Back in November, My Mean Magpie segued off a Mojave 3 post I made to bring Denmark’s Sarah Hepburn to my attention, the connection being that her debut solo album, Stars & Haze, was recorded with Neil Halstead and members of Mojave 3. The only samples he could find online was a video for the song “Hey… OK?”, which I commented sounded very un-Mojave-like, so he sent me a few more tracks from the album to sample. And a couple months later, I actually listened to them – and was impressed. Her singing voice usually stays in hushed and husky Nico-ish territory but that restraint masks some impressively elastic range, but thankfully she uses her vocal powers judiciously and always for good, not evil. Judging from the samples Five sent me and those on her MySpace page, it would seem that Stars & Haze runs a stylistic gamut, but centers around a rustic, country-ish feel that’s really quite lovely and soothing. And this is where the Mojave 3 connection comes into play – “Which Way From Here”, in particular, sounds like it could have been an Out Of Tune outtake. It’s a shame that the album is nigh impossible to get except to order directly from Europe for no small chunk of change.

Video: Sarah Hepburn – “Hey… OK?” (WMV)

Hepburn also used to play in a somewhat more rocking Danish out fit called Glorybox. At least, it’s my understanding that they were more rocking. The track on their MySpace isn’t especially rocking. Maybe the Danes have a different frame of reference for rock?

Those of you who watch TV may have recently noticed a commercial for Capital One, whom I understand are a bank or fishmonger of some description, that features a classic pop-sounding tune with the chorus “Hand in my pocket hand in my pocket hand in my pocket” and so forth. Well it turns out that that tune was written and recorded by Toronto’s own Jim Guthrie, of Royal City, Islands and Jim Guthrie fame. And he’s put together a full song-length version and made it available to download from his website. What a nice fellow.

Also on the local artists – The Airfields have uploaded a new demo to their MySpace page, which should whet your appetite for their new 6-song EP which should hopefully be due out on Humblebee in early March, in time for their opening slot for The Wedding Present at Lee’s Palace on March 10. There’s also been some roster shifts in Airfields-land, with head Diablero Pete Carmichael taking over bass duties.

JAM! and The New York Times report on Nellie McKay’s rather non-amicable departure from Columbia Records.

The Ultimate Avengers animated film has a website, and with that website comes a trailer, and with that trailer comes… muted enthusiasm? The video is really too small to really make anything out, but I think it looks pretty cool. Hopefully the writing for the movie is better than the writing for the trailer… it’s out on DVD Feburary 21.

np – Cinerama / Va Va Voom