Kid and parent friendly indie-pop Elska - 'Middle Of Nowhere' debut album

Mastered by Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Feist)

Produced by Allen Farmelo (The Cinematic Orchestra, Talk Normal)

Forthcoming videos from:
Alex Funke (The Lord of the Rings)
Andy Biddle (Wallace & Gromit, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Carsten Lehmann (Sigur Ros, Pet Shop Boys)

The brainchild of singer/actress Shelley Wollert and producer Allen Farmelo, Elska's Middle Of Nowhere (out September 4th on Winter Bear Records) is a whimsical, kid-and-parent friendly indie-pop project that artfully chisels out a middle-earth between Björk and Dr. Seuss while referencing the otherworldly illustrations of Maurice Sendak, the off-kilter movies of Michel Gondry, and the exquisite atmospherics of Sigur Rós.

"It's all about wonder, imagination, and beauty," explains Wollert, who inhabits the fictional character.

Elska (whose honey-sweet moniker means "to love" in Icelandic) is a free-spirited adventurist who discovers an Arctic island and befriends the kooky creatures populating it.

Song by song, this album transports the listener onto Elska's fictional isle with a sparkling modern pop soundscape populated with hand-made micro-beats, percolating synthesizers and Elska's dreamy, heartfelt vocals.

Many of the indie-pop songs - "Don't Make Fun of the Goobler," "Click Click," "Winter Bear" - are infectious chants underscored by sparse, but twinkling, synths thanks to Farmelo, whose credits include The Cinematic Orchestra and Talk Normal.

This project has charmed even the most celebrated professionals: Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Feist) provided mastering, while Oscar-winning visual-effects cinematographer Alex Funke (The Lord of the Rings), stop motion animator Andy Biddle (Wallace & Gromit, Fantastic Mr. Fox) and cinematographer Carsten Lehmann (Sigur Ros, Pet Shop Boys) are working on Elska videos, mingling live action with magical realism to bring this otherworldly universe to life.

Notes Wollert: "While people like fabric artists are getting involved [in the costuming], and there's an illustrative component-the project is very high technology at the same time." Even the live show will be a stimulating, multimedia affair.

"Crazy awesome electronic underworld faerie tunes for the whole family." - Mike Jorgensen, Wilco

Elska "Middle Of Nowhere" Tracklist:

I Just Had An Idea
Winter Bear
Don't Make Fun Of The Goobler
Arctic Fox
The Land Of Lost Socks
Click Click
Man-Made Hole
In The Middle Of Nowhere
Hiddi Hiddi
Midnight Sun In The Arctic
The Elska Express
Frozen In Time

Elska Official Website