Azalia Snail is an American
avant-garde singer-songwriter and musician.
[ She is a multi-instrumentalist active in neo-psychedelia, psychedelic folk and indie rock,][ played a prominent role in the 1990s ]lo-fi music
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
scene,[ and was dubbed the "Queen of Lo-Fi".][ She is one half of the duo ]LoveyDove
LoveyDove is an American pop and roll band that formed in February 2011 by Philadelphia-born Azalia Snail and California native Dan West.
Early life and influences
LoveyDove is a musical duo of Dan West, guitars, keys and vocals, and Azali ...
.
Snail recorded eleven solo albums between 1990 and 2006[ and has written film scores for several indie features and short films.] She has toured the United States, Europe and Australasia.
In 2000, she won the Los Angeles ''LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' Music Award for Best New-Genre/Uncategorizable Artist.
Early life and influences
Azalia Snail was born in Philadelphia to hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
parents, and was named after the azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Octob ...
s that grew near their home.[ At the age of six, her mother persuaded her to take piano lessons, and while Snail agreed, she was "frustrated by the whole disciplinary process".][ This prompted her to switch to guitar, which gave rise to more lessons, and more musical discipline. At 15 years old, Snail bought an electric guitar against her parents' wishes, who wanted her to play ]acoustic instruments
Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the adven ...
. She was forced to return the guitar and on doing so, told her mother, "That's all I want in my life – this guitar."[
Snail cites ]Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
as her biggest musical influence, in particular his albums Coney Island Baby and Rock and Roll Heart. She also credits Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
, T Rex, Patti Smith, The Kink Kronikles, and The Troggs Tapes
''The Troggs Tapes'' is a bootleg recording of the English rock band the Troggs. It was originally recorded in 1970, and consists of band members arguing over the recording of a song, with frequent profanity. It has become one of the best-known sp ...
as significant influences.
Career
Solo albums
After graduating high school, Snail moved to New York City and worked as a writer. In 1987, she began jamming with other musicians in bars, including Fly Ashtray in The Bronx, and soon branched off on her own to record solo music. In the late 1980s, she sent samples of her material to a radio show called "Lo-Fi" on WFMU in New Jersey. The station's DJ played her songs regularly, and she soon became known as the "Queen of Lo-Fi". Snail later distanced herself from the lo-fi label, saying that her music is now recorded professionally. However, the exposure she gained on the radio show prompted her to start performing as a solo artist. During the 1990s, she toured North America and Europe with multiple bands, including Low
Low or LOW or lows, may refer to:
People
* Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low
Places
* Low, Quebec, Canada
* Low, Utah, United States
* Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station
* Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...
, Trumans Water
Trumans Water are an American indie rock band, hailing from San Diego, California. They have released over a dozen albums over their career, on which they collaborated with acts in genre, including Azalia Snail, Chan Marshall and Thurston Moore.
...
and The Grifters.
Snail's music shuns conventional melody and often includes elements of noise. Her unconventional approach to music was influenced, in part, by her experiences with hallucinogens. In the early 1990s, she occasionally used LSD and magic mushrooms to enhance her perceptions. Though she has never used hallucinogens since, she says, "I'm a big believer in Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley and a lot of important philosophers who have all taken drugs to expand their horizons. I don't think you have to keep doing it throughout your whole life, and I don't believe everybody needs that, but it definitely turns you on to a whole new world and possibilities. I was interested in experiencing some of the things my favorite writers, artists and musicians have. I wanted to feel how they felt."
During the 1990s, Snail wrote and recorded eight solo albums. The albums generally featured several guest musicians, but Snail played the majority of the instruments herself, including guitars, zithers, keyboards, theremin and percussion. She also engineered and produced many of the albums.
Snail recorded ''Brazen Arrows
''Brazen Arrows'' is the ninth studio album by Azalia Snail, released in 2001 by Dark Beloved Cloud.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from ''Brazen Arrows'' liner notes.
* Azalia Snail – vocals, instruments, production
Production may ...
'' in 2001 and '' Avec Amour'' in 2006. The New Zealand-based Powertool record label released ''Petal Metal'', a two-CD retrospective of Snail's work, in 2008. She toured New Zealand in January 2010. I. Khider in '' Perfect Sound Forever'' described Snail as an "adept indie rocker" with a "quirky, creative edge".
In 2011, Snail released the album ''Celestial Respect''. It included Jeff Levitz on guitar and bass, Kevin Litrow on guest vocals, and Taylor Wheeldin on trumpet. Described as "a tribute to the spaciousness and atmosphere of the celestial beyond & within", it featured the tracks ''Solar Riser, Space Heater, User System, Fallen Down'' and ''Burnt Cookies''. ''Left Hip Magazines reviewer Michael Byrne described ''Celestial Respect'' as, "a hopeful space pop melodrama, that seeks to reignite human kindness through music that feels and sounds electronic and mechanical, creating an intriguing dichotomy to muse over while listening."
In November 2017, Radio SiriusXM debuted Azalia Snail's cover of Tom Petty's classic track ''The Wild One, Forever''.
In February 2018, Snail released the album ''Neon Resistance'' to positive reviews. Daniel Sylvester of ''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' said the album "beams with joyousness and youthful vigour." ''Abstract Analogue'' said it had "the perfect measure of everything to make it soar and add to the tally of outstanding songs here that will stand the test of time." Raymond Cummings of ''Splice Today'' wrote, "At its most beautifully gauzy, ''Neon Resistance'' plays like an extended hang-glide over canyons of warm, gooey, dreamy good feeling." In an interview, Snail stated that the theme of the album is "Staying true to yourself, your vision, and the ones to whom you surround yourself. The resistance, after all, is irresistible."
Collaborations
While residing in New York City in the 1990s, Snail first collaborated with filmmaker Sadie Benning to score the music for a video shown on MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. She then relocated to Los Angeles in December 1999 to work in film, where she wrote film scores for several independent feature films and short films, including the soundtrack to MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's ''Ain't Nuthin' But a She Thing.'' She also scored three feature films for Christopher G. Fieri.
In 2000, Snail and Brad Laner/Electric Company
''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. Th ...
shared the Los Angeles ''LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' Music Award for Best New-Genre/Uncategorizable Artist.
Since 2012, she has been one half of the band LoveyDove
LoveyDove is an American pop and roll band that formed in February 2011 by Philadelphia-born Azalia Snail and California native Dan West.
Early life and influences
LoveyDove is a musical duo of Dan West, guitars, keys and vocals, and Azali ...
, along with her husband, the multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Dan West. LoveyDove
LoveyDove is an American pop and roll band that formed in February 2011 by Philadelphia-born Azalia Snail and California native Dan West.
Early life and influences
LoveyDove is a musical duo of Dan West, guitars, keys and vocals, and Azali ...
's debut album was released in 2014 by LAs Fine. Snail has expressed a love of collaboration, saying, "Collaboration has always been beneficial and appealing to me. I wouldn't have made all this music without the contribution of so many people."
''Snail Meets West,'' released by Union Pole in 2015, is the free jazz duo of indie mainstay Azalia Snail and psychedelic maestro Dan West. Both have a long resume of various pop and roll projects, including LoveyDove
LoveyDove is an American pop and roll band that formed in February 2011 by Philadelphia-born Azalia Snail and California native Dan West.
Early life and influences
LoveyDove is a musical duo of Dan West, guitars, keys and vocals, and Azali ...
. ''Snail Meets West'' is a tribute to the late free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...
who influenced many musicians. Snail plays drums and West plays piano.
Discography
;Studio albums
*'' Snailbait'' (1990, Albertine)
*'' Burnt Sienna'' (1992, Funky Mushroom)
*''How to Live With a Tiger
''How to Live With a Tiger'' is a studio album by Hail (band), Hail/Azalia Snail, Snail, released in 1993 by Funky Mushroom Records. It is a collaborative effort by musicians Susanne Lewis and Azalia Snail.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted f ...
'' (with Susanne Lewis
Susanne Lewis is a German American musician, songwriter and artist. She is a solo-artist and a founder or collaborator of a number of bands and music projects. She has a band with Bob Drake called Corpses as Bedmates and Hail, and she also rel ...
as "Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
/Snail") (1993, Funky Mushroom)
*'' Fumarole Rising'' (1994, Funky Mushroom)
*'' Escape Maker'' (1995, Garden of Delights)
*'' Blue Danube'' (1995, Normal)
*'' Deep Motif'' (1996, Candy Floss)
*'' Breaker Mortar'' (1997, Dark Beloved Cloud)
*''Soft Bloom
''Soft Bloom'' is the eighth studio album by Azalia Snail, released on June 29, 1999 by Dark Beloved Cloud.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from ''Soft Bloom'' liner notes.
* Azalia Snail – vocals, instruments, production
Release h ...
'' (1999, Dark Beloved Cloud)
*''Brazen Arrows
''Brazen Arrows'' is the ninth studio album by Azalia Snail, released in 2001 by Dark Beloved Cloud.
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from ''Brazen Arrows'' liner notes.
* Azalia Snail – vocals, instruments, production
Production may ...
'' (2001, Dark Beloved Cloud)
*'' Avec Amour'' (2006, True Classical)
*'' Celestial Respect'' (2011, Silber Records)
*''LoveyDove
LoveyDove is an American pop and roll band that formed in February 2011 by Philadelphia-born Azalia Snail and California native Dan West.
Early life and influences
LoveyDove is a musical duo of Dan West, guitars, keys and vocals, and Azali ...
'' (2014, LAs Fine)
*''Snail Meets West'' (2015, Union Pole)
*''Neon Resistance'' (2018, Silber Records/USA & Thokei Tapes/Germany)
;Compilation albums
*''The Teenage Bedroom Tapes 1987–1991'' (1992, Union Pole)
*''Petal Metal'' (2008, Powertool)
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snail, Azalia
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women musicians
American film score composers
American filmmakers
American indie rock musicians
American multi-instrumentalists
American women singer-songwriters
American women guitarists
American women film score composers
Living people