NINA NASTASIA

Best,
Beer Can

In an experiment of collaboration, songstress Nina
Nastasia and the incomparable percussionist Jim
White have announced the release of their album, You
Follow Me. The album, which will be released on May
28th, 2007, is Nastasia’s second release on Fat Cat
Records.

White – who is best known for his work with the
highly regarded instrumental group Dirty Three as
well as lending his hand to the projects of Will
Oldham, The Boxhead Ensemble, Smog, Nick Cave and PJ
Harvey – thought up the idea of a collaboration
between himself and Nastasia after the recording of
her album, On Leaving, for which he played drums.

The album was recorded with the legendary Steve
Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago
after White and Nastasia worked together with
musical organizer Kennan Gudjonsson with the process
of fine tuning the album in New York.

she was on blistering form in glasgow last night. this is the 4th time i have seen her and the first time i have seen her play solo. i was quite disappointed when i saw the setup, i thought i would miss jim white, but when she started playing... oh wow. much rawer than before. the rawness is usually lurking there under a fairly demure surface but this time it was all there for us to see. really amazingly great.

Looking forward to seeing her at Green Man.

happy to hear that. when i saw her solo here in Mtl last, it was dull.

she is a genius

Nina w/ orchestra? Fuck yeah.

This could be very good.

http://www.wearsthetrousers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/n_lp_ninanastasia_10.jpg

Track off the new album available for download here:

http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/nina-nastasia-album-preview

Another track appeared on a FatCat sampler not so long back: "You Can Take Your Time" which for me was the highlight of her last Peel Acres session (6 years ago, give or take a few months!) The album version is great, but the live-at-Peel-Acres version was better, for my money at least.

A bit of street-teaming here so forgive me. Today at 5:30 GMT, there's an interview with Nina that I engineered, three live tracks including an untitled new one, it's on Resonance FM, the show is called Arctic Circle.

oh shit! thanks for the heads up

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/3/4/7/347cb6d6c36d33cb/Resonance__51_24-05-12.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01cb803ed9c15a528e&c_id=4560123

^^just listened! great stuff! sounds awesome btw, good job engineering.

she is a staggering talent, every performace i've seen or watched on youtube, it's just flawless playing and singing....

also she seems really cool and funny, way less serious than i thought she would be.

thanks, MaresNest x

Thanks guys!

It was a little problematic, the idea of meeting her as I'm a big fan, it could only be a letdown? In truth, NN and Kennan were incredibly gracious and nice to us, we plied them both with whisky and they hung out in the studio and chatted with us and some London friends of theirs for a good while afterwards. I really can't say enough nice things about them. And, of course the added bonus of watching/listening to her perform, well...damn.

I spoke to her twice after gigs when she was milling around. one feels like one shouldn't say hello and thanks to artists but she was lovely and, i think, even appreciated it. i have to say that the second gig was really special though, maybe my favourite gig ever, in fact.

I was lucky enough to see her and Jim white perform as a duo on that tour, what a show

her & jim white clanking along is still some sort of transcendent moment in acoustic-guitar-player-presentation, to me, like it was some amazingly novel moment, & record, that demonstrated making something that's more than the sum of its parts. so good.

couldn't get the above link to work today, but found this one:

http://www.jointhecircle.net/radio/?p=1769

the best

truth bomb^

she really is.

So how does Outlaster stack up?

i think it's great....though honestly i have my personal favorites but i think all her albums are of super high quality

I have "Dogs" on socialist records and really like it. Have always been looking for the album with Jim White, and saw Outlaster on vinyl recently for pretty cheap, like $9.99. I wasn't sure about it though. Always considered her a less alienating alternative to Mirah, and not in a bad way.

don't know mirah....outlaster on vinyl for $10 is a bargain

Oh! Give her a shot. Try the "Advisory Committee" album.

Got Outlaster on vinyl the other week. As scott mentions in an Outlaster thread, it sounds great and the packaging is fantastic. I used to be a total stan for the simpler arrangements in Dogs, but the strings in Outlaster won me over in the end. I have to add Dogs to the vinyls wanted list, though. I first heard Dogs while visiting a friend in the Audio Recording program at IU. A professor let him borrow it as an example of a great recording.

Dogs has been reissued at least once on vinyl, I bought it from her when she played in mpls w/Jim White

Reissued in Europe maybe? All of the copies on discogs ship from Germany/the Netherlands

yeah no idea, but there's no way it was the orig. press...unless she had a box leftoever that she brought on tour

the jim white record is kinda hard to find i think, now...i grabbed the last copy she had from the merch table and bummed everyone behind me out

btw, evan - mirah (the name) was bugging me and i realized a friend of mine put out a bunch of her records (or at least the vinyl versions)

Jim white collab on lp recently went for 80+ on eebs.

damn, i don't think i'd part w/it though

when amazon says it's "temporarily out of stock", does it really mean "probably out of stock forever"?

yeah probably gone...

honestly, sometimes if you have a decent bigger indie record store in your town you could call over and see if they have one collecting dust for list price, i've found stuff like that before

That's neat your friend put out some Mirah records! She's really great, though her last album was OK.

Passing on Outlaster for $9.99 is going to bug me like crazy, though it would only have saved me what $6 or so?

It's going to cost me at least $5 in metro to make a trip if it is still there so I don't know if it'll remain such a bargain.

jim white album is straight fire, big ol bango drums

yeah that record is the shit. i was gonna say outlaster was my fav (tbh there is something pretty about the first couple of records that turns me off a lil, all of which is buried by you follow me) but i feel like it's such an exemplary & singular example of a successful combination of two instruments, like sunship or something, that it earns extra points.

outlaster slays though. side two. the best instrumentation, some of her spookiest songs. like writing wakes, it's so confident, the first line is just such a stray intriguing opening image.

i like them all

dogs and blackened air maybe have a bit of a vibe where someone might have once described her as "alt country"? (though i think even then she's very distinctive, but she had more conventional elements to her songwriting that were shed as she went on)

Blackened air is some p dark shit. Love the strings on that one

At the risk of extreme challops, the moment where the instruments land on 'Run, All You' might be the single greatest entry in recorded music history.

i like them all

Me too! I realized that when I was writing a review of Outlaster -- she's made six good-to-great albums in a row. I have personal favorites, both albums and songs, but I think everything she's done is worth having.

the best

― omar little, Monday, October 22, 2012 6:47 AM (6 months ago) Bookmark

No one close

i'm only one lp away from completing my NN discography but unfortch it's 'you follow me'.

yfm is the bomb

sad this isn't a bump announcing a new record, I am ready

there was that weird show she did w/kim deal, which was supposedly 'a new project' but i never heard anything about it other than that show.

sad this isn't a bump announcing a new record, I am ready

sorry schlump, i just needed to post something cos i'm eager for new material.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUgWg7JE1K8

"sad this isn't a bump announcing a new record, I am ready"

argh! yeah got excited there for a second.

ready for a new rekkid too

she keeps pretty quiet on the social media front so there's not much in the way of recent updates. her last five tweets are over the past 18 months and are either a heads-up about shows or a quick mourning for christopher hitchens.

the peel sessions on that blog got a takedown request from the record company with the promise of a proper release in the works. that was, what, 2 years ago now?

apologies to schlump and scott - this is not an announcement of new material just a wish for some. i need some new nina in my life.

she just played 1 x show
she/some record label emissary operating under the nastasia umbrella is on twitter
end of bulletin

I wonder what happened to that band she was going to do with Kim Deal

yeah i wonder what the ... deal ... ;) ... was with that

Dang, I saw the revive and thought "That's where I'm spending my iTunes Christmas gift certificate!"

If/when there's a new album, I hope she does a tour that brings her within driving distance of me. She's probably top of my haven't seen/want to see list.

http://www.sonicscoop.com/2014/04/15/steve-albini-mix-with-the-masters-seminar-announced-august-21-27/

^^apparently the session that will be done here is a new Nina Nastasia recording, per Albini :) :) :)

http://www.sonyalooney.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/girlhappy.jpg

http://mikedeslandesaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/sa-1.jpg

?!

It's from the "mixing with the masters" seminar/course that Albini ran at a studio in France last month, the subject of the session being Nastasia...same place were the Bad Seeds did "Push the Sky Away"

Is it a full new album?

rick rubin?

"Is it a full new album?

― u2 removal machine (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 17 September 2014 20:54 (6 minutes ago) Permalink"

No clue

And the Rubin-esque person is Kennan Gudjonsson

lol @ rubin-esque

You set 'em up, I'ma knock 'em down

anyone have a spare vinyl copy of 'you follow me' lying around?

I've been looking for one for ages (at a "reasonable" cost) myself.

come on, four years. enough is enough.

^^^

No artists today, or very few have a real vibe, a real mystique, or something I can't ever quite articulate or explain correctly... Nina is one...

otm

there are so many artists who really strain for a mysterious presence or mystique and she just has it without even reaching out for it, it's just part and parcel of her lyrics and singing and guitar playing.

no news on a new album, but it's funny how she and Kennan keep making cameos in Will Oldham videos (even though they've never sang together afaik):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjugCIQV3Ec

*sung

Weird I listened to Dogs last night for the first time in forever

Seeing this kinda makes me wish Nina would get into acting (as well as making music obviously)

god please don't ever have nina duet with bonnie dumbbell...

she does in that video above. unless that's someone else.

it's someone else. she's lip synching, just like she's lip-synching here. weird how they shot two different videos for two different versions of that song.

I like Will Oldham, but a Bonnie/Nina duet album would not be a high point in either of their discographies, and he's done enough throwaway collaborations as it is.

on spotify if you go to her artist page there's a single there from 2008, two songs that appear to be from the Jim White/You Follow Me sessions called "What She Doesn't Know" and "Your Red Nose"

really good stuff, two new Nina songs you might not have heard, at least I hadn't....

there are also non-album tracks on singles on cry cry baby and you can take your time off outlaster

apparently she doesn't know how to write a non-excellent song these are all great

the (4 or 5) peel sessions are full of things that aren't on the records. the one mp3 blog that was sharing them got asked to take them down, i've heard, ahead of an official release. but this was years ago and nothing ever appeared.

(repeating myself, sorry)

missing u

via FB (from September)

Dear all,
Another me has been sewing. It has come to this: couture clothing for girls, made in New York.
I hope you will have a look and share your thoughts.
Connect with Fitcher’s Bird on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Stay with me here for music. There is new work underway.

http://www.fitchersbird.com

interesting, I didn't know that about her

Arrrgh

heavy absence

brutal

i was getting a little worried that she had quietly retired or something, but I think she's just a very private person who's taken a break. I'm just glad to hear she's working on music, I doubt she'd say something if there wasn't anything in the works.

snoopy come home

Pleeeeeease.

She made an album with Albini? I'm sure I saw pictures a couple of years ago

she made ALL her albums with albini.

Sure but I saw online somewhere that she had been recording with him again and I seem to recall a pic from a couple of years ago of a stone wine cellar repurposed as a recording studio.

scroll up, September 17 2014, a schlump post

instagram hashtag search reveals she performed at the Guggenheim Museum in November, but it looks like just a one-off performance of a song she wrote for the event (ctrl+F Nastasia here):

http://www.ibraaz.org/publications/140

http://www.ibraaz.org/custom_images/880x/usr/library/images/main/fm_mec_1.jpg

found the song here at 9:57

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYLut37Un2g

excellent sleuthing, nomar! I was beginning to worry she'd lost her muse, but this song has an emotional heft that was frustratingly absent from her children's fashion designs

She's playing the Electrical Audio 20th/Hideout Block party in Chicago in September. Seems like she's recorded some stuff over the yrs that hasn't seen the light of day.

a lot of the peel session songs never appeared anywhere else. there was talk of a compilation of those (based on a takedown notice on a website that had shared a bunch of them) but i've not heard anything since.

wow that song in the video is stunning

It's a bit skreechy for me.

the prerecorded backing vocals don't really work for me, but otherwise I love it

I'd like to see a compilation of her Peel sessions in their entirety, rather than just the unreleased material. the session with Huun Huur Tu is one of my favorite live performances from any artist

Nina Nastasia played The Hideout in Chicago a couple weeks back!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APdEvJkhdp4

Rumblings of an album, fingers crossed

give us a triple album Nina!

I missed that last revive, but it looks like she debuted a few new songs at the Hideout festival (not included in the video nomar posted)

Little Fool
White Oak
Old Goat

my heart leaps every time this thread is bumped, can't wait to listen

jim white just told me that nina recorded an album with albini and jeff parker. that fabled day has come!

also jim thinking of labels that would want to reissue You Follow Me which has been out of print forever. i told him i thought drag city might be the way to go.

hallelujah!!

Yay! And I had no idea You Follow Me is out of print, that's a crime and a shame.

She recorded with Parker and Longberg-Holm and a few other folks back in September with Steve.

Yeah I've been looking for a copy of You Follow Me forever. Never seen one.

You can get used CDs of it p cheap on Amazon. Vinyl is pricey tho.

Best news I've heard in a while!

is FatCat Records still a thing? went and visited my brother last summer in Hudson, NY and walked by a spot that had a FatCat sign in the window. which was weird. i guess someone from the label moved to Hudson.

FINALLY.

SO EXCITED

i saw her & jim white on the you follow me tour

i felt kinda bad cuz i bought the vinyl and there was a guy behind me that was waiting to buy the vinyl and mine ended up being the last copy they had brought on tour

She recorded with Parker and Longberg-Holm and a few other folks back in September with Steve.

― chr1sb3singer, Friday, February 23, 2018 12:51 PM (thirty-seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

is this the same as the "Mix with the Masters" thing they did at that French chateau studio?? or at Electrical?

This is excellent news.
Listening to Dogs a lot recently. All Your Life ruins me.

is this the same as the "Mix with the Masters" thing they did at that French chateau studio?? or at Electrical?

― It's not delivery, it's Adorno! (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, February 23, 2018 1:30 PM (seventeen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Different session. She's done a few different sessions that haven't seen the light of day. I'm excited but until I see a release date I'm not exactly holding my breath. I mean I saw her playing new songs in 2012.

saw xylouris white last night and when he came in the store today i had to ask him about nina. he's really proud of the album they made together and wants to see it get out there again.

It really is her best thing. I love all of Nina's albums, but she and Jim worked so well together.

i don't know anything about Daniel Knox, but:

CHASESCENE New Album feat Jarvis Cocker & Nina Nastasia. Out Dec 7!

Pre-order: https://t.co/dKA4eyeE6z

Video for “Cut From The Belly”: https://t.co/9DURtWn199

Tour in U.K. and Europe starts January. Schedule here: https://t.co/L27ALjAV5U

More dates TBA... pic.twitter.com/80iRih2zWH

— Daniel Knox (@danielknoxmusic) September 25, 2018

new Xmas song!!!

https://ninanastasia1.bandcamp.com/releases?fbclid=IwAR0p3zFek6w7zEqi3AJAHcMrNge-EeaEkOsaMuQrvKWwt2ENHaOsM_vF53w

yay

https://ninanastasia1.

Someone forgot the password to their first bandcamp account

Such a beautiful song

https://www.electricalaudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=69261

Nina's longtime partner Kennan Gudjonsson killed himself, so tragic

Moving tributes from Steve Albini and Tim Midgett

That’s awful — I feel terrible for Nina, moreso considering Albini’s comments that she’s been dealing with her own health issues. Which I’d never heard about before but might explain her lack of releases this past decade.

It sounds like he’d been her constant companion for a couple decades, so I hope she has strong support around her.

that's really sad. RIP.

Horrible news. RIP.

I had an incredibly brief encounter with Kennan & can attest that he was very much as advertised (and more) in Steve & Tim's posts, just heart breaking

I spun Dogs & the Blackened Air & Run to Ruin last night and man those fucking records

Nooooooooo, this sucks, I hung with them both for an afternoon for a radio session/interview, Kennan was a lovely big bear of a dude.

A small piece of news - a (very) tiny interview on Velvet Sheep from Jun 30 - https://velvet-sheep.com/song-for-ewe/nina-nastasia-song-for-ewe/

“I have many more records in the works, so I’ll be getting back to music from this long hiatus. It’s where I’d like to stay for a long while again.”

Nina's classic song selection: "The song I love and never get sick of, isn’t obscure-ish. I don’t listen to a lot of music actually. Common People – Pulp"

Here's hoping things are going alright for Nina in New York.

Glad to see this thread get bumped for good news.

oh wow thanks so much
that's great to hear
hopefully it actually happens
i had recently thought that maybe she would be done forever

Really hope Touch & Go finally depresses her early work, too

it was pretty depressing to begin with!

i had no idea nina nastasia was so good! i loved dogs when it came out but never stayed listening to her subsequent albums, she got better and better! you follow me and outlaster are incredible. i wish someone would encourage her to write a stage musical tho lol, like a dark gothic brecht play with a zombie apocalypse.

Funny! Yes she is awesome- any reason why you stopped paying attention despite you loving the one album at the time?

They don’t call her Nina “Nasty Nas” Nastasia for nothing

there's no singer songwriter I hold in higher regard

Funny! Yes she is awesome- any reason why you stopped paying attention despite you loving the one album at the time?

― Evan, Monday, 1 February 2021 04:37 (eleven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

oh probably a lot of reasons, like my focus shifting to club music (my 20s) and subsequent things i heard not having the same bright immediate ring of dogs. i think its probably a good thing as lots of the things i've been enjoying are shaped by subsequent things i've gotten interested in and i don't think i would have really appreciated this music in the same way if i'd heard it when it came out

Outlaster came out more than a decade ago now. :(

i wish someone would encourage her to write a stage musical tho lol, like a dark gothic brecht play with a zombie apocalypse.

This is a good idea. There's a big Brecht/Weill thing going on with Outlaster.

Outlaster came out more than a decade ago now. :(

― pomenitul, Monday, February 1, 2021 11:12 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

scary!

she was trying to warn us :(

I miss anticipating her next record a lot, but after all these years, there's also an appeal to the tidiness of six albums so good I cant choose among them, evenly spaced over a specific decade, produced with the same raw sheen, as though there was a Felt-like manifesto she completed.

i think she's got a new album coming out this year?

She posted on her bandcamp in October that she was working on something and would try to get it out in the "next few months" but nothing has been announced yet.

Per what I said in 2018

I'm excited but until I see a release date I'm not exactly holding my breath. I mean I saw her playing new songs in 2012.

― chr1sb3singer, Friday, February 23, 2018 1:49 PM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

There's a big Brecht/Weill thing going on with Outlaster.

― Heavy Messages (jed_), Monday, 1 February 2021 17:44 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

yes and a real one, not a plinky plonky campy pastiche where everyone has smeared kohl around their eyes, big knickers and a bowler hat! there's a great sense of theatricality, dark narratives richly colorful and the songs on outlaster in particular are so integrated with the arrangements im obsessed. Outlaster and you follow me are the two i like the most i think

she's also an interesting guitar player and her playing is v important to you follow me, more than i expected as i feel like she's promoted so much as a 'songwriter'

six albums so good I cant choose among them

I definitely have favorites among them, but they are all pretty great, and I love how each album really has its own identity. She has worked within the same basic indie-folk construct but done very different things with it sonically.

We polled them a year ago and there were a handful of clear favourites but her level of consistency is indeed remarkable:

Nina Nastasia: We Never POLLed

I've been really loving "Outlaster" recently, which I got when it came out and liked but it never really stuck with me and it has been the NN record I reach for the least, I probably haven't spun in 5 yrs or longer.

Anyway, it sounds great to me now.

i only recently got into her albums recently (having heard and liked dogs when it came out but none since) and with them all lined up to choose from outlaster and you follow me were the ones that have grabbed me most

she's one of the few artists where at various times every one of her records has been my favorite at one point in time

Listening to Run to Ruin right now for the first time in a bit, she's so good.

not sure if these have been posted, but they're awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcsVKelBOuw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgXwl2Sjqnk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6M6x_QYrPo

I haven't ever seen these available anywhere else - so I made a playlist of a few unreleased and rare songs. They're pretty incredible, especially "World of Dirt"

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVL0o0rTY5ypolWuNYMqPDEEnLzoPXZGb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dyptWKLd8Y

old stuff reissued on bandcamp!
signed to Temporary Residence!
touring with Mogwai!

https://pitchfork.com/news/nina-nastasia-digitally-reissues-3-out-of-print-albums/

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great news! Those are my 3 favorite albums of hers (love the first 3 too, of course).

i fell out of listening to her after dogs which i liked a lot at the time. i ended up listening to all of them recently and outlaster and you follow me are the two standouts in my opinion

Agreed those are my top picks also blackened air

Fantastic!!! Run to Ruin also great.

new album july 22

https://www.clashmusic.com/news/nina-nastasia-announces-new-album-riderless-horse

it says there that this kennan gudjonsson produced all her albums but I and wikipedia thought it was steve albini?

Kennan was the producer, Steve recorded/engineered everything

i mean that's how i would have guessed it based on what i know of albini but wikipedia lists him as the only producer on every single record. on discogs, gudjonsson is listed as producer on two of them (on leaving and you follow me) but most don't list a producer at all. He's listed in various capacities on all of them (e.g. musical director on outlaster)

The text of that announcement was … not what I was expecting. Were the darker elements widely known? I remember a lot of grief and loss at the time of Kennan’s death over at the Electrical forum, but no hint of this stuff.

Good news on the album (and "Just Stay in Bed" is lovely). Quite blindsided too by the details in the announcement.

Longer description in the press release

https://ourculturemag.com/2022/04/04/nina-nastasia-announces-new-album-riderless-horse-shares-new-single-just-stay-in-bed/

I don't want to comment on her personal life (though I hope her return to music is a sign that she's isn't in such a dark place these days), but this daytrotter writeup has haunted/irked me for years. the writer spends the first paragraph and a half introducing us to the concept of the Svengali before insisting that Kennan and Nina definitely don't (really, they don't!) have a Svengali-Trilby relationship

Gudjonsson does not perform with Nastasia live, but acts as her manager and best friend, contributing to her art after the lights have cooled and the crowds have dissipated. Serving her songwriting this way makes it difficult to know where everyone starts and ends and what we're left with is Nastasia earning the distinction and reaping all of the credit. So we'll give it to her -- happily. It's that voice anyway that has us riveted.

don't most singer-songwriters reap most or all the credit for a creative process that owes a lot to the support/input of their loved ones and collaborators? and is it really fair to claim that Nina takes "all the credit" when she has publicly acknowledged Kennan's efforts (but hasn't gone so far as to give him songwriting credits)? Nina's case is really only noteworthy if one has previously operated under the assumption that she was a solitary, 100% self-made genius, or if one is loathe to celebrate the achievements of a female artist unless it's abundantly clear that she doesn't owe the bulk of her success to the men in her life. tbf it's probably unhealthy and spiritually destructive to waste so much energy on bad faith readings of terrible music writing

I'm currently debating whether to see her open for Mogwai in Boston in a few days. I've never even heard Mogwai and idk if it's worth it to attend a concert chiefly for the opening act

I don't care about Mogwai, but for her I'd go.

Last time I saw Mogwai I ended up a bit bored, but their newest record is a bit of a latter peak and they are very good at building giant sounds (wear hearing protection!). If you know you'll enjoy NN I don't think Mogwai will wreck it for you.

i don't think there's anything to be gained by trying to divine kennan's influence out of a press release

hmm, lumbering shoegaze-not-shoegaze post-rock isn't really my bag, but their new album sounds alright based on the 5 minutes or so I sampled, so I could see myself enjoying their set well enough. and it's doubtful that Nina will perform as a headliner in my area anytime soon. still not totally sold on the idea, but leaning toward it now

(xpost)

i don't think there's anything to be gained by trying to divine kennan's influence out of a press release

fair point

In that situation, I'd rather hear her whole set, then leave if I didn't get into Mogwai pretty fast----and not have to listen to them (or go to the bathroom and then walk the hall) until she fuckin finally appeared (if I were even allowed to leave and come back)(sorry Mogwai, hope your new album and show are indeed better).

Not likely, of course, esp. as long as she's been away, that they'd be opening for her, so let's take advantage of that!

ha, I take it that you had a bad experience at one of their shows? Nina's definitely opening for them at this show, so my best bet is to leave early if Mogwai don't do much for me. I really just wish I had a better handle on post-rock concertgoing etiquette. is it acceptable to walk out of their show in mid crescendo, or should I leave prior to the crescendo (if I can anticipate it) or just wait it out until the next quiet bit? they look like very sensitive lads, so I'd hate to hurt their feelings in any way

https://i.imgur.com/K86Oj5s.jpg

Better to leave while it's loud, then: they might notice when everything's so quiet you can hearboots shuffling away. I haven't had a bad experience at their show, and they might be better live, as many are; I just liked one of their albums, then when I came back, around ballot time, the thrill was gone and then some. It happens.

I've never seen 'em at all, to be clear.

What I take from the press release: her return is even more remarkable than previously thought, and we should see her while we can. Now, maybe she'll turn out to be a regular Willie Dylan with the touring, but maybe not.

hey on an ilm hiatus until i learn how to not argue about music on the internet but i did want to stop by and say that i saw nina open for mogwai last night and it's one of the greatest things i've ever experienced, was riveting - she held the crowd in silence, reminded me a bit of leonard cohen at the isle of wight.

was very emotional and triumphant, she seemed so happy and none of the sometimes unstable, uneasy stage banter she's had in the past. she even brought her new dog out onstage. she thanked the (surprisingly attentive and quiet) crowd and mogwai several times, she really seemed to be enjoying it.

she mostly played the new album, with some older favorites, notably "superstar" off run to ruin and "why don't you stay home?" from on leaving.

so many of the songs now take on a different meaning, the shadow of his suicide was felt all throughout the set and in the new songs. her voice and guitar playing were incredible, this might have been the best time i've seen her.

was a magical night, i caught about a half hour of mogwai - who were actually good and better than i remembered - but after what was almost a religious experience for me i just wasn't im the mood for a rock band.

if you have the chance, you should go see her on this tour. though, based on last night, i'm much more hopeful she will be more regularly active in the future.

also a good reminder that i don't know if any artist really touches me emotionally the way she can, she's such a distinctive writer, from both a musical and lyrical perspective, to me she's up there with any great songwriter you can name.

i didn't want to spend the set with a phone in my hand, but filmed the first song, an acapella i'm assuming from the new album, was awestruck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gYeK2VyFs8

Wow, she sounds amazing. Was the whole set solo or did she have other musicians for parts of it?

Fucking hell, guess she already played NYC.

Just her and a guitar, had the whole room in the palm of her hand

Do you know what that song is called?

No she didn't say any song titles before she played, wish I would have thought to try go take a pic of the setlist

guess I gotta wait until july. I'm such a sucker for that type of Irish/American plains type sad unaccompanied ballad

Hope she's going to tour again after the release, seems weird to tour in support of a new album three months before it's available

she mentioned that mogwai just asked her and she said yes, seemed like maybe more of a life thing than a marketing thing given where she's coming from, but like i said i'm more much more hopeful that this won't be the last chance i had to see her which is sort of how i went into it

Thanks for popping in to share that. Glad to hear it!

Thanks for sharing this, she sounds really incredible, voice very strong.

Discovered something ... interesting. The release on Bandcamp has a preview of the tracklisting - but it's too low resolution to make out the lyrics. But it seems their image server can be persuaded to serve up a high-resolution version which is quite readable. For example - I can see the beautiful acapella track UMS shared above isn't on the new album (so double thanks for posting it).

Here's the low resolution image - does anyone want me to post the high resolution one (or is it too spoiler-y)?

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0028472930_10.jpg

New This is Love song released on Bandcamp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2AyI_bCi0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2AyI_bCi0

Bloody hell - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/12/songwriter-nina-nastasia-abuse-grief-psychosis-john-peel-steve-albini-laura-marling

sad story.

does anyone know what the canadian band she's working with is?

I've registered here just to say thanks to you all. This thread has been the most comprehensive resource online for Nina's limited activity this past decade. All that stuff about Kim Deal and the 2016 art show and the Daniel Knox collaboration was news to me, so thanks.

As ecstatic as I am that Nina is releasing a new album, a lot of these recent developments have been heartbreaking. I was in contact with Kennan via email for about a year from mid-2011 or so. Like a lot of email pen-pals, our conversations just naturally ran their course, to the point where there was nothing left for us to say to one another. But the guy was hilarious. He would often interject our conversations with random asides that would genuinely have me in stitches. I mean... he was filthy AF, but there was never anything mean about what he said. Other than the black humour, he seemed gentle and kind, and appreciative of my work elsewhere. I really grew to like him, and for that brief time considered him a friend. All this stuff... it's been a lot to process, you know?

Anyway, as a thanks to everyone here, I've uploaded a goody on YouTube for anyone who's interested. This is Nina's solo April 2012 gig at Whelan's in Dublin, Ireland. Her last full gig for a decade, before her tour with Mogwai. It's audio only.

Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFu0psZCd7E

It's Nina acoustic, so it's a fairly "quiet" gig. I genuinely don't think the sound guy had that tiny amp turned on most of the show. If it was on, it was set at a minimal volume. There was an obnoxiously creaky door that the staff occasionally used, and you can sometimes hear the sound of the barman loudly opening glass bottles, and during the very quiet moments in-between songs you can hear the distant thumping of idiotic dance music from the bar next door... but aside from all that, the sound is fine. ;)

There's only one truly previously unreleased song performed. That song is called "Marry Me", which I uploaded it separately for your convenience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49ZZCoX7WQ

Sorry for rambling. Hope you all enjoy the bootleg. Best wishes.

thank you so much for posting and for sharing, Homeostasis.

That's awesome, thanks!

And condolences and sympathies are for everything with Kennan. That is a lot to process.

Really great, thanks so much for posting these Homeostasis. For years I had the tune of "Marry Me" rattling around in my head - I saw Nina performing it as an opener to a gig in Bristol in 2010, but of course couldn't find it anywhere. It says something that the songs are so striking that years later "come now and come quickly" is immediately recognisable.

Nina performed some of these songs on a small set at the Electrical Audio anniversary back in 2017. The recordings have disappeared from youtube, but I've got them downloaded - I can load them back up if people are interested.

Thank you so much you guys for posting the live songs by Nina .they are flipping amazing. It’s kinda incredible that she has so many songs floating about not captured on record. I’ve been a fan since the blackened air was on the virgin listening post. Ugly face from peel acres was when the penny dropped.I’ve been devoted ever since. Like all you I was overjoyed when I heard the news of Nina’s return but also sad when I heard the news of what happened. I’ve caught her many times in uk always incredible …except the famous gig where her guitar was fucked up …

It’s amazing how Nina has been so honest in recent interviews about her like and I just feel bad the I had no idea how much she had suffered for the music and been really broke sometimes ..anyway really hope she comes to uk

Also I’m really interested to hear so many people with reservations about Mogwai ….in uk they get universal adoration from press and punters alike but I find them boring in the most part.lol

Again thanks for posting the live Nina stuff and here’s to the new album

Jif moose please upload any other songs you have mate 🙏🙏🙏🙏😇

Hi David, no problem - I've been digging through my hard drive and come up with these couple of interview/performances, which I don't think are available anywhere online any more. No totally new songs, but another rendition of "Where We Go", which was unreleased.

First one is from the now defunct RockFeedback TV back in 2010, mostly stuff from Outlaster, performing 4 songs with Matt Szemela:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0DAPjKXa78

Looking back I was amazed to see the other one actually discussed on this thread way back in 2012 - looks like MaresNest worked on engineering it. This is the Arctic Circle radio (on Resonance FM) - very interesting interview this, and lovely performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-03Z2BOfbM

Oh look, it's my old studio. Yeah, I engineered that.

That was a fabulous day, they both stayed on afterward. I bought a bottle of whisky for Nina as a thank you and we all hung out for a few hours sipping with her and Kennan.

Wow thanks MaresNest, it's a great recording

I think I have the songs somewhere in the archive I created, if you'd like them without the compression.

Oh yes - that would be really fantastic. Very much appreciated!

XP to David, I wonder if the gig where her guitar fucked up was at Cafe Oto, it was a super warm day and the side door was open to her left to let cool air in and there was a dyson fan on top of the piano on her right and coupled with the humidity it was playing merry hell with the guitar's tuning.

My mate went to see her play the day after our Arctic Circle session and said she was a bit all over the place and I kinda got the blame for buying her the bottle of whisky the day before (our session was on a weekend afternoon). I remember Kennan jokingly saying, 'Go easy, you're gonna be drunk as shit'

Hi I remember she was good at cafe oto .it was very hot I remember .I also saw her at a private gig she did above a pub just for fat cat subscribers. Again amazing . The gig where the guitar was all off was definitely with Jim white. And his drums were too loud ….members of the audience tuned the guitar but to no avail…. I saw her at the bush hall in London and we all sat on the floor and it was like some school assembly and she was the most talented music teacher

Jiffmoose thank you so much for uploading these ..great interviews …I tuned into resonance to here her …wonderful stuff

That interviewer looks smitten makes me smile .. maresnest I think the gig where nina guitar failed was the scala in London

members of the audience tuned the guitar but to no avail

Well I just heard the new song afterwards and it’s wonderful , sad ,and honest ,

Cheers David - enjoy!

Wow, yeah that new song is quite something

There's a good-sized new interview on Stereogum - https://www.stereogum.com/2189722/nina-nastasia-riderless-horse/music/

Great interview. Glad Nina is loving life and looking to the future ….

I never looked for biographical details during her 00s run, and maybe they weren't available - this interview makes it sound like she didn't share much before.

I'm finding it really heavy to learn this backstory. I had no idea the records were such a collaboration. As I learn that Gudjonsson contributed so much but with problematic intensity, that beloved run of albums suddenly feels much different, like a weird reveal in a plot-heavy movie. The blackened air, the small rooms, the details of hurt feel much less metaphorical, much closer to the means that created the tracks. I'd taken her storytelling to be a reflection of memory, since she wasn't young when she started recording. But it sounds like the suffocation and survival instinct was active as the songs were created. That they edited and refined such personal narratives together shows this frightening self-awareness of the relationship. I guess that explains how the albums could be coal black without being despairing - the music was the cause and the solution to the controlling and obsession.

Hi bendy great post you pretty much said it for me .I feel I was naïve. I thought here’s this lovely lady singing amazingly with such a happy relationship .it’s hard to live with a perfectionist .and someone so critical that you stop making music altogether just to keep the peace..Nina has been candid like never before and it’s now it’s going to be weird listening to those songs again knowing what we know.. weirdly. I didn’t love the last album I thought it was too heavy handed on the orchestration. Anyway the new stuff sounds good ..I really think the best will come in a few years ..just hope she keeps making music. Lord knows it’s hard to make a living from it …

Getting some great press with this record.

It looks like there's something in the new issue of Uncut. The website just says "Nina Nastasia: Album by album with the Californian songwriter." I assume that means a feature/interview where Nina gives talks about all her previous records. Will pick it up if I see it somewhere.
https://www.uncut.co.uk/publications/magazines/uncut-august-2022-138845/

Also an interview with the Italian version of Rolling Stone:
https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/interviste-musica/nina-nastasia-musica-dopo-un-trauma/643516/

There's not much we haven't read in the English interviews with The Guardian and Stereogum. Main take away was a paragraph about Nina's first tour, I'm assuming from after the release of Dogs but the writer doesn't say when, so it could've been the 90s. Nina wanted to do a solo acoustic tour, but Kennan was adamant she tour big venues with a 9-piece band, and the whole thing ended up costing over $30k. She was playing catch-up from the start. Sounds awful.

Also, according to Rolling Stone Italy, the album is completely acoustic: just Nina and her guitar. The last track on the record, "Creek and Chimes", is "the sound of running water". And the album wasn't recorded at Electrical Audio, but "in a kind of water tower, a beautiful circular building in New York that is also a guest house owned by a friend of mine, with a magnificent spiral staircase that goes all the way to the top."

Hope Sandoval's last album was also recorded in a circular building, one of the Martello Towers in Dublin. There's something about that environment that creats really beautiful audio dynamics: the sound just reverberates gently off the walls back in to the microphone. Naturally very church-y sounding, and sounds beautiful on headphones. Can't wait to hear it.

Thanks homeostasis. We have two Martello towers where I live .when I was young and a stoner me and my mates use to plan to buy one and turn it into a arts centre and venue….that was the plan until we came down then promptly forgot all about it. First time I saw Nina was with the full band orchestra early on and it . Sorry it skinted her …but it was awesome…it was when she toured the blackened air and every detail was lovingly reproduced…I. Was very impressed.
I can’t wait for the album ..I guess we will see …I’m happy with her and an acoustic…but it would be a shame if that was how it would be from now on which I doubt. I really liked that band sound she had going . I will try and track down the uncut magazine

I doubt she'll be entirely acoustic from now on. That's not the impression I'm getting from the interviews anyway. Maybe it's the Guardian one where the interviewer says something about the songs being "stark" and Nina responds along the lines of "that's just how these songs needed to be". Which makes sense, considering the background and lyrical subject matter. I'm pretty sure with one call, every one of the musicians who appeared on her first 6 records would be more than happy to drop everything they're doing to record another one.

I was never lucky enough to see Nina live with a full band. I came across a preview of "Stormy Weather" on a lyrics site called Always On The Run back in 2005, and was immediately hooked. I saw her live in Dublin twice since then. At the Crawdaddy in 2008, I think, and at Whelan's in 2012. Both acoustic, and fantastic. If she does tour Europe with this record, it'll probably be acoustic too. I doubt we've seen the last of her performing with a band though.

One week to go ….it’s very exciting

Five star review in Mojo - https://archive.org/details/mojo-augest-2022/page/88/mode/2up?view=theater

Another nice review in The Skinny! https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/nina-nastasia-riderless-horse

The Uncut article is really interesting - lots of new things (at least I hadn't heard at all) about the earlier albums:

At the start of recording, we were having trouble getting “Nobody Knew Her” to sound great. And Steve said, “I have a suggestion. Everybody take your balls out.” So everybody did, and that was the take we used.

The song that I’m most proud of is “Stormy Weather” ... the lyric writing, how it gets across certain things that I grew up with – my mother, and her illness [Nastasia’s mother died when she was 18]. She would go through cortisone psychosis due to the steroid medications she took for her lung condition. Some of those episodes were quite scary – there was a moment where she pulled me out of the shower and said, “Oh, my God, the house is on fire,” or she’d be talking on the phone and nobody was there.

Here's that article:
https://www.jonayling.net/nina-nastasia/uncut-1.png
https://www.jonayling.net/nina-nastasia/uncut-2.png

Thanks so much for these articles …I learned so much …I’m very happy she wants to come back to uk to play some shows…

No worries - I've never seen her have so much press! There's a long interview in Line of best fit today: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/nina-nastasia-in-conversation

I'm glad she's getting so much attention, even if part of it is obviously the horrific backstory. But she sounds so good and centered in talking about it. I hope the experience of being out playing the songs over and over isn't too painful. Hopefully it's mostly cathartic.

Another from the Independent - https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/nina-nastasia-review-riderless-horse-b2127384.html. Reading this I'm embarrassed to admit I never realised it was Kennan on the cover of Dogs. That's some face-blindness, I don't know who I thought it was!

Probably one for the Things you were shockingly old when you learned thread, actually

I had no idea..but to be honest when I saw him he had a beard ,glasses and was bigger…I’m diving into Nina’s album NOW!😀

Great album. I listened once before bed last night and once this morning. As the pre-release songs suggested, it's both harrowing and heartening — and not as "difficult" to listen to as it might seem. Part of that is just the joy hearing her again, but a lot of it is how straightforward and clear she is about everything — and how much it's a story of liberation, not just tragedy.

Her sing-song melodies are as strong as ever and as a singer she's never sounded better. I'm sorry for what it took for this to exist, and really sorry for the past decade of lost Nina Nastasia albums, but it sure is good to hear her.

I’ve only listened twice but I really like this album . Just to hear Nina’s voice again is wonderful … the songs are so direct the melody’s are stunning and captivating ..what I felt was her freedom . As sad as it is …just the fact that it’s a true solo record….

Personally I really prefer the simple arrangements too …I reckon that all her other music will seem stifled ….

I’m buzzing to get to know this album and excited that there’s loads more to come

Fave song is ask me

Really love it. Ask Me is absolutely slaying me too. I like You were so mad and Go Away too. Nature and Trust are hard listens.

Agree ..trying hard not no overlisten …keeping it box fresh….. it’s interesting me to imagine what songs would have sounded like if she had always been in sole control of output…

I guess this is a bit mean and pointless of me .

I have a feeling that Nina will go from strength to strength …

The Two of Us is almost an … anthem?! Amazing interiors of a relationship here.

The whole album is really a memoir. I can't think of anything else quite like it.

Anyone concerned about the album featuring just Nina's voice and a guitar need not worry. The album may be Nina solo throughout, but the difference in tempo and variation is striking. Imagine comparing an acoustic "Brad Haunts a Party" or "I've Been Out Walking", to the likes of "So Little" or "One Way Out". That's the sort of variation we're talking about on this record. It's pretty cool, and holds your attention throughout. I mean, it's not an easy record to listen to. I doubt I'll be playing this 200 times this year like I did with her first 4 albums way back when. It's too intense for that. But I did think "Wow. Holy crap. This is unbelievable." quite often when listening to it.

That being said, did anyone else here order the CD from Bandcamp? I pre-ordered it from there quite a while ago, but still haven't received an email confirmation that it's been dispatched. Looking around elsewhere, Rough Trade seem to be filling CD orders, and some copies have even been sold at Discogs. And I've not read anything about the CD being delayed. Just wondering if anyone could confirm a delay specifically with Bandcamp orders, or if I should reach out to them at this point? Thanks.

^ Nevermind. It's typical. I wrote that last night, then I come home from work earlier today to find the CD had been delivered. EU shipments are being delivered from the Netherlands, if that helps any other EU customers estimate they expect to receive their CD.

There is a big yellow sticker on the front of envelope saying "Goods not fulfilling the conditions laid down in Article 28 and 29 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union", whatever that means. Probably something to do with EU VAT/import duty regulations, which has severely impacted by music purchasing these past few years. Bloody bureaucracy.

To make up for the double post, I've uploaded the last Nina Nastasia rarity I have in my collection to YouTube: the Japanese version of "While We Talk".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fClwSRE8pyk

Thanks so much it’s great .Nina just did a interview with Marty it’s on you tube. 26 mins long. Apparently she’s done another album already a colaboration.
Good news eh….I think maybe brexit or something lots of my parcels have been suddenly very expensive 🙁

Thanks for pointing out the interview with 13th Floor MusicTalk on YouTube. It's nice to see a video interview after all these years. She looks a lot more confident in herself than she did when I saw her live way back when. It's really great to see, considering all that's happened.

Sounds like the collaborative album was made with a Canadian band called Florida BC. Likely the Canadian band she mentioned in an interview above? They released an album in 2020 called Salt Breaker Sand. It's on Spotify and is pretty cool. Has that Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave sort of sound. Also reminds a bit of early Cat Power. That sort of vibe.

Nina says their album's already mastered, and even that the artwork is finalized. Though I doubt it'll be released before Riderless Horse is issued on vinyl (November?). She also says she's been writing stuff for another record. At least we know we definitely won't be waiting another 12 years for a new record. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggn2WOyZsNA

Saw her at Union Pool on Saturday night. She was incredible! Really charming. She read the audience two stories she wrote, then she played her entire new album afterwards front to back.

two new songs from the riderless horse sessions!

https://ninanastasia.bandcamp.com/album/too-soon

They're good, I don't know that they add a whole lot.

Nice to hear the new songs … lots more to come ..I haven’t listened to riderless horse much ..like reading someone’s diary….I say probably being too prescious. AS ALWAYS

Hi everyone. I went to see Nina live last night. She was the best I had ever seen her….
She is always good live but seemed really at ease and played the new album in it’s entirety..bar one song ask me .(my fave 🙁).

She sang around 5 songs I’d never heard..all excellent especially a new instant classic…

that's so great to hear! thanks for sharing

Here's a recording of the Stowmarket concert from the end of last month -

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jlpsuvoym0yq7z09cfynk/h?dl=0&rlkey=lm0t9g4ij2861u4y54mggx7cy

maresnest thank you so much!

You're welcome ums

I also added in the Daylight Music session songs that I recorded years ago (talked about way upthread).

Will gladly also check out that download.

Saw Nina in Glasgow on Thursday, my first time.

Fantastic thank you MaresNest, quite a few songs I'd never heard there. 'Hard Life' is phenomenal. I'm catching Nina in Exeter on Thursday, thought I'd missed her tour dates but then amazed to see she was coming to the south west.

Thank you so much mares neat it’s great.I really tried to get to this gig but I just couldn’t find a way. It’s almost exactly the same set list as London. She did regrets too.thanks for making this available …

I’m still on the hunt for ask me live not found it yet….maybe it’s to personal ….

none of the people filling in setlists here seem to have heard it yet: https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/nina-nastasia-5bd61758.html?songid=bee554a

The recent Newcastle gig is in the same dropbox link now.

Cambridge show last night was fantastic - "Hard Life"(?) at the end may have brought at least one audience member to tears after a rocky day

The Cambridge concert popped up as well, so I've added it to the pile, same link above.

Nice, thanks MaresNest. Just back from the Exeter show, Nina in very good form, voice stronger if anything than when I last saw her 12+ years ago. Riderless Horse songs sound terrific (though still no Ask Me) and she also performed a few older surprising ones, World of Dirt and the Untitled ("Lose Myself To Change"?) fantastic to hear live. "Hard Life" seems to be the regular closer now, and it's as strong if not stronger than anything she's ever done (which is saying something).

The Marc Riley/Gideon Coe session is in there now also

Tom Ravenscroft had a really fun interview with her on his 6 show the other week too

New version of This Is Love/You Were So Mad with Marissa Paternoster out on BandCamp - https://ninanastasia.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-love-b-w-you-were-so-mad

was getting so used to hearing her unadorned, it's disorienting to hear the new material in a full arrangement.

This is so subdued for Paternoster, it seems like this could be a fruitful long-term collaboration.

Nina back in the UK playing 10 dates in August/September. She's also supporting Wilco in a US tour in October: https://www.picuki.com/media/3121182834395937534

dang, some of those dates are driveable for me

A bit late, but her gig in Dublin in April was amazing. Much more confident than she was in 2012. Only blip the entire evening was her forgetting a lyric in "World of Dirt". I managed to remember so told her the lyric, and she thanked me, but then she shot me this brief look of 'wait, this song is unreleased, how do you know that?'. I just smiled at her, then she smiled back, thanked me again, and continued the song. It was a cool moment. One that I'll always remember every time I hear the "You can blame me, you can blame your friends" lyric.

We had a nice conversation at the merch stand after the gig. The new songs she was doing that tour ("Hard Life" and "Sunrise Is a Sunset") won't be on her next album with Florida BC, since those were brand new songs written just before the tour started, while the album was recorded late 2022. "They'll be on the album after the one with Florida BC... unless I write better ones". "Hard Life" is that song's official title, but she doesn't like the title "Sunrise Is a Sunset", "I'll come up with something better eventually".

We also had a nice chat about the nature of the independent music business. She would've loved to release the record with Florida BC this summer, but "indie labels have limited finances and tight schedules for all their bands... so you sort of have to wait in line until the label's ready to release your record while they're busy releasing other people's records". It'll hopefully be released spring 2024, with more EPs and the next record following summer 2025. "No plans of ever stopping!".

There was more to this conversation, but it was 2 months ago at this point so this is all I can recall.

Thanks MaresNest for the bootlegs above. Beautiful sounding. Unfortunately no bootleg from me this time. I stupidly left batteries in my Zoom H4 since the last time I used it (around 2019) so the electronics inside all are caked in silver crud. I did record most of the gig (audio only) on my phone, but the quality really isn't worth anyone else's bandwidth.

"no plans of ever stopping" hell yeah

Fantastic, thanks for that Homeostasis ... weirdly enough a similar thing happened to me in Exeter! She was on very strong form, voice sounded great, but yeah forgot a lyric in 'Untitled' ("You're going home after 8 or 9 years and your Daddy has died"). I'm not the sort to shout out at concerts so kept quiet but when she really couldn't remember it, let her know. She was genuinely thankful - it was quite the moment

this is just great, for a while this thread felt more like we were sifting through the unreleased rarities and scraps of an artist that had or seemed to be disappearing. like a future "vanished" cult artist...i'm just really happy for her for all the new energy and activity.

It really is incredibly heartening. Looks like she's putting on an extra date in London as the first has already sold out (!).

Sorry, forgot the link: https://us21.campaign-archive.com/?e=8f1dfb7199&u=fbf4093d5a3ce10055cfdaa99&id=227d585c16

St Pancras Old Church is a very Nina venue, frankenstein, hardy tree and all. but it's not big in any way.

for a while this thread felt more like we were sifting through the unreleased rarities and scraps of an artist that had or seemed to be disappearing. like a future "vanished" cult artist

one can easily imagine in the past, she might well have disappeared, since it would be easier for one to fall out of both the public eye and completely out of their social sphere as well. i imagine it took a lot of strength for her to leave that relationship and to deal with the mixed feelings of freedom and guilt which followed in the wake of what happened after, and i don't doubt having a more readily available support system instantaneously available (vs whatever might have happened to her in idk the '60s or '70s) was crucial. i don't want to make any assumptions about her personal story though, i'm just glad she's back and seemingly happier than ever.

Someone at Setlist.fm has updated one of the setlists from the recent UK dates:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/nina-nastasia/2023/norwich-arts-centre-norwich-england-4ba2ebaa.html

She's doing at least 4 brand new songs these recent dates: "Rock + Rain", "It's Not Easy", "Murder Ballad" and "Family Name". Official song titles from the Nina's handwritten setlist. Same user also uploaded recordings of 3 older songs to YouTube from that same show in Norwich, so safe to say this is all legit.

^ That was me! I shared the full audio recording here: https://archive.org/details/ninanastasia2023-09-06

Awesome can't wait to check this out

I saw this pop up on D!m3 too, nice work!

New band?! New album!!

https://www.stereogum.com/2235195/jolie-laide-nina-nastasia-jeff-macleod-pacific-coast-highway/music/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxTfWcVSHyC/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Missed seeing her in the UK as I've been abroad but this is great news, thanks all!

Hell yes! This is awesome.

It's great to hear Nina with a full band again. "Pacific Coast Highway" sounds like a bastardized version of a James Bond theme, by way of "Regrets" and "I Say That I Will Go". Can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

And thank you Rairun for the Norwich recording. Those new songs are awesome too. As much as I love "Sunrise" and "Hard Life", they sound like an extension of Riderless Horse; it's hard to imagine them as anything other than acoustic songs. But with these new songs, you can almost hear the full-band arrangements taking shape.

They sound like a return to the Dogs/Blackened Air sound. "It's Not Easy" could have a "The Long Walk" type of production, with violin or e-bow or something. "Murder Ballad" could be a sister song to "Ugly Face", with that sort of driving drum rhythm and a heavy violin presence. "Family Name", my favorite of these songs, probably should remain mostly acoustic, but could have a delicate touch of violin or piano, similar to "Why Don't You Stay Home".

Also been reading her tour diary on Substack. It's great to hear her doing so well. Future's looking bright. ;)

Touch & Go are reissuing The Blackened Air on limited edition clear-colored vinyl on October 20th. It doesn't look like Nina will be able to sell it on her Bandcamp (T&G seem to be doing this themselves, and Nina isn't signed with the label anymore), so you might want to check with your local suppliers/online if you want to pick this one up.

New song - Why I Drink

https://theautumnroses.org/2023/10/04/jolie-laide-why-i-drink/

two tracks, in fact, if you click through to the bandcamp link.

Nice surprise today when the postman left the Jolie Liade record in my woodshed - looks like it shipped out at least a couple of weeks early, and from Canada too. Also it looks like they (accidentally?) sent me two copies!

awesome - how is it?

It's pretty great. Languid but surprisingly rough-edged (compared to the two tracks released first). The last track on the second side, Blue as Blue, is a storming closer, and I really like Death of Money and Moves Away Towns too. Definitely got that David Lynch/Lost Highway/Chris Isaak feeling about it. Perfect for this very dark and wild night, which has been punctuated by powercuts.

A few more listens and I'm really enjoying this, even on my incredibly knackered record deck. As mentioned I got an unexpected spare copy - if anyone would like it give me a shout and I can send it out (might be easiest in UK postage-wise).

Can confirm that Jeff (guitarist for Jolie Laide) is shipping out the Bandcamp orders early. Received my copy today, but house is too busy to listen to right now. Maybe later. Also received my copy of the Touch & Go vinyl reissue of The Blackened Air earlier this week, which sounds wonderful.

Ah I forgot about that reissue. Comically, when I try to order it through Touch and Go's site they ship to everywhere - including Pitcairn Island and the Isle of Man - but not the UK.

Ah I was going to joke about "bloody Brexit" - turns out that *is* the reason: "Apologies to all our UK customers, but due to Brexit, we are currently unable to accept orders from the UK.". Enjoying those sunlit uplands!

^ Hey JiffMoose, you had any luck purchasing The Blackened Air reissue? Unfortunately, the place I purchased it has sold out. If you're still having trouble, I'd have no problem purchasing it from Touch & Go and then sending it on to you.

Loving the Jolie Laide record, by the way. If I were to compare it to anything else Nina has done, it'd be Run to Ruin. It's a bit more uptempo than that record, but it has that same sense of dread running throughout. You can never quite get over the feeling that something terrible could happen at any moment. It's quite impressive.

Don't want to give too many spoilers, but "My Darling" is probably the song I replay the most. It's a gorgeous McCartney-esque ballad. Fairly short but very, very pretty.

Thanks Homeostasis - I did manage to track it down at Piccadilly records in the end, but thanks for the kind offer! It arrived on Halloween, and I think playing Ocean far too loud on my haunted record deck might have scared off any trick-or-treaters.

Don't really know Conan Neutron, but this is interesting - 2hr long interview with Nina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H5NYN3iHAE

first listen i am really liking the JL album

Finally got around to watching the interview. Interesting from 1:24:30 where Nina alludes to after Outlaster "there was another record that was a Bear ... if you could see the movie of it you'd see the break down. By the time we tried to do a recording it just didn't work, everything was breaking down at that point, it was just such misery that it wasn't happening. There are some recordings ... I'd have to go through and see what's salvageable, if anything"

Also very affecting on Kennan, with "Handmade Card" being a gift to him that was recorded on one night, "a joyful kind of thing". "He wasn't just one thing".

This is really nice: Nina writing about the influence of her artist father, James: https://www.talkhouse.com/role-models-nina-nastasia-took-more-from-her-father-than-she-realized/
Pennies dropping all over the place for me with "Jim's Room". I was just looking at the illustration from Blackened Air and wondering about it the other day...

New song by the band Mint Mile, Nina does vocals for 1 song on the album "Roughrider", called 'I Hope It's Different'.
you can find it on you tube if you look up Mint Mile I hope It's Different

Mint Mile are ex-Silkworm

Came across Jolie Laide live@cjsw

Blue Is Blue
My Darling
Move Away Towns
Isolation View

july 27, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmvuhxUYo9M

Looks like Nina's been recording in person with Jeff and the band for the new Jolie Laide track/album that's mentioned there (IIRC the first album was done remotely): https://www.picuki.com/profile/ninanastasiaofficial
https://cdn1.picuki.com/hosted-by-instagram/q/0exhNuNYnjBcaS3SYdxKjf8F2vJ1WgxSZ60STLepjSVmIR1vLHOapZA0mpCj4yRwKg5lHDeVeSBk548iWV5SDVQVNEzeSbSKRTdS76ycVuqivDZg859nlbg9KXcaZ3Sn8MAvUGepNWwSDv5PHL||lo79UvOa0LGFq8zCXW||RDmG4CqZL0APIz9Z8j3aqT3Vjm5IolITNev2glIx1l85PZrjQDUufkM8lmpKw5RbgBzPgL6NDtmjHlQD14PVFwFA+QsoicqcFTgDTeJTMJ2naGRf8heRkv1hO+sxtsk7wRvtTyEa9M+N8Z96PUTjtQEjktqBwzwMSCtiXsXm+i+GZQwWTD0+S0QvcEp7bEIsmWZ9jf7SrDfrDhPYtCRW8tVfn3f3XJN7O5ApUPwNkfPasdgRiK||gWCZ7nwgUEoXWxI2w==.jpeg

(sorry for the double-post) but I also hadn't seen this: http://post-trash.com/news/2024/2/20/wrangling-brains-with-jolie-laide-feature-interview. This sort of exchange gives me a lot of joy:

Jeff: He [Clinton St John] was going to be on the first record more, but he was going through a lot of stuff, like divorce.
Nina: Yeah, divorce. Two brains cohabitating, it’s very difficult.
Sam: That’s a lot of brain.
Nina: A lot of brain to wrangle [all laugh]. But also, one brain is not enough! You just can’t go on with one brain, you need more brains.

8 new songs on the way - sounds like Nina's just finishing up recording in Seattle - https://www.picuki.com/media/3480983876762509478

New Jolie Laide album Creatures announced! - https://www.oscarstrecords.com/jolie-laide-epk

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5de5f7b1eedec8097379bea7/02a0d5c5-168b-4b4c-be8b-0754fd16baec/jolie-laide.jpg

Ahh, you can click through to the Soundcloud account where you can see the album details. Track listing:

Cheyenne
Holly
Murder Ballad
Wharwolf
Dalton
Something For The Thrill
No Shape I Know
Small Things
Old Collapser
Saw The Wave

I wonder if it's the same Murder Ballad Nina sung on a live set a year and a bit ago?

weirdly, you can click through to the soundcloud and hear the whole record???

Huh?! I wonder if that's a mistake?

Weird! Does mean I can verify it's the same Murder Ballad though! Sounds great

I want to marry her but back to the thread what's your fave nina song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm1Iqye_Zf4

Ah now there's a question!

Hard to pick just one - I likewise gravitate more and more to the Blackened Air/Run to Ruin period. Run, All You a great pick, I still remember the first time I heard and got Goosebumps from I Go With Him and So Little.

But there's something about the really stripped back, simply structured songs as well - I find it hard to pin down the magic as in some ways they're so straightforward, but still sound like nothing else. I think Stormy Weather was the first Nina song I heard and almost seems archetypal of her work to me now. I also love Bird Of Cuzco - I still don't know how such a simple song can be so affecting. Ask Me from the latest probably in this category as well, just devastating.

Saying that the maximalist stuff hits me hard too. Always love Wakes from Outlaster, The Day I would Bury You and You Her and Me. Played those to friends who could only hear her as a standard singer-songwriter and they're pretty persuasive. There's some astonishing live performances of That's All There Is that turn that quiet song into a wailing lament.

But if I had to choose - I'd say the song that most distills everything I love about NN, such a quiet, languid and direct song that's simultaneously so menacing, mysterious and so far from moist sloppy emotion - it somehow always sounds so dry to me, like being washed in volatile solvent - is Superstar. It's no ordinary record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvlVCktqJ8I

She’s playing Portland next weekend - likely will go.

Superstar is one of those songs where I listened for years and then looked up the chords, and it was just E-A-D, and it blew me away even more for the simplicity. Which should be obvious in the way it crawls along, but the trip goes so far it feels like it sheds a few different sets of changes. It has spent lot of time as my favorite. Treehouse Song has also spent time there. For the last few years, The Two of Us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsCv7IJyNsk

The way it mixes love and defiance and utter defeat. That's what she can do better than anyone. Heroic claustrophobia.

Lovely writing Bendy and great pick. Did you make it to the show Eazy?

I sure would like to see her live someday myself. Somehow I missed the one time she's been through my area.

Did you make it to the show Eazy?

It's this coming Saturday. Got a ticket!

Oh I'm getting my weeks mixed up. Ah nice!

Well I can't resist listening to the SoundCloud leak (if such it is? Though I will buy the album when it's out). Small Things, my word!

Creatures is out, it really is very strong, probably even moreso than the first album. I wasn't initially sure about the electronic/synth turn after the arresting opener of Cheyenne/Holly/Murder Ballad, but No Shape I Know/Small Things pulled me along and I now think it's a kind of genius move. Shame it's not coming out on physical media (as far as I know) - I'd like to bung the band a few more quid (and sent me two copies last time).
http://vishkhanna.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/jolie-laide-KK-SQ.jpg

There's also a long interview up with Vish Khanna on Kreative Kontrol - http://vishkhanna.com/2025/05/01/ep-973-jolie-laide/ - not listened to all of it yet. Clinton St. John's vocal influences are apparently Leonard Cohen and Jason Molina, which also makes me very happy.

Wow, Cheyenne is fantastic. Gonna need to play this whole album -- and I might not have if you didn't bring up the Molina influence (makes everything an instant listen for me), so thank you Moose!

There’s a lot to take in with this - a real departure from her previous work, especially because it’s fully a band with no clear frontperson now. Hearing her in so many trade-off verses with heavy guitar work is bringing out affinities with Exene Cervenka I never noticed before. This covers a lot of styles and textures I wouldn’t have expected, even if it is all akin to her previous explorations.

Yep there sure is - there's a (pretty great) live performance of Old Collapser up which really highlights that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg7hic4iBkE

Gah another ILX formatting flub. Anyway thanks NuNuNu and glad people are enjoying the album. There is another interview up on the Great American Folk Show - apparently with a new song (I haven't listened yet): https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/the-great-american-folk-show/2025-05-03/the-great-american-folk-show-episode-140. Also they're back on Conan Neutrino too!

Oh sweet, they've released an LP release of Creatures - https://jolielaidemusic.bandcamp.com/album/creatures. I didn't really expect that!

New album just anounced on instagram. Songs For a World Of Trouble. Comes out friday june 13 on Bandcamp only. 8 tracks (digital only) also includes e book with poems, stories etc....

I saw her open for Mono in December, such a great show but her set was too short, around 30 mins. She did play 4 new songs, one she dedicated to Steve Albini. Ive been wanting to put the set on yt or archive but haven't yet had the chance. Video isnt great(peoples heads were getting in the way) audio is better. Think I should try to get it up before new album? not sure if songs will be on there, don't know any of the titles for the new ones she played.

im loving the new Jolie Laide album. I wish they were playing more shows besides Canada. Listened to the JL podcast from Kreative Kontrol and they said theyre definitely going to do a third album!

Nice, thanks SR - I remember the title but didn't realise it'd come so soon. Friday the 13th!

I for one would love to see your recording of that set!

https://ninanastasia.bandcamp.com/merch/songs-for-a-world-of-trouble-listening-party

Listening party for the new album happening in 4 hours on Bandcamp. I think there'll be a question and answer session with Nina afterwards. Should be fun.

https://store.touchandgorecords.com/products/nina-nastasia-run-to-ruin-180-gram-blue-vinyl

Also, a 180 gram blue vinyl of Run to Ruin was released back in May, for anyone who isn't aware. Still a few copies left.

I just noticed the Jolie Laide albums I purchased on Bandcamp are downloadable as 24-bit/96kHz WAVs. That's basically Vinyl/DVD-Audio quality, as opposed to standard CD 16-bit/44.1kHz quality. Pretty cool. I must remember to save those albums on a DVD.

Standard CD 16-bit/44.1kHz is already higher quality than vinyl, in terms of fidelity and dynamic range.

Didn't think I'd make it, but the listening party last night worked well. Some fun chat with Nina on the subject of favourite clowns and horror movies.

Really liking World of Trouble. Terrific to hear songs we've only had live like Old Goat and A Blazing Fire get a proper release - the latter remains haunting and rather terrifying. Other songs immediately striking and memorable - sounds a lot like the Run to Ruin and On Leaving eras to me. Lovely multi-tracked vocals. Happiness is positively catchy!