blair
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
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Press
Hey, ladies! We’ve got the hottest, newest indie album to kick off the New Year. Die Young by up-and-coming singer Blair is an eclectic mix of acoustics and funky beats with an overall grunge-ish 90’s feel.
Rock on, girl! Originally from New Orleans, Blair self-taught herself the guitar and skyrocketed from there. She self-released her first debut album Pluto in 2007, and is set to release Die Young Jan. 26—and let us just say, it’s absolutely awesome!
“Rampage” is the first song on the CD, kicking off the album with a great sound and a sweet beat. This soft-spoken track seems subtle yet totally rockin’. If you’re a fan of new music with a cool and different sound, this is totally the jam for you.
“Hello Halo” is a sweeter tune. With a random, yet interesting, baseline and even more interesting lyrics to match, you’ve just gotta hear it for yourself.
“Die Young,” the title track, is the slow and sultry song of the album. It has an amazing melody and flow that will make any girl go “awwww”—promise!
Be sure to pick up Blair’s newest album Die Young later this month.
- Girls Life
Blair
Neil Young lovin', New Orleans-gone-Brooklyn singer/songwriter, with a dash of hipster neon.
- Paste Magazine Online
Blair’s new record Die Young might not have the greatest advice in the title, but it’s full of fantastic songs. It’s a bit of a push from her simpler stuff I’d heard before, but as tracks like “Candy in the Kitchen” prove, that’s really only for the best.
MP3: Blair – Candy in the Kitchen
Is there anything cuter than a girl singing about dancing and encouraging others to dance? Japanese scientists are still working on topping it, I believe. Blair’s “Candy in the Kitchen” paints the picture of a girl whirling carefree in her kitchen to a Whitney Houston soundtrack. - You Ain't No Picasso
The year is young, but one of the best things I’ve heard so far is the forthcoming release from Blair. Arriving January 26th on Autum Tone, Die Young is a pop album for this generation. We received some great feedback on Blair when we dropped her song “Candy In The Kitchen” into our podcast last week.
Die Young was recorded in New Orleans where Blair grew up listening to Nirvana and learning guitar by listening to John Frusciante’s first solo records. This year is already swept up with major releases by big-named bands. Don’t let that hype let you pass up a chance to pick up one of the year’s most promising surprises. - Muzzle of Bees
http://www.theartssection.com/2010/01/music-die-young-by-blair_30.html - The Arts Section
The artist Andrew Kuo charts the album “Die Young” from the Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Blair. “Die Young” was released in January and tonight Blair is scheduled to perform at the Delancey as part of the Small Beast showcase. - ArtBeat, New York Times Art Blog
Discography
"Die Young" (Autumn Tone) 2010
"Pluto" (Independent) 2006
Photos
Bio
Blair now lives in Brooklyn, but until recently, gigged in and around the Silver Lake and Echo Park neighborhoods of Los Angeles. But this story doesn't begin on the west coast, far from it actually.
Blair grew up in the Deep South, New Orleans specifically, and in a town as soaked in gin as it is jazz, brass and funk, an adolescent Blair alternately drifted towards the sounds of Neil Young and Bob Dylan drifting out of her mother's turntable. But she is no folkie. Born in the 80s it was inevitable that the pop sounds of 90s FM radio would seep into her musical DNA; remember, these were the days when Nirvana and Beck dominated the airwaves. A quick study, Blair taught herself guitar by listening to and learning the tunes on John Frusciante's first solo records and by her late teens was opening for the likes of Cat Power and Bright Eyes.
Fast forward to 2007. At 22, Blair self-releases her debut EP, Pluto. At four songs the EP is a quick dash through the past four decades of pop music as filtered by someone who grew up with a healthy collection of Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Replacements, Velvets and Pavement.
Die Young, Blairs first full-length, is a collection of songs written and re-recorded over the span of five years. Half of the record was written in New Orleans, and half while living in California. The songs have turbulent titles: Kamikaze, Murder, Rampage, Die Young, etc. It's a record about violence and daydreaming, it's the angst of heart, and dreamy escapism, of a 20 something girl all wrapped up in melodies. It's vague as to which ones are real and which ones are daydreams. Perhaps that is the point. As a kid, Blair repeatedly watched Die Hard and listened to her walkman alot -- maybe that explains it.
Recorded in New Orleans in the middle of an especially hot summer the album was produced by Keith Ferguson and uses all New Orleans based musicians. It was crafted in studios and in the homes of friends creating vocal booths out of closets with borrowed equipment. Die Young will be released on Autumn Tone Records. (Henry Clay People, J. Tillman, Roadside Graves) on January 26, 2010. Blair has since played official showcases CMJ 2009 and SXSW 2010 to promote Die Young.
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