So, I’m cruising through one of my new favourite labels (again) and found Western Vinyl’s Julie Sokolow. I think I am about to kick myself for not finding her sooner.
Julie is a Pittsburgh via New Jersey resident who I believe may still be finishing some university…so being talented and smart is the way the kids are playing it these days… Regardless, she is lovely, and brings her lo-fi talents to my thirsty ears and they drink it in heartily. The album that brought her to indie attention is her “Something About Violins” album which came out in 2006 (!!) and is currently available via Western Vinyl. While she is often described as “intimate”, “wry” and “honest” I think these items describe true independent music – someone who makes their own music, is unabashed in who they are and put the creation of music first. While I claim no real knowledge of her creative process and what inspired the album, one can only assume it was a part of her that needed to breathe the same air we all do. I find myself thinking of another great “lo-fi” female that I am quite fond of – Joanne Robertson (see my post here). They both create something that I find intoxicating, entertaining and overall, simply a good way to spend a blustery early December day immersed in.
While not for everyone, it is for some, so this is those “some”, enjoy.
Visit Julie on her Western Vinyl page and her MySpace page.
~Smansmith
Julie Sokolow
“Seasons” (mp3)
from “Something About Violins”
(Western Vinyl)
Julie Sokolow
“Violins” (mp3)
from “Something About Violins”
(Western Vinyl)
Julie Sokolow
“All the Wrong Reasons” (mp3)
from “Something About Violins”
(Western Vinyl)
