Edie
Country of origin:
Born in The Netherlands, now living in the U.S.
Type of music generally:
Unique mix of ethereal and fierce evocative/eclectic alternative pop/rock
Status:
Most recent releases, We Are the Ones (2021)
See also:
Edie's site
Comparisons:
Her voice and how she uses it reminds me of Sinéad O'Connor, Heather Nova, and Kym Brown; musically I'm less sure who to compare her to. (Neile)
Covers/own material:
Own and co-written
General comments:
Edie has an amazing voice, which ranges from the most gutsy and powerful to the most ethereal. She sounds a lot like Sinéad O'Connor and Heather Nova but her music is far more interesting than their recent work (both of them have sadly gone so pop they're almost easy listening in my opinion). That said, Edie's songwriting, while it has many terrific moments is probably too loose for many people's tastes. Personally I like this facet of her work because of how it lets her terrific voice shine. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Shades
Recordings:
- Shades (2002)
- Crave ep (2003)
- nu (2004)
- realities (2007)
- songs (2008)
- Forever (single, 2015)
- Made of Space (single, 2015)
- We Are the Ones (2021)
Shades
Release info:
2002—self-released—PM779
Availability:
See Edie's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edith Pijpers—vocals, guitar
Guest artists:
Martin Motola
Produced by:
Edie with Martin Motola
Comments:
I find Shades quite entrancing. It reminds me very much of Sinéad O'Connor's The Lion and The Cobra in overall sound and the way Edie uses her voice. She got a nice range and uses it to project shades of emotion within the scope of her songs. Though I'm comparing it to a disc that is—egad!—15 years old now, I don't mean by this that it sounds dated—it doesn't to me. This similarity is a flavour. She's dramatic like Sinéad O'Connor, too, though perhaps a little less, as there is no "Troy" on Shades. Her songs are not quite as focused as Sinéad O'Connor's but they sound so lovely and strong that I highly, highly recommend this disc. I really like what she's accomplished here and think she shows a heap of promise. (Neile)It's excellent, at times reminding me of Kym Brown and at times sounding like Lion and The Cobra era Sinéad O'Connor. I'm not sure if it belongs with the best albums of the year, or just in the honorable mention category. I've been listening to it an awful lot since I bought it though, and it's definitely a find. (mcurry@io.com)
The album I wish Heather Nova would have made.... One of the best discoveries of 2002. (gordoja@optonline.net)
Crave ep
Release info:
2003—mp3.com
Availability:
Out of print
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Comments:
This is a seven-song ep. The two best tracks—the title track and "Entendu"—appear again on nu. It's consistently on the more urgent side of her palette and I'm not sure I like the canned beats on it, but there's no denying the urgency of Edie's vocal performances here. This is really powerful and it's really a shame you can't order it anymore. (Neile)Check it out. (gordoja@optonline.net)
nu
Release info:
2004—self-released
Availability:
See Edie's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edith Pijpers—vocals, guitar
Guest artists:
Todd Cecil—madolin on 3 tracks, slide and lead guitar on 2 tracks
Mississippi J.—percussion and buzz maintenance on 2 tracks
Caitlin Evanson—violins on 3 tracks
Produced by:
All songs Edie and/or Martin Motola
Comments:
This one takes a little more listening to get into than Shades did, which caught me immediately, but this definitely grows on you and has some especially lovely and brilliant moments, and some delightful songwriting. Edie moves from playful to belting it out on this album. I especially like the couple of songs in French. It is, I think, every bit as good as Shades (and better than the brief mp3.com ep that came out shortly before mp3.com deleted everything and re-created itself). Edie's vocals are very bit as powerful and beautiful, and the songs range from gutsy powerhouses to whispery ethereality. Often in the same song. (Neile)One of the best of 2004. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
One of my top indie discs of 2004. (amy@ecalos.com)
realities
Release info:
2007—self-released
Availability:
See Edie's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Edie—vocals, various music
Guest artists:
Martin Motola—various music
Kevin Cuchia—percussion (4, 7, 8)
Paul Slivka—bass (1, 3, 4, 10)
Bronwyn Davies—violin (1, 9)
Joe Deocato—keys (1, 6)
Tom Davies—guitar (11)
Produced by:
Martin Motola and Edie
Comments:
realities is as immediately catchy as Shades, but with a slightly different—at least stronger—flavour of moody mystery than the previous albums. The songwriting here is consistently strong—and to be moody and catchy at the same time is quite a feat. I'm not certain how she does it, but it's a magic of songwriting and performance. Highly recommended. (Neile)
