If It's Too Loud...: rachel sumner and traveling light

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Rachel Sumner - "Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)"

Photo by Hannah Cohen

Last year saw Twisted Pine's Rachel Sumner release her debut solo album Rachel Sumner & The Travelling Light, and she's back with a new single (although it did win a Lennon Award in 2021). "Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)" tells the tale of the young women who were knowingly exposed to radium poisoning in factories in the 1920s, and the cover up by the companies involved. Sumner's song is a beautiful and haunting folk song that tells the true story of these women without pulling any punches. It's a heartbreaking story, but one that needs to be told, especially by a songwriter as talented as Sumner.

Rachel Sumner says of her new song:

“To this day it boils my blood to think about what happened to these women, but the day I first read about them I was absolutely livid. It had been nearly a hunded years since radium dial companies started cropping up. I took my urge to shout their story from rooftops and focused it into crafting a ballad to honor and share their plight. In a time where major US companies and warehouses continue to exploit workers and risk their health for profit, the story of the Radium Girls is one we cannot afford to forget.”

You can listen to "Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)" below. Rachel Sumner has a new album due out in 2024. For more on Rachel Sumner, check out the artist's website.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

First Listen: New Releases for 5 August

Artist: Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light
Album: Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light
Quick Thoughts: Man, I loved this album. It has a lot of elements of progressive bluegrass and folk, but just the gorgeousness of it all makes it stand out. It's got a hint of darkness as well, which gives it a feel all its own. A really solid listen and bold statement in a quiet week.
Songs of Note: "Unrecorded Night," "Strangers Again," "Come Along, Rowan"

Artist: EDT
Album: It Was a Wave, Of Course
Quick Thoughts: EDT is the moniker of Emily Dix Thomas, a cellist with a super impressive resume for a variety of local favorites. This album, heavy on the gothic cello mood it sets, is really a beautiful record and might be one of my favorites of the summer. There's a starkness to it, and that sort of thin fragility lends itself to some very interesting and unique sounds and songs. Honestly, don't miss out on this one, it's truly stellar.
Songs of Note: "Blue," "Twilight," "A Wave, Of Course"

Artist: The Interrupters
Album: In the Wild
Quick Thoughts: The Interrupters continue to soldier on as if ska didn't leave our hearts just to come back in recent years. The musicians involved in The Interrupters are second-to-none, and the songs here are equal parts fun and familiar, serious and sober. A great listen whether you're letting your Vans collect dust in the closet or not.
Songs of Note: "Anything Was Better," "Raised by Wolves," "My Heart," "Worst for Me," "Let 'Em Go"

Artist: Cheekface
Album: Too Much to Ask
Quick Thoughts: Ah, Cheekface. This album is so absurd in so many ways, and yet probably makes much bolder statements this time around than they did on last year's effort. The end result is still a really solid record on a whole, and in many ways a step forward in their trajectory, so check it out.
Songs of Note: "When Life Hands You Problems," "We Need a Bigger Dumpster," "Featured Singer," "You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East"

Of note:

* The Brother Brothers - Cover to Cover (Great folky cover versions.)
* Art Moore - Art Moore (A lot of great moments here.)
* Mall Grab - What I Breathe
* Zach Jones and the Tricky Bits - Plastic Soul
* Guards - More Cover Songs
* Katie Doherty and the Navigators - Flow
* Cemetery Drive - the sun will rise