Astra: Where You Rest

"Where You Rest is a dreamy, quixotic piece of dark folk that will enthral."
Experimusic

"The epic title track mixes dramatic strings to rousing effect, combining Astra’s most intriguing melodic turns into a tense pressure-cooker of longing."
AmericanaUK

Hi there,

Thought you might be interested to hear about English singer-songwriter Astra, whose debut album, Where You Rest, is available now on Isolation Recordings.

Written when she was 19 and recorded live over two days, Where You Rest catalogues what Astra describes as "wanderings of love, longing and loss", in a mesmeric voice, by turns vulnerable and dreamy, powerful and direct.

With an acoustic sound that has been compared to Beth Gibbons, Joni Mitchell and the autumnal Englishness of Nick Drake, the Brighton musician brings unflinching honesty to her songs.

Astra catalogues stories of everyday hopes: "Be my friend/ Help me up" Be My Friend (MP3) and disappointments: "Silly me for trying to pretend/ That you and I would be more than just good friends" Run (MP3); of outsiders: "Are we all just trying to find a place in this world/ Trying to find a face in this life" Liberty (MP3) and siren-like pleas: "Run, come, save me".

A review of Astra at Brighton Fringe festival 2008 noted: "Astra kept the audience entranced with her music which somehow manages to touch on the painful yet beautiful aspect of being alive. Her lyrics leave themselves vulnerably open in a way that is rare to find." Broadwaybaby.com

These poignant portraits are complemented beautifully by spare, precise arrangements. Abi Fry (British Sea Power, Bat For Lashes) plays viola on all but one of the eight tracks: sometimes playfully underscoring the vocals; sometimes soaring, sometimes brooding, occasionally breaking down into dissonance. On piano, Dave Hickson adds delicate sketchy motifs and hammered tattoos, while acoustic guitar from Astra underpins the overall sound.

In addition to her solo work, Astra also plays in four-piece alt-folk outfit The Robot Heart, in which she sings as one of a three-part harmony, while playing keyboard and glokenspiel (often all at the same time).

Where You Rest is packaged as a limited-edition digipak with a twelve-page booklet of Astra's lyrics/artwork. It is available from Isolation Recordings for £7.99, plus postage and packing.

For a copy of Where You Rest, email info@isolationrecordings.com. For further information, email that address or call 01293 771000 or 07939 977000.

Photographs, artwork and press release are available for download at Isolation Recordings.

www.isolationrecordings.com

http://www.myspace.com/astramusic