Pale Jay - Bewilderment

Bewilderment - the feeling of being perplexed and confused - is the inspiration behind Pale Jay's new album. It's a soulful exploration of a family's gradual disintegration due to years of avoidance and miscommunication. During this difficult time, Pale Jay began to question the stories he had always lived with and re-examined his identity. The resulting work, Bewilderment, is his first full-length album, which strives to find answers to these questions and more. The album is set to release on 8/18/2023 on Karma Chief Records, a subsidiary of Colemine.

Pale Jay is a trained jazz vocalist and pianist, and he wrote, recorded, and produced all songs on the album, except for 'By The Lake', which is a collaboration with labelmates Okonski - Steve Okonski, Aaron Frazer, and Michael Montgomery. Pale Jay's music is influenced by a wide range of songwriters, including Labi Siffre, Carole King, and William Onyeabor. 'Bewilderment' is a seamless blend of Pale Jay’s trademark dusty soul, slow disco, and Afrobeat, with string arrangements by Raven Bush adding an extra layer of magic to the beat-heavy productions.

Preface: the platform

In the early stages of recording, Pale Jay met Terry Cole, the owner of Colemine and Karma Chief Records, and the two decided to work together on Pale Jay's first full-length LP. Inspired by this connection, Pale Jay wrote the song 'Preface', which expresses his gratitude for finding a platform for his music.

In Your Corner: the antagonist

At its core, the Afrobeat inspired song is a conversation with the self. An uplifting tune at first glance, the lyrics lay bare the internal struggle for self-acceptance. The song explores the push and pull between self-love and self-judgement that can often leave us feeling lost and uncertain.

My Dirty Desire: the introvert

Another standout track on the album is a warbling slow-disco tribute to the introvert. Pale Jay acknowledges that society rewards extroverts, but he embraces his introverted nature and the benefits of solitude.

Pale Jay's debut LP is a captivating journey of self-discovery. Each song on Bewilderment tells a unique story, but they all share a common theme of personal growth and self-understanding. Grab a copy on 8/18/2023 to dive in and experience the new album. 

Tracklist:
1. Preface
2. In Your Corner
3. Dreaming In Slow Motion
4. By The Lake (feat. OkoNski)
5. Bewilderment
6. My Dirty Desire
7. Vladimir
8. Don't Forget That I Love You

OkoŃski - Magnolia

The studio at 122 West Loveland Avenue was not an unfamiliar space for Steve Okonski, the leader of his eponymous trio Okonski. Ever since the Colemine label set up shop in Loveland, Ohio it has been a host to a number of groups passing through town, including Durand Jones and the Indications who all of this trio’s members have connections to. After setting aside some time in winter of 2020, Okonski, trained initially as a classical pianist, invited Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery and Aaron Frazer to work on an album that was initially planned to be beat driven and fully composed trio instrumentals.

After finishing this first session with some improvisations, a second week was booked in the summer of 2021 to try and capture some more of that spontaneous energy. During this session, the tracks were all improvised and recorded live to a Tascam 388 during several late nights at the Colemine HQ. They were structured to allow the group’s collective intuition to fully shape the melodies and arcs of the music.

The album opens with Runner Up, where a triumphant yet melancholic melody in the piano leads to a more reserved B-section driven by the drums and bass of Frazer and Montgomery. As you journey through the remainder of the album you are met with a plethora of evoked and explored emotions. The calmness one has walking down a moonlit street after midnight, the connection one has for a person who comes into their world for just a moment or a lifetime, and the nerves and catharsis one feels when starting upon a new, unknown journey.

Magnolia closes with Sunday, a track that was recorded late into the night at the close of their first recording session. Without the spontaneity of Sunday, the remainder of Magnolia would likely have never come to fruition.

Magnolia was composed from the heart and from the spirit of those in the studio those late nights in Loveland. It is the culmination of an emotional and artistic release that was not afforded or recognized before the band sat at their instruments, and because of that it is introspective, meditative, spiritual, and new.

Tracklist:
1. Runner Up
2. Field Museum
3. Old Friend
4. Dark Moon
5. Song For My Sister's Son
6. Walking To A Home
7. Sunday

The Freedom Affair - Freedom Is Love

The Freedom Affair are proud to present “Freedom Is Love Instrumentals” as a follow-up to the 2020 debut album of the same title. Ranging from driving funk, to luscious soul, with a tinge of gospel, listeners are now able to explore the complex accompaniment that backed the powerhouse trio of ladies featured on the original album. “Freedom Is Love” was recorded and produced by Chris Hazelton, utilizing the best of vintage and new recording technologies to create an authentic experience, befitting of a soul record that would have been relevant 50 years ago as much as it will be 50 years from now. The Freedom Affair’s debut single “Rise Up” was released by Loveland, Ohio’s Colemine Records in June 2019 and has appeared in Netflix’s “Self Made” as well as the worldwide spot for Apple’s iWatch Series 6.

Tracklist:
1. Heartaches Don't Come Easy (Instrumental)
2. Make Me Surrender (Instrumental)
3. Outta My Mind (Instrumental)
4. I Know Better (Instrumental)
5. Move On (Instrumental)
6. Rise Up (Instrumental)
7. Don't Shoot (Instrumental)
8. Give A Little Love (Instrumental)
9. One Nation (Instrumental)
10. Love Liberates (Instrumental)