MDT–031 | September 4, 2012
When they were setting out to write new music, Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor of Azure Ray were intent to depart from their original sound; that lushly haunted, dreamy folk pop that was born with their self-titled debut. “We wanted to go for something completely different,” says Fink, “For As Above So Below, we wanted it to be more like Azure Ray in an alternate universe.” And certainly the themes of alternative universes, Mother Nature, beginnings, endings, and re-birth surface in the songs. “It was hard not to think of those things,” laughs Fink, “Maria was eight months pregnant during recording!”
Sonically, As Above is a sparser, more minimal and more electronic experience than past albums, seeking inspiration from James Blake, Nicolas Jaar, and Apparat in keeping the music minimal and modern but still working as a textural and emotional extension of the lyrics. Conveniently, Fink is married to Todd Fink of the celebrated electronica band The Faint, so they didn’t have to look far for a guide into digital territory. “We enlisted my husband and Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Now It’s Overhead) as our dream team,” says Fink.
Longtime fans will be comforted to know that while in some ways As Above So Below is a departure, what isn’t left behind is that unmatched, dreamy essence that arises when Fink and Taylor harmonize. You know an Azure Ray song when you feel it–it’s chilling and familiar, like a draft of wind on the heart. As above, so below. As in nature, Fink and Taylor heed, so in our lives.
TRACKLIST:
1. Scattered Like Leaves
2. Red Balloon
3. Unannounced
4. To This Life
5. The Heart Has Its Reasons
6. We Could Wake