Helene. Postcard - London, UK.

	Last update: June 2006
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	Helene, the singer: Born into a North London ghetto, Helene had an obsession with music from an early age. Infected by her mum's love of The Smiths, she became the youngest fringe-swinger on the late 80s indie scene, and was even offered her first record deal by Alan McGee at the tender age of 15. Moving out of a turbulent family home at 16, she went off to live in Berlin, then Israel. It was upon her return to London, to study English at University, that she met Graham Gargiulo (formerly of Peel-faves and M.B.V. soundalikes The Charlottes) and formed Barefoot Contessa, an atmospheric, noir-ish combo who semi-thrived on the fringes of the nascent alt-country movement through the late 90's up until their fourth and last album release in 2001. While Helene's bruised, blues-inflected tones easily lend themselves to the "country" tag, she was never entirely happy with the restrictiveness of it, seeking a platform which would reflect her love not just of blues and country music, but of the Velvet Underground, the "chanson" tradition, 60's bubblegum pop music, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan...... And so to 2003, and the release of "Postcard", Helene's first album under her own name. The album is a beautiful, brooding masterpiece, opening with the stark, dramatic "Big Talker", then winding its way along a dark and thrilling path which is occasionally illuminated by flashes of glorious light - the sunshine-through-rain prettiness of "Your Laughter", for example, or the exuberant chug of "Peanuts". This album is not easy listening: emotions are brutally bare (reflecting Helene's complex emotional and mental history) and her voice sometimes sounds desperately vulnerable. But what this IS, is an album full of vivid musical inventiveness, gorgeous melodic phrases, and a sublime vocalist who could melt the hardest of hearts. No woman is an island, and so....Helene, the band Helene's newest single "This Is All We Have To Know" b/w "Nostalgie" was released on 19th June 2006. And the new album "Routines" is due in July. See News for details. Postcard is available from Amazon, Tower and all good record stores.
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Helene's newest single "This Is All We Have To Know" b/w "Nostalgie" was released on 19th June 2006. And the new album "Routines" is due in July. See News for details.