Annies and Amys

Today we start with an appeal for your money. Not for me, I hasten to add, but for a much more worthy cause.

Annie Dressner is a singer-songwriter from New York who is now based in the UK, lured over here by the lovely weather I imagine. You can read all about her on her website. The reviews posted there are unable to agree who she sounds like - amongst the names mentioned are Kimya Dawson, Jenny Lewis, Gillian Welch, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Camera Obscura, Belle & Sebastian and Mazzy Star - a total confusion which suggests that the person she really sounds like is herself.

Annie's first album, "Strangers Who Knew Each Other's Names", came out in 2011 and is a bit of a gem. It is available from Bandcamp and all the usual places and I have posted a couple of her videos for the album below. Adding to the list of comparisons, it has the same sort of feel to it as her fellow New Yorkers Amy Allison and Amy Rigby - Brooklyn hipsters storming the Brill Building, that sort of thing.

Annie is planning to release a new EP in a couple of months, and has kindly sent me an advance mix. It is not as poppy and perky as the album, which is not surprising as most songs seem to deal with loss of one form or another, but it is just as good in its own way. And this is where the appeal comes in. In these straitened times, Annie could do with some help to get the project finished. She has set up a Pledge page - if you like what you have heard so far, go over there and do your bit.  

I mentioned Amy Allison and Amy Rigby. Here is a song from each of them. As a bonus I have added one from the differently spelt Aimee Mann, who we are off to see at the Festival Hall next week. Should be good.

"Why Must It Be" - Amy Allison

"Breakup Boots" - Amy Rigby

"You Do" - Aimee Mann