Up And Away
Love is a mysterious thing, wonderful, captivating, volatile, hot, cold, indefinite. It generally arrives unannounced and is equally capable of moving on without further notice. Such is the basic storyline of Athens-based singer-songwriter Σtella's June-released 30-minute longplayer on Seattle's Sub Pop imprint. "Up and Way" is both "an old-school pop paean to the pangs and raptures of love" as well as a fresh start, which sees the multi-talented painter, visual artist and performer join forces with American artist and producer Tom Calvert, aka Redinho, ready to take flight and move on to new pastures.
Usually eschewing pop styles, this one struck a heartfelt chord with us. Blame it on Christos Skondras' virtuosic handling of the bouzouki, Redinho's production prowess, blending Greek folklore with "mid-century pop" tendencies, ably underscoring Σtella's honeysuckle voice and dreamy, introspective narrative or Sofia Labropoulou bringing the affair to thrilling completion on the kanun, but we could not resist. Flanked by an uncannily "vintage aesthetic," this short but sweet musing sounds “as if it was a rare gem from the '60s found in a box of records in Athens.” Σtella claims she was, "in a very emotional state at the time" of the recording and you can easily tell by her honest lyrics and sensual vocal delivery.
"Up and Away" is a record for and about lovers that will literally send you soaring and makes no effort to conceal its true feelings. Instead, it will no doubt rekindle the flame we all so desperately seek, inspiring us to carry on and continue playing this crazy game, from beginning to end to new beginning. Preach!
You can stream/buy the full album and watch the animated companion video to its title track below.
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