42. ^ Hayashida, Alisa (2022-04-15). "Flower Moon Records Blooms in South Pasadena". southpasadenan.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
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