Album review: Alice Phoebe Lou’s “Paper Castles” – Set for release on March 8, 2019
Paper Castles, Alice Phoebe Lou’s second full length release, blends her beautiful voice in a style reminiscent of the sensual female night club singers of the 40’s, with celestial sounds and edgy lyrics. A genuinely gifted storyteller, Alice’s songwriting draws from a wide range of diverse creative experiences. From her upbringing up on a South African mountainside, to fire dancing in Paris, to street performing in Europe, “Paper Castles” provides insight of her personal journey and her special relationship with the cosmos.
A dreamy opener, “Little Spark” floats weightlessly in space and introduces the cosmic ambiance present throughout “Paper Castles”. “Galaxies” impresses with its buoyant playful style.
Said Alice: “Space had become such a theme in my life & music, not in a scientific way but more in a metaphorical sense; drawing parallels between a planet in the expansive universe & the way that one’s tiny & seemingly insignificant existence interacts with the world. This song is about being nothing & everything. About being overwhelmed by the weight of existence while simultaneously being in awe & wonder of it all.”
Alice’s spirited and occasionally quirky performance on this studio album marry well with her songwriting abilities and the supportive but unobtrusive musical accompaniments.
“Ocean”, along with “Something Holy”, (bound to be a featured selection), command attention with their skillfully crafted lyrics and eclectic sound.
A sharper “Nostalgia”, relates a personal journey back to innocence lost and dependencies. While ‘Skin Crawl” provides a biting retort to the prejudices against women and suggests a maturation that permeates this journey.
If you are a fan of Alice Phoebe Lou then Paper Castles is a must addition to your collection. If you’re new to Alice’s unique music, beware, this album will set the hooks and you won’t be able to get enough.
The best news is Alice Phoebe Lou is about to launch a North American and European tour in support of “Paper Castles”, don’t miss this rare opportunity!
Paper Castles drops March 8th.
Paper Castles Track Listing
1. Little Spark
2. Nostalgia
3. Galaxies
4. Paper Castles
5. Fynbos
6. Something Holy
7. Skin Crawl
8. My Outside
9. New Song
10. Ocean
Alice Phoebe Lou 2019 Tour Dates:
03/03 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
03/04 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB 03/05 – Boston, MA @ Cafe 939 0
3/07 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java 03/08 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
03/10 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
03/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl at Center Stage
03/13-17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW 2019 0
3/20 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah 0
3/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
03/23 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
03/24 – Portland, OR @ Old Church Concert Hall
03/25 – Seattle, WA @ Barboz 04/05 – Istanbul, TU @ Salon IKSV
04/06 – Istanbul, TU @ Salon IKSV
04/10 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz
04/11 – Dresden, DE @ Polimagie Festival
04/13 – Hanover, DE @ Faust 04/15 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
04/16 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
04/17 – London, UK @ Earth
04/18 – Nottingham, UK @ Bodega
04/20 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli 0
4/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Zonnehuis
04/23 – Aachen, DE @ Kulturbunker
04/24 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
04/26 – Vienna, AT @ Flex
04/28 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum
04/29 – Erlangen, DE @ E-Werk
05/01 – Friberg, DE @ Jazzhaus
05/02 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
05/03 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
05/04 – Stuttgart, DE @ Im Wizemann
05/06 – Cologne, DE @ Kulturkirche
05/07 – Mainz, DE @ Kuz
05/08 – Kiel, DE @ Pumpe
05/09 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
05/11 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
05/30-06/01 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
06/27-30 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
Mike McKenney is an award winning professional photographer and current New England Correspondent for Rock At Night magazine.
With his years of experience and passion for Concert Photography, Mike has photographed many of the famous acts in the world today.
Rock Icons such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthews, and Fleetwood Mac along with Country artist Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney,and Jason Aldean have all appeared before Mike’s camera.
"My goal is always to present the experience truthfully so fans can feel the energy and emotions the Artists convey. It’s a tremendous honor and responsibility to be allowed to create art while blending my two passions, music and photography”
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I have been watching Alice Phoebe Lou for years and waiting for her to get creds as a female artist. Her first album was great and I am digging this latest release even more. Thanks for doing the review…