RADIANT DARLING'S ALBUM CRYPTOMNESIA IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR SALE THROUGH TENSEFORMS RECORDS (Unfortunately, Tense Forms is no more). However, you can still purchase the album through snocap on this site or you can send us a message to buy a hardcopy of the album (only a few copies left) plus you'll get a few free radiant darling bumper stickers for $10. LISTEN TO "TEARS" & "FAMILIAR" FROM THE ALBUM. Hanged by the cirucus in 1916, we're proud to dedicate "Cryptomnesia" to the memory of a marvelous and magnificent elephant named Mary. Read Mary's story at:
www.blueridgecountry.com/elephant/elephant.html------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEWS OF RADIANT DARLING'S NEW ALBUM: CRYPTOMNESIA-----------------
"Upon first listen, you get the feeling you’ve heard these songs before -- not in their present incarnations, sure, but they resonate somewhere. The exceptional thing is that while they sound familiar, they sound entirely new. If I were to choose one adjective to describe Cryptomnesia it would be haunting. And that’s just after listening to it. Delve into the lyrics and you get into some downright uncanny territoryIf you took Billie Holiday, added a little Lhasa, some Bjork, and a smattering of Tom Waits (just to taste), you’d have a vague idea of what Ami Saraiya’s voice sounds like. It’s full-bodied and playful, edgy and lithe; it roars and growls, belts and thrashes, and, every so often, purrs. It settles on no particular mood for more than a few seconds, continually rousing the ears with its contortionist capabilities"
Review by Kate Steele at Coke Machine Glow
(for full review www.cokemachineglow.com/reviews/radiant_crypto2005.html)
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"Ami Saraiya of Radiant Darling has one of those voices that gives you a bit of pause when you first hear it because it seems that so few vocalists truly have that special something that can turn heads on their ownThe gist of Cryptomnesia is that in nine minutes and just under forty minutes you get a couple torch songs, a couple foot stompers, and several genre-benders that all showcase a great little band with a unique and outstanding female singer"
Review by Almost Cool
(for full review go to www.almostcool.org/mr/1663/)
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"It's difficult not to compare Radiant Darling to The Arcade Fire, Bjork, or even Squirrel Nut zippers. There are two reasons for this: Ami Saraiya has a torch singer quality reminiscent of both Billie Holliday (in sound and attitude) and Nico (attitude only); and the music is mostly rickety, ethereal, Old World and acousticthe exotic South Asian trip-hop beats and Indian chanting on 'Versadh' are a nice touch, and Saraiya's voice really does grab the imagination." review by 75orless.com
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"Further proof that Chicago is the center of the musical universe, Radiant Darling blazes forth with an album that's one part gothic Americana (y'know, Trailer Bride), one part gypsy jazz (they even do a Django Reinhardt piece), one part art rock and, well, lots of other things thrown in.
It all makes for an invigorating blend that is impossible to turn off. These songs spin spells that can't be broken. Radiant Darling has created an alternate universe that is exceedingly enticing. I might, indeed, want to live here all the time, if I wasn't scared out of my mind at the prospect of doing so.
The minimalist production really helps here, leaving plenty of space between the mostly acoustic instruments and raucous percussion. I could be wrong, but it sounds like much of the music was recorded in one take. I hear a little bleedover between some of the instruments. If that's merely a studio trick (or unintended result) I'm just that much more impressed.
It's old. It's new. It's indescribably delicious. And I just can't say enough. "
review by Aiding & Abetting (www.aidabet.com)
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