Sweet Oblivion: Tanya Donelly: KEXP 2002

Tanya Donelly made her name in bands like Throwing Muses, Belly and The Breeders. She has released a bunch of solo albums, my favorite of which is Lovesongs For Underdogs. Her earthy, ethereal vocals define her unique style, and the songs on Lovesongs sound distinctly like they came from the mid 90s. And that's a very good thing. She has a new album coming out on October 17. Here's a little tidbit from her website:

Tanya Donelly's newest album, This Hungry Life, will be released by Eleven Thirty Records on October 17th. The former member of Throwing Muses, Belly, and The Breeders holed up in an old hotel in Vermont and recorded this one under hot and crowded conditions that are apparently conducive to the production of great music.

Tanya had this to say about the process: "This album was recorded during a heat wave in front of a live, patient audience over two nights in Bellows Falls, VT at the Windham, a hotel closed since the 80s except for its small club. The idea was more 'album recorded live' than 'live album'; there were stops and starts, multiple takes, endless tunings, lots of sweating and a little swearing. Every couple of songs, the whole roomful of us would pour out onto the street to let our clothes dry and to breathe some new air. We were all pretty familiar by the end of the weekend. Recording can be tedious and shows nerve-wracking; this was neither. It was a blast, and I loved every second."

Sounds like a very cool way to make a record.

In honor of the "live" vibe of her forthcoming release, here's a set Donelly did for KEXP back in 2002.

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