EMOT – ‘Trees & Claws’ CS
Emot’s “Trees & Claws” EP is the first release from start up Minneapolis label Run Ruby Red Records. The band is comprised of Dan Choma (drums/sampling), Justin Hartke (bass/vocals), Matt Leavitt (vocals/guitar/keyboards) & Robert Mulrennan (guitar/sampling). Emot has shared the stage with great Twin Cities bands such as Haley Bonar, Halloween Alaska, No Bird Sing, We Are the Willows, & Adam Svec. Their slow-burn spacious style is reminiscent of Minnesota’s own Low mixed with early Sigur Rós. “Trees & Claws” is a patiently crafted EP full of quiet yet memorable melodies and layers of intoxicating loops. The cassette opens with a short sensuous Prelude, breaking into the frisky “Lifting Off.” “Ancients,” a clear stand out track, builds from a slow drum and guitar drone into a defiantly realized bridge reminiscent of King Crimson. This is a cassette for hearing on headphones, a soundtrack for peaceful solitude. Pro-dubbed edition of 100.
Daniel Choma – ‘Sad Songs About Girls’ CS
This spring, Run Ruby Red Records released it’s second cassette, “Sad Songs About Girls” by Daniel Choma. Daniel took some time away from his other projects in Minneapolis to put together this intimate country record in the small confines of his studio apartment. Influenced equally by classic songwriting and the DIY ethic, “Sad Songs About Girls” was recorded with one condenser microphone over the course of several months. The opener “Standing by You Staring at the Ocean,” is an infectious percussion driven lovelorn romp which culminates with a Gregg Allman slide solo. From there, the cassette drops into the harmonica-driven Byrds style “Jaime.” Other highlights include the Jerry Jeff Walker styled country narrative “Everything to Me” and the lo-fi soul closer “East Side to Liberty City.” “Sad Songs about Girls” is sincere foray into classic Americana: the work of a gifted young songwriting just beginning to share his craft. Pro-dubbed edition of 100.