DOWNLOAD: Julie Peel - "Unfold" MP3

Julie Peel is a Canadian singer/songwriter who just released her debut CD, Near The Sun, on American Laundromat Records. With lyrics that sound like semi-confessional stories and a layered, atmospheric production, some immediate points of comparison are artists like Beth Orton and Lisa Germano.

Julie first came to my attention with a stripped down cover of The Cure’s “A Night Like This” which was included on the Just Like Heaven: A Tribute to The Cure compilation.



While this cover tune is a good started point to Julie’s music, the music on this CD is much more varied. On a number of songs, Julie sings with a smooth and subdued voice but there are other songs (“Once More With Feeling”, “Alone”) captures an Americana/alt-country sound (think Michelle Shocked). The alt-country imagery on these songs is further strengthened by the use of ukulele, banjo, glockenspiel and kazoo. Rounding things out are subtly catching pop tunes like “Living in a Movie”.



According to a recent interview, Julie played all the instruments on the demo CD that proceeded Near The Sun. While Julie plays a number of instruments on each track (in addition to producing the CD), she is joined by two – three backing musicians on most of the tracks. Pulling from another interview, Julie said “I prefer to play with musicians, ‘cause like you said, it’s already intimate material, and I don’t really like to be the center of the attention. “


American Laundromat Records will celebrate the release of "Near The Sun" with a free show (open to the public) on October 10th (8pm - 11pm) at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn, NY. Julie Peel will perform with her full band (traveling as far away as France and Sweden to back her), and there will be very special guest performances by The Caulfield Sisters, Dylan in the Movies, Emilie Mover, and Rachel Browne.

Though her contributions to the ALR compilations were noteworthy in their own right, this collection of original material bears testimony to Julie Peel’s own dynamic pop sensibilities.