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Elysian Fields is an American band based in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, founded in 1995 by the co-composers Jennifer Charles (vocals, instruments) and Oren Bloedow (
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
). Their music has sometimes been described as "noir rock", due to its sultry, dark and mysterious inflections, be it sonically or lyrically. The band uses mainly acoustic instruments, predominantly guitar, piano, bass and drums, with the occasional appearance of eastern instruments, classical strings, and subtle electronics, the focal point being the voice of Charles in the forefront. Based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, Elysian Fields have found underground success in the United States but are more popular in Europe. The author of ''The Dark Stuff'', Nick Kent, says of their music, "Maybe we have their out-of-the-mainstreamness to thank for a sound that is still unique -- as sensual as a sleepwalker's wet dream." Since its formation, the band has won quite a devoted cult following, largely by word of mouth. Besides its well received albums, the band is also noted for its strong live performances. The rest of the band has included many of New York's strongest players: all the members of Jeff Buckley's band, members of Medeski Martin and Wood, Ed Pastorini, Ben Perowsky, James Genus, Thomas Bartlett, Jamie Saft and members of Ollabelle have all played in Elysian Fields at various times.


History

Founders Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow had in common a mutual love for artists of multiple genres such as
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
,
Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...
,
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
,
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...
, Captain Beefheart,
Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...
, and classical composers like Frederic Chopin and Olivier Messiaen. Elysian Fields first released an EP in 1996 on Radioactive/
Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
with cameos from John Lurie and
Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...
, which was followed with the critically acclaimed full-length album, '' Bleed Your Cedar''. The band then recorded its second album with
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
which was never released because of artistic differences between the band and the record company. Despite their record company's urgings, Charles and Bloedow did not want to give the recording a more commercial feel, prompting a split with Radioactive/Universal, who retain the recording. Charles said, "We made our second full length with Steve Albini. It wasn't at all what the label was looking for, or wanted. The label wanted us to redo things, go in with more commercial people, and give them songs that they could sell. I didn't want to mess with what we made with Steve. It was what it was. In the end we agreed to disagree, I asked to be released from my contract, and we parted ways. For now it sits in some vault gathering dust, I suppose." (Entitled ''Clinical Trial'', the album was eventually released on the band's bandcamp page in 2014.) In 2000, the band recorded a one-off album for Jetset records, ''Queen of the Meadow'', which the band toured extensively in Europe, and which reached number 5 on the
CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
charts in the US. Robert Wilson went on to use one of the songs, "Rope of Weeds", in one of his plays. In June 2003, the band released ''Dreams That Breathe Your Name'' in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
on PIAS and Bang Records respectively, followed by an American release in 2004 on their own label Diluvian. The album was called "Close to noir-rock perfection" by the ''TimeoutNY'' music editor, Mike Wolf. A further album, ''Bum Raps and Love Taps'', was released in Europe in late 2005/early 2006 on the Naive label and led to the band touring in Europe for much of 2005 and 2006. The album is dedicated to Charles' grandmother, about whom the title track was written. Another song "'Duel with Cudgels", eight minutes and thirty seconds, takes its title from a Goya painting. Their music is lush and melancholy, with poetic and sometimes surreal lyrics. Their ''Bum Raps'' album was finally released in the US in late 2008 on the band's Diluvian imprint. In addition to contributing to many of John Zorn's produced compilation records, including one of
Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...
and the first track on the Serge Gainsbourg tribute, Charles and Bloedow also released two complete albums of
Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
songs on Zorn's Tzadik label: ''La Mar Enfortuna'' (2001) and ''Convivencia'' (2007). They give ancient Moorish melodies a revamp with their signature Elysian Fields sound. Charles sings in Ladino as well as in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
, Spanish and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
on these albums. Elysian Fields have also performed in several tribute concerts produced by the impresario Hal Willner, including one of
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...
's songs in Los Angeles, where Oren was a musical director, and another for
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
. Elysian Fields performed at the
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
on April 5, 2007, in Michael Dorf's all star tribute to Bruce Springsteen; Oren was once again musical director, backing up several artists including Badly Drawn Boy, and
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
himself for the rousing finale of "Rosalita". Elysian Fields rendition of "Streets of Fire" was noted in both ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' as being one of the show's highlights, and described as "sensual" and "passionate". In February 2009, Elysian Fields performed in Paris in a sold-out show at the Salle Pleyel, as part of John Zorn's Serge Gainsbourg tribute concert alongside
Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...
and Sean Lennon. In 2009, the band released ''The Afterlife'' on Vicious Circle records, which was received with high critical praise. European tours followed, along with sold-out concerts in several major cities. According to the liner notes, their 2020 album ''Transience of Life'' was inspired by the 18th-century Chinese novel '' Dream of the Red Chamber'' by Cao Xueqin. Elysian Fields' music has appeared in films as well as many television shows including ''
Damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...
'', ''
Conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...
'', ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'', '' Charmed'', '' One Tree Hill'', '' Extra'', '' The Crow'' and '' Lipstick Jungle''. "Black acres" from ''Queen of the Meadow'' was used in a 2011
Lavazza Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. (), shortened and stylized as LAVAZZA, is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business (Italian: ...
advertisement.


Influences

Jennifer Charles cited singers of many styles including
Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...
,
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
,
Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...
and
Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
singers. She's also been inspired by the likes of the Lounge Lizards,
Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
,
Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
,
Foetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Prenatal development is a ...
, Siouxsie, Jean-Louis Murat and The Captain.


Discography

*''EP'' - (1996) - Radioactive/Universal *'' Bleed Your Cedar'' - (1996) - Radioactive/Universal *''Clinical Trial'' - (1997) - Diluvian *''Queen of the Meadow'' - (2000) - Jetset *''Bend Your Mind'' EP - (2000) - The Flower Shop *''Dreams That Breathe Your Name'' - (2004) - PIAS, Diluvian, Bang! Music *''Bum Raps & Love Taps'' - (2005) - Naive Records *''The Afterlife'' - (2009) - Vicious Circle Records, Diluvian *''Last Night on Earth'' - (2011) - Vicious Circle Records, Ojet Records *''For House Cats And Sea Fans'' - (2014) - Vicious Circle Records, Ojet Records *''Ghosts of No'' - (2016) - Vicious Circle Records, Ojet Records *''Pink Air'' - (2018) - Microcultures, Ojet Records *''Song For A Nun'' b/w ''Ball Drive'' - (2019) - Ojet Records *"Shelter in Place" single - (2020) - Ojet Records *"When We Used To" single - (2020) - Ojet Records *''Transience Of Life'' - (2020) - Microcultures, Ojet Records *''Once Beautiful Twice Removed'' - (2022) - Ojet Records *''What The Thunder Said'' - (2024) - Ojet Records


References


External links


Elysian Fields websiteElysian Fields Facebook page

Elysian Fields European label


a sampling of their music.
MySpace pageJennifer Charles interviewed on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elysian Fields American art rock groups Rock music groups from New York (state) American dream pop musical groups American experimental rock groups American rock music duos Indie pop groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1995