FEATURE:
Spotlight
Amelia Coburn
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I have bene waiting…
to feature Amelia Coburn for a while now. I was waiting for a few more interviews and reviews to come online. She is an amazing artist that people should check out. Her debut album, Between the Moon and the Milkman, came out on 8th March. I shall come to a couple of reviews for it soon. If you are not aware of Amelia Coburn, then this recent interview from NARC. should provide some guidance and background. The Middlesbrough artist and ukulele virtuoso is a distinct and hugely impressive talent:
“People say good things come to those who wait and that most certainly rings true to fans of Middlesbrough singer-songwriter Amelia Coburn. The artist has been wowing audiences around the UK with her captivating live performances, beautiful songs and weird and wonderful lyrically painted worlds for a decade or so, and is now finally set to release her debut album.
It’s not as though Amelia hasn’t been doing much in the time she decided to pick up an instrument to now; she’s made the final of the BBC Folk Awards, received praise from the likes of Folk Radio, Songwriting Magazine, BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe, toured across the UK, made various festival appearances and supported the likes of The Wedding Present, Ashley Campbell and the late folk legend Vin Garbutt.
Amelia has been writing songs since she was 15, and alongside mastering and reinventing the ukulele she has also been evolving as an artist and being more honest in her songwriting, as she goes on to explain: “If we discount the terrible songs I wrote when I was 15 (they are hidden away nicely in the vaults), I don’t think much has changed, but I do think my voice and lyrics have evolved and matured. My early songs leaned more on the whimsical and slightly ‘twee’ side, whereas as I have gotten older and more cynical, the themes delve deeper into personal matters and, I guess, the nature of existence.”
This patient and organic artistic progression that Amelia has been on, as well as the conditions of being “100% happy with all the songs, having enough money to fund the recording process, and finding the right collaborator” being met, has finally resulted in Between The Moon And The Milkman, which is set for release on Friday 8th March. This collection of tales conjures up a variety of characters inspired by literature, film and, something that Amelia is very passionate about, travel.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a burning desire to see the world. Not only because I want to eat my way around it and try every dish possible, but I enjoy meeting new people from different places and hearing their stories. This is why I chose a degree in Modern Languages at University. As part of my studies, I spent a year living in Paris, Mexico and Russia and some of the characters I encountered made their way onto the album.”
There’s plenty there for fans of folk but you can see that Amelia is not tied to the genre and alongside the olde English Baroque-pop moments, there’s a notable feel of the golden-age of Hollywood, New York city swing and more artsy, explorative elements of music, which Amelia confirms. “Before I got into my ‘cool’ music era, my walls were covered in posters of Liza Minelli, Julie Andrews and Doris Day. As an adult, this morphed into a love for Tin Pan Alley jazz and the more theatrical side of pop, like Rufus Wainwright and Divine Comedy”.
Very soon, Amelia Coburn will be touring and playing at some great spaces. If you are able to see her and she is near you then do get out and support her. Coburn’s debut album will get an airing. This incredible artist bringing her music to the people. I can imagine how evocative it is in the live arena. I am going to end with a couple of reviews for one of the best albums of this year so far. Recently, the video for Sleepy Town was released. One of the standout tracks from Between the Moon and the Milkman, CLASH spotlighted its release for a feature last month:
“Amelia Coburn has shared new single ‘Sleepy Town’.
The songwriter has a remarkable sound, one that feels curiously out of step with her peers. Harking towards something ageless, Amelia’s work has the feeling of a Ben Myers novel – folk-derived, framed by tradition, but totally distinct.
Debut album ‘Between The Moon And The Milkman’ is out on March 8th, produced by Bill Ryder-Jones. The Wirral studio boffin is effusive in his praise of her work, commenting…
“I’ve never in my life worked with someone quite like Amelia and I still can’t quite put my finger on what she is! That’s a compliment by the way – she came in with these incredibly clever, moving songs that just blew me away… It would’ve taken me a day to record just her and her uke but she wanted a bigger sound, so we had a lot of playing around with these arrangements.”
New song ‘Sleepy Town’ is out now, flitting between the English folk songbook, aspects of Tom Waits, and even some instrumentation lifted from ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’.
Amelia Coburn comments…
“I hate staying in the same place for too long, and this track is about getting itchy feet and wanting to see the world. Although it has all the foundation of a country song, Bill pulled sonic inspiration from Velvet Underground’s ‘Venus in Furs’ (a band we both love!), which gives it true grit – see what I did there?”.
The New Age Mag were among those to show some love for Amelia Coburn and Between the Moon and the Milkman. Now that it is out there in the world and is getting all of this love, it will bring her music to new fans. People who are not familiar with her will come into contact with her stunning songs:
“Despite her debut album not being out year, Amelia Coburn is still a critically celebrated and awarded artist, having made the final of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and winning UKE Magazine’s Breakthrough Artist Award. Amelia’s distinctive vision and voice, her talent for compelling storytelling, and her gorgeous playing of the ukulele leave us with much to be excited for regarding this upcoming release!
Talking about the album herself, Amelia says that “I know it’s a cliché for an artist to say they’ve been on a journey… but I’ve truly been on several of them to reach the point of releasing my debut album. I spent almost two years working and living in Paris, St Petersburg and Mexico City – all while keeping my eyes and ears open to the sights, sounds & unusual characters inhabiting these lands that were once so unfamiliar to me. I’ve been able to fill my songs with these rich details, as well as drawing inspiration from literature, the golden age of film & musicals and the rugged North East landscape where I was forged.”
As Amelia says, the album in itself is such a journey, through time and place. The way in which these cities, Paris, St Petersburg and Mexico City, come to life so distinctly on the record whilst still feeling like Amelia was in total control of the stories she is telling of them is a true testament to her creative control and narrative power: even the worlds contained within these larger than life cities are seen by us through her eyes. Despite these various cities that act as backdrops of the construction of this album, and are crucial parts of the stories and melodies woven throughout, the North East of England truly remains at the heart of this project. Lyrics like “in our pride this lion’s heart shall not admit defeat” from Please Go Gently and “the Tees and Tyne are on the run / From this land towards the rising sun” from Sleepy Town, as well as Amelia’s accent that remains distinct throughout, dedicate a love and dedication to this often-overlooked and stereotyped part of England.
There is also just a characteristic tenderness that saturates the album, that remains ever present. Moreover, a consciousness of love and the natural world woven into the clear inspirations of literature, film, and music – products of the human mind – that which is manufactured and that which runs natural, wild and unregulated contrast and complement each other so wonderfully on Between The Moon and The Milkman. On tracks like See Saw, one of my favourite tracks, Amelia takes us on a fairground ride, shows us the world as if through an optical illusion; shows us her world of melancholic magic.
Amelia worked closely with producer and songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones who said of her: “I’ve never in my life worked with someone quite like Amelia and I still can’t quite put my finger on what she is! That’s a compliment by the way – she came in with these incredibly clever, moving songs that just blew me away… It would’ve taken me a day to record just her and her uke but she wanted a bigger sound, so we had a lot of playing around with these arrangements. Honestly, the whole process was just very natural and came together without any fuss. I found the making of the record and Amelia herself so inspiring and I really hope people get the chance to see and hear this incredibly talented artist doing her thing… which is beautifully mad, funny, intelligent and earnest in the best possible sense.” As Ryder-Jones identifies, there is something definite and individual about Amelia that, whilst difficult to wholly identify, makes her a wonderfully exciting new talent in alt-folk! To listen to Between The Moon and The Milkman is to be moved, to be inspired, to enjoy yourself! She also has live dates approaching in May and June across the UK so be sure to get tickets!”.
I am going to end with a review from Louder Than War. There have been a lot of different perspectives and approaches to Amelia Coburn’s debut album. I think that everyone needs to hear it as soon as possible. We have this remarkable young artist in our midst. One that is going to be releasing music for years to come:
“Award-winning Teesside songstress Amelia Coburn releases her eagerly awaited debut album, Between The Moon and The Milkman, on 8th March
From sinister encounters amid the bustle of Mexico City to reading Soviet-era satire under the Atlas Mountains via an essential stop at Dublin’s premier Leprechaun Museum, Amelia Coburn’s debut album Between The Moon and The Milkman is an astonishing collection of songs and stories, all told with the unmistakable profile of Coburn’s North East homeland on the horizon.
For some, Middlesbrough’s Amelia will be a new name, for others, especially fans of The Wedding Present, it will be very familiar, after drawing much praise for her cover of My Favourite Dress amongst several others first posted online (included The Jam, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Stone Roses and The Specials). Around the time the multi-linguist was finishing University in 2020, she began releasing some of her own songs; and now, after spending time working and travelling abroad she’s releasing her debut album; having found a kinship in the studio with producer and like-minded, free-thinking songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones.
Before I look at the album I’ll allow the songwriter to introduce it, “I know it’s a cliché for an artist to say they’ve been on a journey… but I’ve truly been on several of them to reach the point of releasing my debut album. I spent almost two years working and living in Paris, St Petersburg & Mexico City – all while keeping my eyes and ears open to the sights, sounds & unusual characters inhabiting these lands that were once so unfamiliar to me. I’ve been able to fill my songs with these rich details, as well as drawing inspiration from literature, the golden age of film & musicals and the rugged North East landscape where I was forged.”
Between The Moon and The Milkman has Amelia inviting the listener to step into the world as she sees it, fitting somewhere in the twilight hours, a world full of darkness and light and soundtracked by magic and melancholy.
I’ve played the album several times over the last couple and on each listen I’ve found it more rewarding. The first thing I noticed is there is a real depth to it. The album has a timeless quality which should mean it will sound as fresh in years to come as it does now, although there are also tracks with paradoxically sound like they could have fallen straight from the soundtrack of The Wicker Man. Coburn’s distinctive voice and diction, storytelling talent, and ukulele skills are clear across 10 tracks, with influences ranging from the alt-folk scene, cabaret jazz clubs, and film noir.
Rather than go ‘track by track’ I’ll pick some of my favourites. There isn’t a ‘filler’ track amongst the set and any could have been released as a single. The first track actually released from the album thought was See Saw. A slight deviation from her previous recordings, and the rest of the album. It’s slightly sinister folk-horror offbeat vibe and is probably my favourite on the album, the imagery is so strong both in the lyrics and video it’s difficult not to replay it over and over. If ever there was a track that Scarfolk called its own then it would be this. At the opposite end of things is the whimsy and breezy Dublin Serenade which recounts the time that the singer spent 24 hours in Dublin, booking a cheap flight but not a hotel/hostel. It tells of her visit to the aforementioned trip to the Leprechaun Museum.
Sandra is a more melancholic track inspired by a real-life woman the songwriter met, who had lived a tragic life with an abusive, alcoholic ex-husband. A song of revenge, with a twist, again, quite unique in the sound of the album, vocally it offers one of the highpoints. In contrast, the most recent release, Sleepy Town, rips along at pace and underpins Ameila’s sense of adventure and love of travel. The producer, Ryder-Jones pulls sonic inspiration for the track from Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs. The video for which not only features Coburn acting opposite fellow Teesider Bill Fellows but also has the best finger gunfight scene since Spaced.
Between The Moon and The Milkman offers a lot of variety yet hangs together perfectly, the tracks complimenting one another. It’s a very easy debut to listen to and from what the producer says this is something which was born from the recording process, “Honestly, the whole process was just very natural and came together without any fuss. I found the making of the record and Amelia herself so inspiring and I really hope people get the chance to see and hear this incredibly talented artist doing her thing… which is beautifully mad, funny, intelligent and earnest in the best possible sense.”
I think, ‘Beautifully mad, funny, intelligent and earnest’ may actually be the best way to describe it. It’s definitely going to be in my Top 10 albums of 2024 and will be getting plenty of plays throughout the year and beyond”.
I wanted to spend some time celebrating Amelia Coburn. With a debut album out and there being a run of gigs ahead, it is a very exciting time. She is most certainly someone that needs to be on your radar. Follow her on social media and go and listen to Between the Moon and the Milkman. I guarantee that, once you hear the album, that you will be hooked. A remarkable artist who is going…
TO go a long way.
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