colleen

For many reasons I don’t play many shows (I even made – then reversed – a decision to stop playing live altogether last year), and what this means is that playing live becomes even more loaded with significance and potential consequences. When you play a lot (by my standards, 30 shows a year qualifies as “a lot”, especially if you play outside of Europe, and is what I used to do back in the mid-2000s), you get into a groove from a technical point of view, and if a show doesn’t go particularly well, you just move on to the next show, or can remember the last show not so long ago that did go really well. But when you play just a handful of shows, you have to rehearse a lot more, and if it doesn’t go well, it can immediately bring to mind thoughts such as “Why do I even bother? So much work and the fatigue of travelling, for such an uncertain result?”. Thankfully, the reverse is also true, and both the London show @kingsplacelondon in March and the Madrid show last Sunday really made me feel like playing live is worth all the effort, both for the happy sonic moments that happen and that are different from studio work because of sheer volume and venue acoustics, and – of course – for the human connection. I am able to enjoy the latter aspect even more now that I finally – after almost 20 years of doing this on my own on 90% of shows! – got a Swiss-knife-type assistant: David @furvoice @mutabor_music acts as my roadie, tech assistant (helping me set up the gear, giving feedback during soundcheck, packing it all again after the show in a mad rush), merch person, all rolled into one. It has been a game changer and I am so grateful for your help David 🙏🙏🙏!
My deepest thanks to you the audience members ❤❤❤, @lacasaencendida for having me for the third time, Andrés Noarbe @discosrotor for inviting me twice, 📷 @lamarymanson “Implosion-Explosion”, @wesmaga “The Tunnel and the Clearing”, @galanpop “Gazing at Taurus – Santa Eulalia”, @marylamanson “Gazing at Taurus – Night Sky Rumba” and the new untitled song. As always, the sound from mobile phones on mobile phones is what it is, but headphones or an amp help! :-)

It’s Bandcamp Friday (my Bandcamp is here), and because I have a lot of albums, I decided to make a list of what’s available, since it can get very confusing (even for me). If you are relatively new to my music, I recommend the amazing Bandcamp Daily feature on my whole discography last year.
BIG REMINDER: MY BANDCAMP SHIPS FROM THE US ONLY. To have your record shipping from EUROPE, please buy from the THRILL JOCKEY SHOP (list below): Bandcamp is great, but even more money goes to the label and to the artist via label shops. 
There are a few digital rarities on my Bandcamp (I especially recommend the A Flame Variations EP, commissioned by Moog to mark the end of production of Moogerfoogers, back in 2018), but I’ll focus on physical format here.
A word on my 2000s output: due to the legal action I had to initiate to terminate my contract with The Leaf Label earlier than the planned term, there are now very few copies of those albums left, since there was an order for remaining stock to be destroyed. If you buy the few copies now being redistributed by Thrill Jockey, you know the money ends up in my pockets. Not so sure about the other copies still out there.
All cassettes released by @beacon_sound are now sold out.

BANDCAMP:
The Tunnel And The Clearing: gold V, CD
A Flame my Love, a Frequency: blue V, CD
Captain of None: black V, CD

Les Ondes Silencieuses: black gatefold V
Colleen et les Boîtes à Musique: black V
The Golden Morning Breaks: black V
Everyone Alive Wants Answers: black V

My least widely available album, released on @secondlanguagemusic back in 2013, is now distributed by @anostanost and ships from Germany:
The Weighing of the Heart: black gatefold V, booklet CD

THRILL JOCKEY SHOP – ships from the US *and* Germany (*NOT* THE UK) , except where stated:
The Tunnel: gold V, black V, CD
A Flame my Love: blue V; clear V only from Europe, CD
Captain of None: black V, CD
Les Ondes: black gatefold V
Colleen et les Boîtes: black V
The Golden Morning: black V
Everyone Alive: white V, black V

Also available today is the last collab I accepted back in 2014 (if I remember well) and which has only been released now as part of The Home Current’s The Singles 2015-2019 compilation on Woodford Halse. The Home Current is my dear friend Martin Jensen who co-ran the label Second Language at the time of release of The Weighing of the Heart and also introduced me to birdwatching (he worked for BirdLife International and at Rainham Marshes at the time), which changed my life. I’m on kalimba into MF-104M Analog Delay duties on this one!

As always, massive thanks for your support 🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤