A long time ago we got to know a struggling but utterly charming young musician called Anais, who on one of her tours around the UK (she's from Vermont in the US) detoured to our house and gave a concert in our shed (it's a nice shed). We liked her so much and her music was so good that we kept in touch and everytime she came to the UK to tour, we'd see her and catch up.
Well look at her now, she's gone and written herself a critically aclaimed album, Hadestown, with rave reviews in Clashmusic.com, The Word (not available on line yet, pesky subscription only link) and on Bob Harris's Radio Two (yes we DO listen to Radio Two) Saturday show and all sorts. Blimey, she might even get, y'know, famous.
She's been writing Hadestown for a while, the album is a folk opera loosely based on the Orpheus and the Underworld myth and is set in an imaginary post-apocolyptic America. It sounds heavy but it's just beautiful and the magic is enhanced by indie and folk luminaries Ani DiFranco and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver singing key parts.
Hadestown is available to buy from Amazon on the 26th April (in the US it's already out and available from Rightous Babe records) but we'd also seriously recommend Anais's previous albums, particularly Hymns for the Exiled too
Go Anais! But remember, we loved you first
