Whale Heart Records

duchessleo: Albums are full of tough decisions. How many songs?...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:11:36 -0400

Albums are full of tough decisions. How many songs? How should we put it out? Which leather pants should we wear for the cover shoot? We’re almost done with ours, but there’s still just a few of these important decisions to make.

I can tell you that we’re calling it Golden Gray and we’re very happy with it. A funny thing happened in the making where the songs started becoming things we never intended, so we had to adapt to them. Usually it’s the other way around I think? We’re planning for the next one already and how we’ll be applying everything we learned.

Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Our record will be out in the fall. And there will indeed be shows and parties coinciding. Dear friends, we’ll see you there!

(via warnerchild)

High Five: Warm Ghost

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:49:50 -0400

One of my new favorite bands is Warm Ghost. I met Paul and Oliver at their first show recommended to me by my friends at Geographic North, an awesome label from my hometown of Atlanta. Their “Claws Overhead” EP has been spinning constantly at the Whale Heart HQ.

Check out this awesome cover they released on their blog.

warmghost:

So, we covered one of our favorite bands, Solid Space. They were an amazing new wave/post punk band from the early 80’s that only released one record ever … CASSETTE ONLY. Crazy. Never been re-released surprisingly. Anyway, we did “10th Planet” and here it is for free download . Enjoy!

10th Planet by warmghost

Our ATL video bloggers are at it again! Grace, those tacos are...

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:36:15 -0400

Our ATL video bloggers are at it again! Grace, those tacos are daaannnger!

Photo

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:28:07 -0400

Lille on iTunes!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:58:08 -0400

Lille on iTunes!:

Get it today, hooray!

Pacific Theater was up in New Paltz, New York this weekend...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:55:00 -0400

Pacific Theater was up in New Paltz, New York this weekend laying down the beginnings of their second full length set to be released in the fall. This time around their working with Kevin McMahon at Marcata Recording. The studio is a beautiful old barn built out to be an enormous live room, a cozy control room and an amazing creative space. Man, talk about vibe. Keep up with the band on their blog and look out for the new record!

pacifictheater:

LP2 is underway!

Lille performs at Mint Gallery in Atlanta. 6.13.10

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:32:51 -0400

Lille performs at Mint Gallery in Atlanta. 6.13.10

teamclermont: So excited about these kind words from Fensepost...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:09:55 -0400

teamclermont:

So excited about these kind words from Fensepost about our sweet Grace, aka Lille. Go see her June 11 in Atlanta at Mint Gallery. I’ll be there! -Alyssa

“Oh, to be young again. Better yet, to be young, talented and full of promise. No, we’re not talking about a NCAA basketball prodigy. We are talking about Grace Bellury, a.k.a. Lille (like the French city, pronounced “Leel”). This Atlanta native, in your short existence, has a voice that sends chills down the back of your neck with a pleasurable burn more powerful than a vampire in sunlight (one that burns, not sparkles). At 18 years old, this songstress has debuted herself perfectly with her first EP, Tall Shoulders.

The self titled cut, “Tall Shoulders”, is a pure and genuine confession of one woman’s pain and love felt in only a quarter of the 21 grams our heart weighs in at. It is a story of hope, and growth. Eventually there will come a time when her age won’t be of any importance. But, for now, we’ll just stick to the idea that it is very impressive how much tragedy and hope this young lady is able to conjure up into a very respectable and enjoyable song.

Though Tall Shoulders consists mainly of small folk ditties, the indie pop track “Blue Coat Boy” sticks out as a showcase sort of experimentation we will likley hear from Lille in the future.

Bellury distinguishes herself through a strange metamorphosis that contains a sweltering and impeccable set of vocal chords, a knack for songwriting, and a special enlightenment when it comes to artistic creativity and ingenuity. Tall Shoulders is, at its very least, a wonderful beginning to a career that his sure to be long and prosperous.”

by Ron Trembath

Download: “Tall Shoulders” by Lille”

(via duchessleo) Duchess Leo is currently at Metaltern Studios...

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:10:00 -0400

(via duchessleo)

Duchess Leo is currently at Metaltern Studios in Alabama completing their debut record. Pictured above are the band with the wonderful Whitt Family, Grace Bellury of Lille and Keith Forrester of Little Horn. Keith and Grace have both contributed to the record. Daniel Whitt has been recording the band, as well as contributing drums and being what could best be described as a co-producer, or BFF. The album will arrive in the late summer so stay tuned!

Pre-Order Lille's Tall Shoulders EP!

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:59:08 -0400

Pre-Order Lille's Tall Shoulders EP!:

Alright! You can pre-order Lille’s Tall Shoulders EP on 12” vinyl over at our favorite online music retailer, Insound! Get it while it’s hot!

Peter Yoon stopped by to lay down some cello for the Duchess...

Tue, 25 May 2010 02:59:46 -0400

Peter Yoon stopped by to lay down some cello for the Duchess Leo record on Saturday. The sample above is from a song called Expectation and sounds particularly cool auto-tuned. The record will be available late in the summer.

Happy 30th Empire Strikes Back!!!

Sun, 23 May 2010 05:46:00 -0400

Happy 30th Empire Strikes Back!!!

pacifictheater: Sweeeeeeeet remix of Telescope done by Scott...

Fri, 21 May 2010 17:20:00 -0400

pacifictheater:

Sweeeeeeeet remix of Telescope done by Scott from Stab Stab Die

Lille delivers in ATL alyssadehayes: graceistheocean: a...

Fri, 21 May 2010 17:19:35 -0400

Lille delivers in ATL

alyssadehayes:

graceistheocean:

a spectacular evening! thanks lovelies.

Little Horn’s Keith Forrester has been hard at work realizing a vision for his band since...

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:12:00 -0400

Little Horn’s Keith Forrester has been hard at work realizing a vision for his band since the release of his debut record, Such Pretty Houses. The record itself is a shimmering and southern gothic kind of folk, but it sounds like the band will be a different animal. Keith recently sat down with us to have a chat.

Whale Heart: What have you been up to lately?

Keith: Mainly getting off to the slowest start of a year I think I’ve ever experienced. It just wouldn’t get off the ground. Me and the boys haven’t played a show yet but we have our first of the year coming up. I’m starting to feel the fire under my rear again.

WH: How have the songs on Such Pretty Houses changed since the band came together?

Keith: They’ve changed a lot. Neal (Williams) and Dallas (Peavy) really round the songs out and give them a new fullness. They’re different now. On the record they stand alone as minimalist pieces unto themselves. Daniel Bellury, Daniel Whitt and I really had some beautiful chemistry creating Such Pretty Houses, but Neal and Dallas still managed to dig out all these layers and sounds buried in them and the findings were just perfect and damn beautiful. It makes for a great live sound too. My venue options have increased. I couldn’t ask for better cohorts. As far as writing stuff as a band its more of a piece-meal approach right now. Schedules are difficult to coordinate. As it stands, I have written and am in the midst of writing a lot of new material alone on the couch or in the dining room. I almost have another album of songs and we have hardly practiced this year. When we do they add their parts and then the songs become ours. I don’t understand bands where one dude writes the stuff and dictates to everyone else what to play. I prefer an organic collaboration, even if I have the song written, I need the perspective and critique.

WH: Your lyrics deal a lot with religion and spirituality. Tell us about your personal history with these subjects and how they inform your music.

Keith: It might be better to say that the lyrics deal with a rebellion to religion and a re-defining of your spirituality. Especially the idea of autonomy in the presence of an Almighty, or the concept of an Almighty… You know, wrestling your Maker stuff. My grandfather was the kindest, most honorable, and most generous man I ever knew and all he could think about on his death bed was whether or not he had been good enough to stay out of Hell. When we go to one extreme or the other, that’s when we are weak and capable of wrong action, like in The Dark Crystal. As far as my personal history, I was raised from knee-high until late-teens in an independent branch of the charismatic movement, or “Charismania”. They had everything short of snake-handling; speaking in tongues, gettin’ drunk on the holy spirit and convulsing around on the floor, laying hands on a coffin at a funeral while screaming for the body to come forth, etc. That was a particularly funny one to me. The guy they were trying to raise had donated a bunch of stuff, you know organs and what not, but also his skin and eyes and such. I had this chuckle to myself in the midst of the funeral envisioning him popping out of the coffin looking like a gore-fest and all the people so desirous of asserting their grand spiritual powers running like hell rather than basking in the awe and wonder of the miracle. When I was 14 a “prophet” at a revival told me that God wanted me to know that I was not supposed to pursue music. Didn’t He create me and give me my talents/interests? And then there was Eternal Damnation. That was the eventual deal-breaker for me. I worked in the Army Chaplain Corps, and when I got out I abandoned it.

I think there are some beautiful, unique concepts in the Bible but few can see them. Needless to say, my past and my subsequent struggles come to bear immensely in my lyrics.

WH: What’s inspiring you lately?

Keith: A lot. The change in the weather has brought a refreshing breeze to my songwriting. I’ve been listening to some old stuff. Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits have been blowing my mind. I’ve also been hitting up some Rachmaninoff and this composer that calls himself Eluvium. Neal made me a comp with some good bands too, Grouper from Portland being one of them. So good. The sadness of losing all of the music from my Ipod has been pressing on me and I’ve been getting so much joy from my son. He’s a constant muse. Be looking for a song about him on the next album or if you catch a show. Its about him but general enough, I think, to resonate with any parent.

WH: When can we expect the next Little Horn record?

Keith: Well, right now its looking like we will record towards the end of the year and release early 2011. At least that’s what the boss man says. I’m real excited to do an album with a full band.

Such Pretty Houses is available now in the store. Look out for Little Horn live this year and the new record in 2011.

Lille is 18 year old singer/songwriter Grace Bellury, set to...

Fri, 14 May 2010 16:36:43 -0400

Lille is 18 year old singer/songwriter Grace Bellury, set to release Tall Shoulders June 22, 2010. Pronounced “Leel”, and named for the town in France, the record is full of haunting vocals, clever lyrics, and melancholy ukelele. Whaleheart Records’ newest artist, Grace is already making waves in the Atlanta music scene. Her next show is 05.20 at The Drunken Unicorn (Atlanta, GA) w/ Little Horn. Don’t miss it!

graceistheocean: sabino: (via dailybookmark)

Fri, 14 May 2010 16:28:50 -0400

graceistheocean:

sabino:

(via dailybookmark)

(via petervidani)

Thu, 13 May 2010 17:32:30 -0400

(via petervidani)

Hey all! Check out this old kitchen recording of Grace Bellury...

Tue, 11 May 2010 14:05:00 -0400

Hey all! Check out this old kitchen recording of Grace Bellury of Lille and Dan Ryan of Duchess Leo covering Magnetic Field’s “Yeah oh Yeah.” Casually recorded into an SM57 on a breezy afternoon last year.

Have a good weekend!

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:24:01 -0400

Have a good weekend!