It was early July 2010...with my 22nd birthday looming closer, my family began approaching me about gift ideas. I didn't want new jeans...and I didn't really need a new basketball! What I most wanted was enough iTunes gift card moola to purchase the entire 6 album discography of Damon & Naomi.
Damon & Naomi is a band that I had heard a bit about, and I had been meaning to check them out for the longest time:) The band is essentially a duo, comprised of Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang. Since 2000, Michio Kurihara, the guitarist of Japanese band Ghost, has made contributed to each Damon & Naomi album, and he is considered an important part of the band. Before my birthday, I started researching them and learning more...I read some of their album reviews, and listened to a few random songs. "Information Age" in particular, really captured my attention. After spending some time with that one song, I knew I had come across a special band, and that I had to hear more! When I unwraped the faithful iTunes money on my birthday, I instantly purchased their entire career discography on an impulse (and a bit of research!), and knew that I wouldn't be disappointed! I wasn't:) In fact, little did I know on that July 24th afternoon, but I had just begun my journey with one of my favourite bands of all time!
4 months later, I have now spent time with and absorbed all 6 Damon & Naomi albums, and have fallen in love with each of them for different reasons......I love debut "More Sad Hits" for its energy and spirit, sophomore album "The Wondrous World of Damon and Naomi" for its career high songwriting and folky overtones, 1998's "Playback Singers" for its intimacy and loose feel, "With Ghost" for its universality, and its ability to be a strong entrance point to the band's music.........2005's "The Earth Is Blue" remains my favourite Damon & Naomi album, because of its down-to-earth character, and its tranquility and peacefulness, and I have a specal place in my heart for 2007's "Within These Walls" for its meaningful, divine lyricism, and its directness-longevity dualistic nature....."Walls" is an album that really hits you instantly, and then continues to reveal itself in new ways with each future listen.
Damon & Naomi make music that is simultaneously captivating, innovative, affecting, experimental, accessible, emotional and creative. Each Damon & Naomi album manages to have its own unique characteristics, style, and persona, all the while sharing that "something-something factor that makes each record identifiable as a Damon & Naomi album. Damon & Naomi have ultimately created a body of work that transcends genre. So many bands now-a-days, are often described and categorized as "this band" or "this artist" meets "this band" or "this artist"...Damon & Naomi can't be categorized or described in this way, because they only sound like themselves (and not like any other!) :)
The time has come to introduce you to Damon & Naomi's music...Here's a link to a free mp3 the band chose to share from Damon and Naomi's official website: the song is called "The Mirror Phase" and it leads off the band's 2000 album "With Ghost:
The Mirror Phase (free mp3 download): http://damonandnaomi.com/mp3/themirrorphase.mp3
(Right Click---Save Target As)
(from http://www.damonandnaomi.com ---official Damon & Naomi website)
Let me know below, in the comment section, thoughts on this gorgeous, sublime track!! So, what are my plans with this space? And what are my goals here?
I want this blog to serve as a place where people can turn to, for updates about what's going on with the band. I also want to publish my own personal reviews of Damon & Naomi albums. Even more importantly, I want to create a an online community where current Damon & Naomi listeners can come together and bask in their love for the band! I would love to have some good Damon & Naomi discussions, about favourite albums, songs, and what their music means to others! With a new Damon & Naomi record currently in the works, and on track to be released in 2011, I also want to help Damon & Naomi reach new listeners:) I LOVE that Damon & Naomi make music first and foremost for their own creative expression (that's the sign of a true artist/musician). I've spoken with various musicians who I love, and I have been told that the best thing a fan can do for a band/musician and he or she loves, is to give other people a chance to fall in "like" or "love" with them too! That's a big part of what I want to accomplish with "The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi" blog:)
Damon & Naomi deserve to be heard, and with this blog, I want them to know that there are people out there that love their music, and appreciate their uniqueness, and musical artistic expression!!
Thanks for reading! Music is a universal language, and one that brings people together! More to come soon!
Nat
