Annabelle's Curse

If memory serves us correctly, this is the first time we've covered a band based in the unlikely city of Bristol, Tennessee. This five person group writes and records what might best be described as progressive folk/bluegrass/pop with a heavy emphasis on vocals and lyrics. The songs on Worn Out Skin come across sounding exceedingly genuine and inspired. We get the feeling listening to this that these five individuals really love what they're doing. In the package we received there were no publicity photos...no mention of the individuals' names in the group...and no photos on the album sleeve. So obviously the emphasis is on the music rather than the musicians themselves. Really nice smooth stuff that will stick with you. Cool resilient tracks include "Lovedrunk Desperados," "Wolf In Sheep Clothes," and "Beneath the Clouded Moon." - Baby Sue

"The band are about to release their new album, Worn Out Skin on October 23rd. If its

anything like this throughout, we’ll all be in for a treat." - Backseat Mafia - Backseat Mafia

“A bluesy indie-rock tune with some fantastic harmonies between Tim Kilbourne and

Carly Booher, the song is perfect for the slowly cooling evenings of early fall.” – Magnet

Magazine - Magnet Magazine

"Taking the best of multiple genres and creating something new is a worthy goal, and

Annabelle’s Curse knocks it out of the park here with a great tune." - Independent

Clauses - Independent Clauses

"A rocking folk set that isn't folk/rock, these five youngsters deliver a wise beyond their

years performance that has something original to say as well. Tasty stuff that would be as

at home on "Midnight Special" as a satellite back porch channel, this is a solid slab of lo-

fi-ish glory in all it's splendor with all the clichés you might expect left in the recording

studio's parking lot. Killer stuff." - Midwest Record - Midwest Record

"Beginning like the long lost cousin of Tommy James’ “Draggin the Line,” “Brother In

Arms” builds from lazy psychedelic shuffle to indie folk pop mastery with the delicate

male/female dueling vocals on the chorus really launch “Brother In Arms” into the

stratosphere." - Surviving the Golden Age - Surviving the Golden Age

Annabelle’s Curse, was completely fan-funded through a Kickstarter campaign. It is their follow-up to their debut album, Monsters, which was released in 2011. The band, by the way, is named after an upright bass that broke the night of their first gig. Apparently this instrument caused more than its fair share of mayhem in the group’s early days.

Hollow Creature is a rather serious collection of material, the songs dealing with different aspects of love. This album is really about the vocals and the songwriting. Many of the songs on Hollow Creature have a quiet intensity, and often a distinct beauty. These songs also make truly interesting use of traditional folk instruments. Though this album fits somewhat under the general category of folk, it is often surprising when some of the traditional folk instruments come in. Perhaps that’s because there is nothing really traditional about these songs, nothing really ordinary. This band has its own distinct sound, so that you almost expect new instruments to have been invented to perform these tracks.

This is an album to listen to at night or twilight, or perhaps at dawn, alone – in that strange moment between what’s fading away and what’s to come, when all is possible and nothing is quite real. When no demands are being made on you, and the world is yours.

The opening track, “Before The Fall,” fades in, kind of creeping up on you. But when the vocals come in, they are surprisingly right there, close to you. The vocals are kind of beautiful in this excellent song about the excitement of new love. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “And your body slowly melted into mine/And I was nervous the moment we first kissed/And you were perfect and clinging to my hips.” The drums play a prominent part on this track, below the vocals (their prominence adds to the effect of the line, “And the thundering in my chest is a timpani”). Then after two minutes, the song kicks with a kind of gorgeous instrumental section, which feels partly grounded, partly in the heavens. This is a really sweet track.

The vocals are again at the fore in “Embers,” a wonderful emotional acoustic song. It begins, “As the years roll by/I want to find something deeper/But my heart is black and blue/And you came along.” There’s an intensity to this song, even before that steady pounding grabs hold.

There is a certain amount of pain expressed in these songs, as might be expected when the subject is love. In “Regret, VA,” they sing, “You were a wounded heart/Should have known it from the start.” Though “Here in Regret, population me” is kind of a silly line.

“From Below” begins with the instruments at a slight distance, slowing building a power, while the vocals directly and immediately engage us. “Will it pass?/Or am I made of glass/If this flight has crashed/Why do the best things never last?” And then nearly two minutes in, the guitar announces itself, its bluesy vibe taking over for a moment. “My head’s adrift and my heart hides amongst the stars.” And then the song suddenly grows in intensity as the line “Why do the best things never last” is repeated, as if demanding an answer from the universe, or at least some acknowledgment of the question, the situation.

“Interlude” is a very short song with piano and vocals that asks, “If your world refused to spin/Would you fall for me again?”

“Hollow Creature,” the album’s title track, is a song of anger and heartache. It opens with the line, “Let the truth be known that all the love that I have shown for you has died.” Then the guitar comes screaming in, matching the vocals in expressing these intense emotions. I like the electric guitar on this one, as it really acts as a voice. Like when words fail, the guitar can express what we’re feeling. This song has an interesting change partway through, when the bass comes to the fore. This is kind of an amazing and powerful song.

But my favorite track on this album is “Tale Of Two Tattered Hearts.” This song really grabbed me. It’s a sad duet with the heavy line, “And it’s unrelenting.” This song is driven by acoustic guitar and the vocals (both male and female). Then, interestingly, hand-claps are added. You might think them out of place in a song like this, considering the subject and tone, but these guys make it work. He then repeats, “I’ll never love you like you’re wanting me to.” And the song ends there, with the repeated line shortened to simply “I’ll never love you.” Just great. I love this song.

Hollow Creature concludes with “New Years,” a song with a certain beauty, particularly in the vocals. There is a positive message in the lines, “Free your heart/Allow yourself another chance to start/Free your mind/The pain you hold will only heal with time.” There is the hope and determination to make a new beginning with the new year.

CD Track List

Before The Fall
Embers
Regret, VA
The Kingdom
From Below
Interlude
Hollow Creature
Happy Alone
Tidal Wave
Tale Of Two Tattered H - Michael Doherty

By Tad Dickens | The Roanoke Times

The music fans at FloydFest never pick bozos, and this year is no exception. Swampcandy, a two-piece hard blues machine from Maryland, is the winner of this year's On the Rise fan-voted music competition.
Bristol-area band Annabelle's Curse finished second.
See atttached videos of both groups, who emerged from among 37 On the Rise participants this year.
Each act wins a bevy of prizes from FloydFest, including actual paid slots at next year's Floydest.

Congrats to both. - The Roanoke Times

Nashville, TN Music City Roots, live on Wednesday night from the world famous Loveless Café, is a combined Radio/live internet show that showcases diverse musical genres. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale, it features 5 segments of artists, with a “Loveless” super jam for a finale. This show featured Bill Mize, Annabelle’s Curse, Michael Super Granda (think Ozark Mountain Daredevils), Langhorne Slim, and Paul McDonald. Everyone of these Artists rocked the crowd with their unique musical talents. And the finale was an incredible cover of “You can’t always get what you want” capping off a night of music that gave you just what you needed. Jim Lauderdale and Keith Bilbrey
- Butch Worrell

It surprises me still how many quality artists and bands there are that are unsigned. Each time I open a submission for Unsigned Friday, I never know really what to expect, but more often than not, the music is pretty good. Although, this past week was slow with some submissions, I opened some good stuff from a band by the name of Annabelle's Curse. Learn a little about them below.

Who: Annabelle's Curse
What: Alternative Folk/Acousmatic/Tape Music
Where: Bristol, VA
When: Their freshman release, Monsters, came in the form of a full length, self released album on 12.1.11
Why: It's the journey we enjoy, new friendships, and places we get to visit that, without the band, we would have never been to. - Todd, Oh So Fresh Music 3.2.12

Annabelle's Curse launches Kickstarter campaign for new album to be recorded with Grammy nominated producer David Mayfield. - Annabelle's Curse

Annabelle’s Curse’s “Hollow Creature” begins like a mix of `90s pop-rock radio and the harmony-driven contemporary folk-rock that’s so hot right now. It’s like Death Cab for Cutie and Arcade Fire raised in the valleys of Virginia singing harmonies and soaking up weekend pickin’ parties. Annabelle’s Curse certainly shares qualities with what I think of “Hey!” bands like Of Monsters and Men and the Last Bison - bands that raise spirits and create gospel-like revivals with group-shouts and bouncing acoustic boot-stompers. “Regret, VA” contains shouts of “Hey!”, but Annabelle’s Curse differentiates itself with that aforementioned Death Cab-like undercurrent and by keeping that uplifting spirit to a minimum. It delves into trippy, dramatic psychedelia on the heavier title track, for instance, demonstrating its own broad pallet while remaining tied to bluegrass and roots music through nimble picking and rich harmonies.

- Courtney Devores

Check out the link below to see band members Zack Edwards and Carly Booher discussing Annabelle's Curse kickstarter project and upcoming album "Hollow Creature" on Johnson City's WJHL.

<script type='text/javascript' src='http://WJHL.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=550596;hostDomain=www.wjhl.com;playerWidth=645;playerHeight=408;isShowIcon=true;clipId=8390437;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=fixed'></script><a href="http://www.wjhl.com" title="WJHL-TV: News: Weather, and Sports for Johnson City, TN">WJHL-TV: News: Weather, and Sports for Johnson City, TN</a> - WJHL

"Their emotive, post-folk songs sweep from intimate whisper to anthem-like choruses, placing them in a category of bands like Mumford and Sons and The Decemberists that are testing the boundaries of modern Americana." -WDVX Knoxville - WDVX, Knoxville