I know, I know, it sounds inconceivable!! But could it be true? We got a lovely and personable email from one Kris Ellestad, a Canadian from the prairies of good ol’ Calgary (S man, where you at?)
Ellestad is a special treat for all of us, because well, he is into this whole digital age mp3 download thing that spurs artists to fame, and he really gets it:
I’ve been writing and recording songs for about 8 years now, though I wouldn’t say I began to write songs I enjoyed playing until about three or four years ago. During that time I put together short ‘albums’ of material from distinct periods in my life, including some live shows, and shared them with family and friends. Some of these I liked more than others, and they ended up on a single-page website I made, all for free download.
In case you misread that last sentence, I’ll repeat a part of it. “…and they ended up on a single-page website I made, all for free download.” Yeah, he’s hip.
But the thing is, we obviously wouldn’t discuss an artist who simply has free music up unless we actually liked the music. Crazy notion right? Ellestad’s music is simple yet beautiful. With a very earthy sound, Ellestad meshes overriding strings and percussion with a mix of what sounds like bells and flutes, depending which track you choose. His voice is eerily reminiscent of Zach Condon’s and the music is lo-fi all the way to its core. The material that I’m sharing with you here is sort of the new direction Ellestad is taking with his music - that direction being a good one. After such a ringing endorsement, how can you not take these tunes for a test run?
Kris Ellestad - “The Secret” [MP3]
Kris Ellestad - “November Steppes” [MP3]
Pick up the other 64 tracks for free download here. Thank you Kris Ellestad.
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