Daughter
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Atmospheric folk-pop electronica
Status:
Most recent release, Music from Before the Storm (2017)
See also:
Daughter's site
Comparisons:
Hard to pinpoint, but they have things in common with The Moon Seven Times, Mazzy Star, maybe even Sigur Rós a bit. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
NPR wrote, "Achingly pretty and melancholy, Daughter's music conjures a pitch-perfect mix of gloom, desire and hostility." Not sure about the "hostility," but otherwise this seems a perfectly apt description to me. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
Any
Recordings:
- His Young Heart (EP, 2011)
- The Wild Youth (EP, 2011)
- If You Leave (2013)
- Live @ Air (live, 2014)
- Not to Disappear (2016)
- Music from Before the Storm (2017)
His Young Heart
Release info:
2011
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Comments:
Melancholy doesn't seem to be quite the right word for this four-track EP, neither does haunting. Moody doesn't quite fit either. But it's something in that vein, somewhere in that landscape. It's lovely, mostly acoustic, and I can listen to it on repeat without losing any interest. (JoAnn Whetsell)One of the best albums of the year. (christina_skov@hotmail.com)
The Wild Youth
Release info:
2011
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Comments:
Another really good EP, somewhat brighter than their debut. (JoAnn Whetsell)One of the best albums of the year. (christina_skov@hotmail.com)
If You Leave
Release info:
2013—4AD/Glassnote
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Elena Tonra
Igor Haefeli
Remi Aguilella
Produced by:
Igor Haefeli; Rodaidh McDonald co-produced tracks 1 and 9; Jolyon Thomas co-produced track 7
Comments:
Judging from last year's Daughter EPs, I would have expected much more of this album. If you want to listen to Daughter, you should just get the EPs and skip this. (raschee@gmail.com)I love this album. It builds on the EPs (one track, "Youth" carries over from The Wild Youth) and develops their sound with even more influences. "Lifeforms" and "Tomorrow" remind me a lot of The Moon Seven Times, for instance. (JoAnn Whetsell)
One of the best albums of the year. (stjarnell@yahoo.com, christina_skov@hotmail.com)
Not to Disappear
Release info:
2016—Glassnote—GLS-0191-02
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Elena Tonra
Igor Haefeli
Remi Aguilella
Produced by:
Igor Haefeli & Nicolas Vernhes
Comments:
Subtly darker and edgier than their debut. This album keeps calling me back to it and makes me hopeful for a bright future for this group. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Music from Before the Storm
Release info:
2017—4AD—4AD0038
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Comments:
It's a little more, well, cinematic than their previous albums, with slow-build Mogwai dynamics. I think it's their best yet, maybe because main songwriter Elena Tonra was pushed out of her comfort zone in writing about a specific external character. I've gone back and started listening to their first two again and they're much better than I remembered, but I keep coming back to the new one. (bossert@suddensound.com)I was excited to hear about a new Daughter album. Then I heard it was a video game soundtrack, and well, I wasn't so excited anymore. I didn't have any expectations for the album, not having any conception of what a video game soundtrack would sound like. Basically, it sounds like a Daughter album, a very good one. The songs are generally shorter; some are noisier. But it's a cohesive work; it all hangs together as an album. (JoAnn.Whetsell)
Speaking of video game soundtracks, this one is worth listening to even if you aren't into the game. Generally I prefer songs with lyrics, and most of these songs lack words, but they still held my interest. One of the best albums of the year. (dbucak@netaxs.com)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
