Posted on: July 31, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Bright Archer’s Hidden Systems is now on Bear Island Records and American Typewriter Records is releasing it on vinyl this fall in Europe. The album, crafted by Portland’s Johanna Kunin along with a host of other musicians, centers on Kunin’s lush voice and piano; a chorus of orchestral instruments, vibraphone and playful keyboard sounds allow each of the new songs to take on ornate lives of their own. The resulting music is rife with surreal atmospheres, melodic vocal lines and rhythmic piano backdrops. Lyrically, songs proceed in a wide-eyed, dreamlike fashion with the subject matter drawing portraits of the ephemeral, the ambiguous, and the fragile. The lead single of the same name as the album is available to download and share with your readership here: “Hidden Systems”

For interviews, promo copies of the record, guest list or anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask!

Early Press:
“Bright Archer’s dizzying new LP Hidden Systems harkens back to Mitchell’s untouchable 1969-75 run (Clouds through The Hissing of Summer Lawns), but sans the vintage nostalgia of that fabled era. Kunin’s earnest vocals and simple yet subtly elaborate song structure portray an artist at her creative peak.” Portland Mercury

“Johanna creates vignettes from her piano and her beautifully trained breathy voice, all the more visceral for its seemingly simple construction.” The Owl Mag

“There is a definite original quality in Kunin’s lyrics that is among the most alluring aspects of Hidden Systems, as she wields her ambiguous words with devastating effect.” Stereo Subversion

“Trained in opera as a child, jazz in college, a current member of a number of bands around her hometown of Portland and finally taking her talents solo, Johanna Kunin has arrived breathy folk in tact.” RCRD LBL

“Hidden Systems refuses easy, emotionally exploitative chord progressions for something a bit more ambiguous and challenging—a testament to both Kunin’s songwriting and Norwood’s studio prowess.” Willamette Week

Tour Dates:
08.19.11 – Seattle, WA @ Fremont Abbey for Songs About Books
08.20.11 – Davis, CA @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen
08.21.11 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern
08.22.11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot
08.24.11 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush
08.27.11 – Denver, CO @ The Meadowlark
08.28.11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
08.29.11 – Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
08.30.11 – Seattle, WA @ Comet Tavern

Bright Archer’s music is as hypnotic as snow falling on water. Sounding at once vast and muted, the music centers on the voice and ornate piano playing of Johanna Kunin. Growing up in Minneapolis, Kunin grew attached to piano playing at an early age. Childhood afternoons spent poring over field guides and summers whiled away exploring the Boundary Waters also cultivated an early fascination with the natural world and her place in it. But instead of becoming a naturalist, Kunin gravitated toward music, singing with the Minnesota Opera Company as a child and getting a jazz education during her college years in Seattle. She was in her twenties by the time she discovered songwriting, a medium through which she could combine her interest in the natural world with music. After her first couple demos earned her a grant, Kunin met Tucker Martine who went on to produce her first full-length album, Clouds Electric (released in 2006).

The making of her second album, Hidden Systems, marked a turning point for Kunin. Quickly immersing herself in the rich musical community of Portland, OR – which she would eventually join – and at the production helm for the first time, she chose a new musical moniker, Bright Archer, to better reflect her music’s evolving sound. On a series of winter weekends, Kunin co-produced the album with Skyler Norwood at his studio outside Portland and found 70s-rock inspiration on the radio dial while commuting from Seattle. Kunin and Norwood fashioned arrangements in the studio, borrowing a french horn player here and a bass player there from the bevy of bands Kunin plays in (Loch Lomond, AgesandAges, Velella Velella). Though all songs still center on Kunin’s lush voice and piano; a chorus of orchestral instruments, vibraphone and playful keyboard sounds allow each of the new songs to take on ornate lives of their own. The resulting music is rife with surreal atmospheres, melodic vocal lines and rhythmic piano backdrops. Lyrically, songs proceed in a wide-eyed, dreamlike fashion with the subject matter drawing portraits of the ephemeral, the ambiguous, and the fragile. Bright Archer will capture your imagination and remind you what it’s like to look at the world with eyes anew.

Hidden Systems is out on July 5th, 2011 from Bear Island Records!

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