jordan reyne
London, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
Music
Press
certifiably barking and utterly beguiling. Jordan celebrates the use of multi-pedal effects with enough experimental seat-of-her-knickers derring-do to frighten the most sanguine of sound-desk pioneers. Think John Martin’s multi-vocal layers with Laurie Anderson’s ‘O Superman’ panting reverberations. There’s a husky edge to her vocals somewhere between Debbie Harry and a chain-saw wrapped-up with a velvet knuckle-duster. As to her appearance? The ginger-flame locks are a give away but fail to distract the eye from her red/black hooped leggings off-set by gossamer cascading ribbons suggesting a slightly distressed Punk Fairy aesthete. Then there’s the boots of nuclear-flask threatening capability. Shin high with multiple chrome-buckle accessories. Not to be argued with at a bondage orgy. Anyway, judging by the weight of them a leg-over would be as impracticable as would be dangerous
Jordan weaves her spells with variations on acoustic guitar open tunings and the dazzling array of effects pedals. Though how she can manipulate the push-buttons in those Herman Munster boots is a mystery in itself. She creates an evocative American Indian beat by looping a palm thump on the guitar body whilst overlaying a multi-vocal mantra reminiscent of Led Zep wrapped-up in their Arthurian mysticism. She really does like toying with her ‘Machines’ as she refers to her boxes of delight as she creates ever more quixotic soundscapes of arabesque splendour. Think Canadian Cree singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte Marie and Eddie Vedder on backing vox. And while you’re at it throw in a dollop Dylan’s scatological garrulous screams of sub-consciousness. She encores with ‘London’ a gelling of, ‘Two old Folk songs,’ she informs us. Now, here’s the measure of her ‘Steampunk’ credentials: with her ‘machines’ in apocalyptic sonic overdrive cranking-out a moody-Moog broody industrial primal dirge she can nevertheless effortlessly include the lyric ‘Bonny’ as pan-global musics collide. - Gig Junkies
"A jewel of industrial folk...(Reyne's) fascinatingly powerful voice...and reliance on substance over gloss make „How the Dead Live“ an impressive album. Disturbingly beautiful. A must have - not just for lovers of dark and industrial folk, but for everyone" - Unser Lübeck (Germany)
"One of this country's most gifted, probing and intelligent writers... [How the Dead Live] is a dark, emotionally intense and musically arresting concept album..delivered in lean poetry and electrifying folk-noir. An impressive achievement" - Elsewhere (New Zealand)
"Astounding; you can hear Susannah heartache and hear her tormented breathing... her lyrics are powerful.. the instrumentation excellent.. This album is nothing short of remarkable" - Rip it Up (New Zealand)
"A thoroughly unique work of art from start to finish. Whether by hook or crook, you MUST own this album. RATING - 5 / 5". - Channel 4 (UK)
"I'd be loath to categorize music this original. PJ Harvey springs to mind, but the style is 100% Jordans. Her vocals are astounding". - The Mix (UK)
Discography
Children of a Factory Nation (2011)
How the Dead Live (2009)
Passenger (2005)
The Loneliest of Creatures (2002)
The Ironman (2000)
Birds of Prey (1998)
All albums can be heard in full at jordanreyne.bandcamp.com
Photos
Bio
AWARDS
3 New Zealand Music Award Nominations
4 New Zealand Arts Council commissions and scholarships
1 APRA Silver Scroll commendation.
"Album of the Year" G.U.N.Z Magazine
no1 position Student Radio charts (New Zealand)
no1 Alternative artist for Hamburg on Reverbnation..
LIVE / FESTIVALS/ TOURS
* Wave Gothic Treffen (Germany)
* DV8 Festival (UK)
* GLASTONBURY (UK)
* Big Day Out x 2 (New Zealand / Australia)
* New Zealand National Annual Gothic Ball (NZ)
* Frankfurt Music Messe (Germany)
* New Zealand International Festival of the Arts (New Zealand)
* Brighton Fringe Festival (UK)
* Female Voices Festival (Germany)
* Elecrtofringe Festival
* Christichurch Festival of the Arts
* New Plymouth Festival of the Arts
* Mountain Rock Festival
* APRA Silver Scroll Awards
* Nationwide tours in: New Zealand, Germany, UK
GUEST APPEARANCES AND SOUNDTRACK WORK
"Lord of the Rings" (Peter Jackson, NZ)
Breaks Co-op (Zane Lowe, UK)
Shortland Street (NZ)
Cafe Del Mar (Spain)
The Strawpeople (NZ)
REDHEAD MAKES HISTORY USING EVERDAY OBJECTS
Hailed by Radio New Zealand as the author of a new sound, Jordan's music is not what you expect from a woman so pale, or flame haired. The New Zealand raised redhead is fascinated by machines, and the stories that surround them.
“I was hypnotized by the sound of factories as a child. Their rhymths and drones made it seem like they were breathing. I wanted to put words and melody to that”.
Jordan's live shows reflect her fascination with the sounds of steam and iron: a mix of acoustic loops, celtic melodies and machine sound rhythms, the listener is pulled into another time and place. Her newest album, Children of a Factory Nation, is set in the Industrial Revolution; a time when the lives of workers were turned upside down by the invention of new machines.
“My own ancestors are coalminers from Bleanavon, Wales. We know a lot of them died in the mines, or lived very hard lives in the employ of large corporations”
The new album tells the tale of a family who head to London in search for a better life and emploment. It draws a parallel between the workers of then and now - people chained to their jobs by the power of social convention and the tyranny of circumstance.
“The technology might be different, but the desperation is not. There are a lot of people today, especially after the crisis, who are trapped into working long hours and impossible shifts. Firms are still bent on maximizing profit at the expense of peoples health and livlihood”.
Jordan's European tour begins in May, and will trace old factory sites from Hamburg to Ruhgebeit. She travels light – using her own compact machinery (a digitech jamman loop machine) a guitar, and her own very remarkable voice. That voice that has seen her perform on the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings, on Cafe Del Mar and on several documentary films. In her home country, she has been nominated for 3 Tuis (the New Zealand version of the Emmy awards) and has had numerous Arts Council commissions. She played over 200 shows in 2010 and her list of performances include the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, the Bog Day Out, the Elecrtofringe Festival, the Brighton Fringe Festival, Female Voices Hamburg, APRA Silver Scroll Awards and many many more.
It is hard to find words to describe music as original as Jordan's is. The presses worldwide have given it their best shot - "industrial-tinged folk rock" and “antipodean steampunk”, “a 19th Century Nine Inch Nails with Sinead Oconnor on vocals”. We suggest you catch her show and find out for yourself.
Links
