If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ann Sullivan-Cross The Loyal Seas (aka Tanya Donelly of Belly and Brian Sullivan of Dylan in the Movies) have released a new single that is a showcase for Donelly's vocals. If you've even had just a passing interest in Donelly's music over the last thirty or so years, you know that focusing on her vocals is never a bad thing. "Swimmers in the Gold" is a quiet ballad that also includes guest appearances by Jon Evan (Tori Amos) on upright bass and Sarah Parkington (The Parkington Sisters) on violin and viola. The resulting song is a gorgeous and simple song that is wonderfully lush because of the vocal talents of Donelly and Sullivan. As someone who has followed Donelly's career since the early 90's, it's great to see how diverse her musical output can be. Brian Sullivan says of the new song: “ I handed this song over to Tanya with the lyrics to both verse and chorus but I wasn't feeling the verses. I knew Tanya could take this song to the r...

Photo by Ann Sullivan-Cross The Loyal Seas are a collaboration between Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses) and Brian Sullivan (Dylan in the Movies). The two met in the 90's at Fort Apache Studios, and have collaborated a number of times since. The duo are releasing their first album in May, and "(So Far from) Silverlake" is its first single. The song is a beautiful slice of dream pop. Donelly's voice instantly elevates any song she sings on. Not that "(So Far from) Silverlake" needs much elevation. It's done as a duet with Donelly and Sullivan trading off verses and harmonizing. This is a perfect first song for the official band of two long time collaborators.  Tanya Donelly explains the origins of her new band's name: “Band names are tricky. We came up with some interesting ones,” recalls Brian. “Our relationship is very 'brother and sister' - that's where the ‘loyal’ part comes in. To me, family means loyalty. Brian’s anam cara to me,...