On ‘Dark Touches’, Sean Tillmann – the singer, songwriter, and producer behind the Har Mar moniker – delivers his most club-friendly collection of jams yet. Tillmann’s silky smooth croon and tongue-in-cheek lyrics lead a nonstop dance party that blends everything from synth-pop to R&B, with ample hooks around every corner.

‘Dark Touches’ builds a bridge between the worlds of indie and top 40 dance music, thanks in part to an eclectic group of collaborators.

The albums many guests include John Fields (Andrew WK, Jonas Brothers, Rooney), The Faint’s beatmakers Clark Baechle and Jacob Thiele, singer-songwriter Adam Green, P.O.S. of the Rhymesayers collective, Neon Neon’s Boom Bip, Flowers of Doom, and Samaire Armstrong.

The Bird and The Bee’s Greg Kurstin, who has also produced tracks for Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, and Lily Allen, co-wrote and lent his studio wizardry to “Tall Boy.” The track was originally intended for Britney Spears and, with the unchanged lyrics, takes on a vibrant new life in the hands of Har Mar.

Download “Tall Boy” MP3

Of course no Har Mar song is complete without Tillmann’s signature lyrics, which are both outrageously absurd and witty. “I Got Next,” which features The Bird and The Bee’s Inara George, details Tillmann’s practice of asking women to sign contracts that put him next in line to date if they ever leave their current boyfriend. He’s also penned an anthem for the ladies with “Girls Night,” a track that was once intended for The Cheetah Girls, and like “Tall Boy,” maintains the original lyrics, written from a female perspective.

Buy Music:

Har Mar Superstar on amazon.com

Har Mar Superstar on amazon.co.uk

Tillmann is also getting ready to dip his toes into the world of Hollywood with the release of Whip It, a film directed by Drew Barrymore that he appears in alongside Juno’s Ellen Page and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat.

As if he isn’t wearing enough hats already, Tillmann is also developing his own movie scripts and sitcom pilots.

Along with his golden pipes, the ability to juggle multiple creative outlets is sure to win him entry into both the hearts and undergarments of women and men everywhere.

Har Mar Superstar
Dark Touches
October 13, 2009; Dilettante Recordings

Har Mar Superstar MySpace
Har Mar Superstar Official Website

Eleni Mandell is a supremely talented and critically acclaimed songwriter with a singular gift for writing wry, literate songs that synthesize jazz, country, folk, blues, rock and pop.

‘Artificial Fire’ builds on her 2007 breakthrough, ‘Miracle of Five’, adding a more direct, full-band sound to Mandell’s sharp-edged tales of romance, lust and love.

Watch “Artificial Fire” video:

Eleni Mandell on amazon.com

Eleni Mandell on amazon.co.uk

‘Miracle Of Five’ ended up on a slew of critics “Best of 2007″ lists, including Paste, Harp, ABC News and the Los Angeles Times.

LA CityBeat described Mandell’s music as “a kind of pop-out-of-time, often dark yet somehow comforting, and as unforgettable as a warm winter day.” In an “A-” review of ‘Miracle Of Five,’ Entertainment Weekly said Mandell’s lyrics explore “the elusive promise of romance with wry wit and moony wistfulness.”

Download “Artificial Fire” MP3

The New Yorker says “Mandell was weaned on artists like Tom Waits and X, and her dark and sexy songs have been compared to those of everyone from Chan Marshall to Patsy Cline. She has a sometimes smoky, sometimes wistful delivery, and, more often than not, her songs take on love from some new perspective.”

Based in Los Angeles, Mandell is a leading light in the city’s Silver Lake music scene, and is part of The Living Sisters, a local “supergroup” also featuring Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) and Inara George (The Bird and the Bee).

All the songs on ‘Artificial Fire’ were written by Mandell, and arranged, recorded and produced with her longtime band (Drake on guitar, Ryan Feves on bass and Kevin Fitzgerald on drums.), allowing the group’s cohesiveness and musical acumen to shape the tracks while Mandell’s articulate lyrics hold centerstage.

Guests include DJ Bonebrake (X, The Knitters), fellow Living Sister Inara George, and Silver Lake music scene regulars Jason Borger, Danny T. Levin and Charlie Wadhams.

The album was produced by Mandell, Drake, Feves, Fitzgerald and Dave Trumfio.

Eleni Mandell will be performing live in Los Angeles Feb 2009, and will tour in March.

Don’t miss her live show!

‘Artificial Fire’ is released February 17th.

February/March 2009 US tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

2/19: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo – Los Angeles CD RELEASE SHOW!
2/21: San Diego, CA @ Casbah
3/05: New York, NY @ Joe’s Pub
3/06: Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
3/08: Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s Place
3/09: Philadelphia, PA @ Tin Angel
3/19: San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord
3/21: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
3/22: Seattle, WA @ Triple Door
3/26: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
3/27: Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Centre
3/28: Kansas City, MO @ Davey’s Uptown
3/30: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive

Eleni Mandell Official Website
Eleni Mandell MySpace

Following her critically-acclaimed previous album, Mandy Moore returns with the highly anticipated, ‘Amanda Leigh’ – to be released May 26, 2009 on Storefront Recordings – a new partnership with RED Music.

Mandy Moore on amazon.com

Mandy Moore on amazon.co.uk

Primarily co-written by Moore and Mike Viola, ‘Amanda Leigh’ was recorded at engineer Ducky Carlisle’s modest basement studio in his home outside of Boston and features an impressive and eclectic collection of vintage equipment utilized throughout the album.

Sharing many of the same musical influences of artists such as Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, CSNY and Nilsson, among many others, Moore and Viola set out to create a compelling body of work, in which the instrumentation mirrors so much of what inspired and guided the duo from the onset.

The resulting collaboration, ‘Amanda Leigh’ (Moore’s given name), is a collection of personal reflections and insights about life and love as evidenced in songs such as “Nothing Everything,” “Song About Home,” and “Love to Love Me Back” – the latter also written with Inara George of The Bird and the Bee.

Experimentation was also prevalent and encouraged throughout the writing/recording process, as exemplified in the rather tongue-in-cheek, “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week” – originally a very alt-country sounding demo that quickly took on a new life with the addition of the clavinet, while “Everblue,” co-written with Lori McKenna, simarily transformed with the inclusion of the Farfisa and Wurlitzer.

Moore, intent to tour in support of ‘Amanda Leigh’, the debut release from Storefront Recordings, a new endeavor between Moore’s long-time manager, Jon Leshay and RED Distribution, adds, “I’m connected to these songs and how they came to fruition in a way I’ve never been able to articulate before. The entire experience was one that I will undoubtedly replicate.”

Mandy Moore Official Website

Mandy Moore MySpace

the bird and the bee, the irrepressible L.A. duo made up of singer Inara George and keyboardist/producer Greg Kurstin, will be premiering the video for “Love Letter to Japan” – the lead single from their forthcoming album ‘Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future’ – Friday, December 19, 2008 on MySpace.

the bird and the bee on amazon.com

the bird and the bee on amazon.co.uk

The video was directed by Barney Clay who has worked with Gnarls Barkley, Dirty Pretty Things, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Zero 7, and Bonde Do Role.

The single for “Love Letter to Japan” was also released on iTunes on December 9. ‘Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future’ will be released by Blue Note Records on January 27, 2009.

‘Tis the time of year, so in the spirit of giving the bird and the bee are also offering a free holiday song to their fans. “12 Days of Christmas” is currently available as a free MP3 download through their website: www.thebirdandthebee.com.

The song will also be KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune” on December 25, 2008, and will be streamed all day on www.kcrw.org.

2008 was another eventful year for the bird and the bee. The duo’s cover version of The Bee Gee’s “How Deep Is Your Love?” appeared in Sex and the City: The Movie, they made their debut at L.A.’s much buzzed about Coachella festival, and they released Live at the Sands, an exclusive live EP for iTunes.

Inara and Greg also kept busy with side projects; Inara released ‘An Invitation’ – her second solo album and a collaboration with legendary composer and arranger Van Dyke Parks – to wide acclaim, while Greg produced the entirety of singer Lily Allen’s upcoming album ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You’.

The band is looking forward to an exciting 2009 with the release of the full-length follow-up to their self-titled debut. ‘Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future’ is definitely new sonic terrain for the bird and the bee. Every bit as beguiling as their debut, the album retains its predecessor’s lithe melodies and Brazilian influences, but takes its stylish ’60s pop deeper into the psychedelic period of the Tropicalia era.

The band will be announcing their 2009 touring plans in the New Year.

the bird and the bee MySpace
Facebook

the bird and the bee Official Website

the bird and the bee announces digital-only release of their new Valentine’s Day EP ‘One Too Many Hearts’.

The past year has been an eventful one for the bird and the bee, the Los Angeles band made up of singer Inara George and multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Kurstin. The Los Angeles Times named them one of “10 Bands on the Horizon for 2007″ and their self-titled debut, a deliciously subversive indie-pop album, was released in January to rave reviews. The New Yorker called it “a sure delight” and Rolling Stone described their distinct sound as “audible sunshine.” Their music could be heard on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, and they toured throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, both as a headliner and opening band for such artists as Lily Allen, Sia and Rilo Kiley.

Always enchanting, the bird and the bee are now releasing the ‘One Too Many Hearts’ EP just in time for Valentine’s Day! The four-song EP includes three new songs by the duo: “Birthday”, “The Last Day Of Our Lives”, which Inara George describes as “kind of a flower child-funk/Serge Gainsbourg-thing”, and “Come As You Were”.

The EP’s closer, “Tonight You Belong to Me” is a duet sung by George and Gus Seyffert (a multi-instrumentalist who has toured with the band playing guitar and autoharp). The song was originally written in 1926 and was most famously made a Country hit by Dottie West in 1977 and later performed as a duet by Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin in the 1979 film The Jerk.

the bird and the bee – ‘One Too Many Hearts’ EP
(Released February 12, 2008; Metro Blue/Blue Note Records)

Have a listen to the first track on the ‘One Too Many Hearts’ EP, “Birthday” via the streams below:

QuickTime

Windows Media

Real Player

Also, if you haven’t already seen the video for “Polite Dance Song,” a single off of the bird and the bee’s EP ‘Please Clap Your Hands’, you can take a look at the link below. In this cute video, the duo’s quirky, sweet and old-fashioned charm is stylistically portrayed through outrageous costumes and extreme dance moves by director Eric Wareheim, creator and director for Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.

Watch “Polite Dance Song” video:

For more information about the ‘Please Clap Your Hands’ EP, check out the e-card

the bird and the bee on Myspace
the bird and the bee Official Website