Minty Fresh

Wrongkong

admin — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Wrongkong bounces through the speakers with a mix of haunting electronic and club sounds. They defy typical song structures through their use of daring beats and tempos, which makes their self-titled debut album both energetic and soothing. You may just find yourself closing your eyes to fully absorb the harmonies on such tracks as “Wide Open” and “Hiding.”

Paired with the melodies, however, are power-pop songs such as “Closer” and “Lovesick.” Listening to these tracks has a high probability of resulting in the sudden urge to dance around whatever room you happen to be in. “Real Boy” will make you wonder if you’ve flashbacked to the days of disco, but, unlike the cheesy songs of the era, you’ll choose to replay Wrongkong over and over again.

Fronted by female singer Cyrena, the lyrics are infused with phrases that many women can relate to. These include “it’s not easy to exist going unnoticed,” “you try to define me, but you don’t know where I was,” and “I love how you use me, soon I’m garbage then you’ll lose me and I’m free as a dove” (which anyone who has ever been used can belt out with fervency). Call me biased, but it is always refreshing to hear powerful female vocals from an up-and-coming band since many of today’s mainstream groups are headlined by men. So, if you’re looking for musical refreshment this latest act from Minty Fresh Records will certainly quench your thirst.

Written by: Michelle Tooker, June 20th 2008

Poverina

admin — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:10:00 +0000

By Astrid Swan

Minty Fresh

Finland's own multi-instrumentalist Astrid Swan’s debut album, Poverina, was released on Minty Fresh Records on May 22. The opening track, "They Need You if They Think You Love Them," starts out gently with a tapping glockenspiel and cleverly transitions into Astrid's husky voice and piano. The arrangement is intense and dramatic at times with almost a full orchestra of instruments.

It is hard not to compare Ms. Swan with the much underrated '70s quirky-pop diva, Laura Nyro. Both women not only have sultry styles of their own, but each singer is able to blend together several musical elements of pop, soul, folk, show tunes and Swan's own influence, jazz. Swan says that "[j]azz was often played in our home, and although I used to say I hated it, it seems something has rubbed off onto my songs."

One main thing I noticed in hearing Swan's jazz influence in her music is the unpredictable chord arrangements. The music can be complicated with dynamic shifts in tone, which plays with our ideas of tempo and style. Swan uses her piano like a weapon at times. An example of this is the track "Second Chance," which has unexpected variations and intense lyrics such as: "he gave me broken wings/and told to fly/he said I have eternity/and time is an ocean/that I can fly over." The Bacharach-esque title track, "Poverina," is a catchy tune, which has fast dynamic musical shifts reminding me of Fiona Apple, and demonstrates that Swan's singing range is extremely versatile.

Astrid Swan's melodies are memorable, and, like Nyro, her voice is an acquired taste. It is not for everyone, but it works beautifully with her music.

Written by: MK Matson, July 21st 2007

City Morning Song

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:38:00 +0000

By Sarah Shannon

Minty Fresh

City Morning Song is the second solo album from Sarah Shannon, former front woman for shoegaze band Velocity Girl. Her second solo attempt is not filled with the distortion of guitars, but with instruments like the piano, horns, bass guitar and strings. It contains twelve pop tracks that are reminiscent of Carole King’s work. What is definitive to Sarah’s style is that it’s hip to our generation.

City Morning Song is exactly what it sounds like: bright upbeat life and love songs. In fact, there few on the album that sound the opposite. The piano compliments her clear, strong singing voice, and her unique vibrato is stamped on each song. "Postwar Hope" and "Hey Heartache" seem to be my favorites. The lyrics are easygoing, yet expressive of a woman blowing off heartaches and thinking about her life. In "Postwar Hope," I am particularly in love with the piano and violin, while Sarah describes the scene with her lyrics. City Morning Song is not your regular pop from the candy machine. It has a contemplative quality.

Written by: Adriana Monrreal, March 8th 2007