LORI CARSON
Shelter (DGC) 1990
Where It Goes (Restless) 1995
Everything I Touch Runs Wild (Restless) 1997
Stars (Restless) 1999
House in the Weeds (online) 2001
Stolen Beauty (Restless / Rykodisc) 2003
The Finest Thing (Meta) 2004
Following her folky debut, Shelter, the breathy, wistful singer/songwriter Lori Carson made a splash in the indie world as the lead singer for the Golden Palominos on This Is How It Feels and Pure. Setting Carson’s sultry vocals against lush bedroom arrangements, it was her work with the Palominos that presaged better days. “Little Suicides” (from Pure) is one of that album’s highlights, and fits in seamlessly alongside Carson’s later solo material.
Where It Goes, produced by Anton Fier and released after the end of Carson's stint with his Palominos, is grave and serious, sung with aching intensity and arranged with drawing-room sophistication. It demonstrates a far surer grasp of Carson’s strengths as a songwriter and arranger. “Waking to the Dream of You” is a tantalizingly intimate and adult reflection on love, loneliness and the pleasures of solitary comforts.
Everything I Touch Runs Wild, issued as a single disc and as a two-CD set containing remixes, is another major leap forward. Lush, seductive and shimmering, with faint imprints of Bristol trip-hop, 4AD ambience, psychedelia and folk, it contains such highlights as a glimmering cover of Todd Rundgren’s “I Saw the Light” and the subtly insistent “Snow Come Down,” in which Carson croons, “I don’t want to cause you any pain / I just want to love you.” A hard appeal to resist. The remixes move Carson naturally in the direction of trip-hop and downtempo club rhythms, although it’s certainly not dancefloor material.
Relocating from New York to Seattle, Carson released Stars, another strong record that builds on Everything I Touch’s strengths. Calmer and less eclectic, this set is more openly optimistic and warmhearted, shining with an understated joy. Carson sings longingly of a returning lover in “16 Days”: “Thank God for second chances / true love and forgiveness.” Still, the album offers more than lovesick musings: she also wishes for his “Head in a Box.”
Returning to the East Coast, Carson (whose songs have always revealed an inclination for isolation) retreated to a farm on Long Island where she led workshops on songwriting technique and releasing an understated album of home demos, A House in the Weeds, via the Internet in 2001.
Carson's songs have been used on soundtracks by such filmmakers as Bernardo Bertolucci and Steven Spielberg and such TV shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Roswell. In a move that scarcely seemed logical at the time (but was clearly brilliant in retrospect), Rykodisc packaged her soundtrack contributions as an alternate-universe greatest-hits. Stolen Beauty, which borrows its name from a Bertolucci film, collects material from Where It Goes, Everything I Touch, Stars and other phases of Carson’s career. Featuring the Palominos’ “Little Suicides” alongside solo favorites (e.g., “Something’s Got Me,” “Snow Come Down”) and such rare tracks as “Hands” from a Bill Laswell project, this set compellingly argues for Carson’s relevance as a songwriter and singer comfortable in a range of styles, but unfailingly intimate and intense.
The Finest Thing moves Carson into a more ambient realm, with clear influences from former colleagues Fier and Laswell, but most notably under the sway of Brian Eno. For a singer and arranger who’s always leaned toward shimmering impressions rather than pop, this is her most dreamlike record yet, moving from singer-songwriter to lush ambient synthesizers and wordless refrains. Moving and lovely throughout.
[Michael Zwirn]
Now, with the help of gimmesound.com, you can download all tracks from the debut album “Mountains in the Sun” for FREE! Not only does Seti Alpha 5 get paid for each download, but each download also generates a donation to a charity of YOUR CHOICE! I’m thrilled that this revolutionary concept will allow the music of Seti Alpha 5 to reach the masses for free and help to change the world at the same time. Please give 5 minutes of your time to do this, if not only to show your support for Seti Alpha 5, but also to help support one of the great charities benefited by your download. Visit gimmesound.com to learn more and download the album now!
HEY, THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON OUR STOP-MOTION VIDEO FOR OUR SONG "MATRYOSHKA" (
"Russian Doll") FOR A LONG TIME AND WE ARE PROUD TO SAY IT'S FINALLY FINISHED!!!
We had fun making it and we hope you like it!
Hi Lori - Thanks for adding me! I am glad to see (Or should I say 'hear') that you are still making beautiful music...... your work with the Golden Palominos will always be memorable to me! Best, Sean
HI Lori, It's been along time. Hope all is well. I'd love 2 play on a track sometime, gratis. Always liked your music. I just want to let U and your friends know about my video premier concert. Hope U can make it by. FORMER JOE JACKSON GUITARIST VINNIE ZUMMO VIDEO PREMIER PARTY SUNDAY DECEMBER 7th. 3PM @ THE CUTTING ROOM 19 West 24th Street (212) 691-1900 $12 Show starts at 3 sharp thecuttingroomcontact@gmail.com
JOIN US FOR THE FIRST SHOWING OF MY NEW VIDEO RINGO PLUS A CONCERT BY The Vinnie Zummo Trio featuring: Vinnie Zummo: guitar, Ray Marchica: drums Cameron Brown: Bass Special guest : Janice Zummo ALSO A special appearance by "The Ringo Band" featuring: Vinnie Zummo : Guitar, Bill Stuart: Drums Seth Glassman: Bass, Arne Wendt: Keys Vocals: Janice Zummo, Frank Agnello, Russell Velazquez, Jimmy O'Donnell, Tony Noe. Cello: Reed Hays
