Josienne Clarke - "Anyone But Me"

Photo by Alec Bowman_Clarke

The latest single from Josienne Clarke combines sounds that are quite different in a surprisingly perfect mixture. Clarke's vocals sound like traditional folk. In fact, just about as traditional as you can get. But the music in "Anyone But Me" follow a much heavier alt-rock sound. It's all fuzzy guitars and driving drums. The vocals almost seem to be at a much slower tempo, and would be more at home if the song was a ballad. But "Anyone But Me" is a fast rock song. This song should not work at all, but Clarke has crafted a song that flows together brilliantly despite the mismatched parts.

Josienne Clarke says of her upcoming album's title:

“It means both solitude and singularity; being one of a kind, but also alone in the sense that you are apart from other things. So, it has both a positive connotation and a really melancholic one–and I feel like that fits every song that I've ever written.”

You can watch the video for "Anyone But Me" below. Onliness (songs of solitude & singularity) is due out April 14 on Corduroy Punk Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Josienne Clarke, check out the artist's website.

Josienne Clarke - "Words Were Never the Answer"

Photo by Alec Bowman_Clarke

The latest from Josienne Clarke is a short and simple folk song that will enrapture you in less than two minutes. "Words Were Never the Answer" is just Clarke's vocals and an arpeggio providing music. The song is truly a showcase for Clarke's vocals, and those are enough to suck you in. Something about the song feels old fashioned and modern at the same time. This is classic folk music brought modern, sounding familiar and fresh at the same time. The only negative of the song is that it ends so abruptly that you're left desperate for more, but that's hardly a bad thing.

Josienne Clarke says of her new single:

“Nothing can be achieved with just melody and sentences, however well you structure them. You only ever make pretty shapes with pain and the best you can hope for is that it resonates somehow with someone else in some way. It’s not intended to be as bleak as that sounds; I’m making light of the foolish grandiosity that drives artistic endeavor and–to be honest–in an industry that’s often so hostile a landscape to the artist we need that kind of motivation, as ‘meaninglessly lovely’ as it is.” 

You can watch the video for "Words Were Never the Answer" below. Onliness (songs of solitude and singularity) is due out April 14 on Corduroy Punk Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Josienne Clarke, check out the artist's website.