Description

Sailing Stones aka Jenny Lindfors' debut album Polymnia is an honest exploration of learning to break free and let go, existentially. I really wanted to get into the dark side of what we wrestle with as human beings, and that there is no easy solution, the Bristol-based songwriter says about the process of writing these songs, bookended by the experience of moving to London and eventually leaving it behind.

Although Polymnia comes from a place of melancholy, each song acts as a window into a transient moment of breakthrough and clarity. Lindfors' husky vocals glide over the top of murky, layered synthesisers and softly rolling drums, each melody a guiding light puncturing through dusky fog. On Polymnia, Lindfors allowed her intuition to guide her more acutely: I stopped caring about things sounding corny, and just went with what felt good, she explains. It's clear that Lindfors' personal but epic songwriting would sit
well alongside Marissa Nadler, Weyes Blood and Julia Holter's Have You In My Wilderness in any good record collection. But in comparison to these songwriters, Lindfors' songwriting captures acutely a nocturnal American expanse and in doing so recalls the ghost of Ry Cooder's Paris, Texas soundtrack that partly inspired her. At times, Polymnia also draws rich textures from the late 1980s FM radio Lindfors listened to as a child.

Opening track 'Free As I'm Gonna Be' is as revelatory sounding as it is hooky, launching the album with strings and choir-like vocal drones. Lyrically, this opener captures well that uncertainty that goes with realising that one is free; the feelings temporariness and the angst that comes with accepting responsibility.

Polymnia is beautifully arranged, but Lindfors' lyrics throughout make it far from smooth and it can be at times a deceptively uneasy listen for this reason, her gentle vocals a dark disguise for emotionally complex sentiments. For lyrics so personal sounding, Polymnia is heroically restrained.

With its foundations laid in Vale Studios, Polymnia came together with producer and multi-instrumentalist TJ Allen (Bat For Lashes, Laura Groves) on production and bass duties, Dan Moore on keys/ synths (Moog Ensemble, Modulus III, Anna Calvi) and Daisy Palmer (Mesadorm, Goldfrapp, Rae Morris) on drums and drum machines. Later, Jake and Pete from Get The Blessing provided horn parts, and Drew Morgan (Modulus III) arranged strings on several songs.

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Glenn Roth is not your typical commuter from Connecticut. Instead of a briefcase, he carries a gig bag. His workspace is the vaulted splendor of Grand Central Terminal or the tunnels and platforms of the New York City subway system. A literal underground sensation, Glenn is a licensed performer in the MTA's Music under New York program, playing for the most distracted and demanding audience in the world: legions of workers rushing to jobs throughout the Big Apple. And his fingers work magic, creating a soundscape of compelling melodies that invite them to leave the cityrush behind on an aural escape.

Glenn is a fingerstyle guitarist, his thumb riding the bassline and the melody driving all. His compositions suggest multiple guitars, but it's really just one guy, ten flying fingers, one instrument. All instrumental, Glenn's songs suggest moods and narratives that compel the listener to fill in the details.

Glenn has released six CDs to date: Innovations (2005), Busker (2006), Into the Unknown (2010), Welcome Home (2016), and a holiday CD. His original compositions have been hailed as sheer virtuosity and delicate, accomplished solo acoustic guitar work (PLAY: New Haven Arts & Entertainment Weekly). Glenn has shared bills with Stephen Bennett, Monty Montgomery, Tuck & Patti, Bucky Pizzarelli, Carl Verheyen, Don Ross, Antoine Dufour, and Vicky Genfan, among others.

Glenn plays regularly throughout the northeast and tours nationally & internationally to bring his music to new fans and locales. Glenn just released a new "Got It Covered" CD in June 2017.

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9 Nether Edge Road,

Sheffield,

South Yorkshire,

England,

S7 1RU.