This still seems like an odd pairing, but there’s never a problem with watching Scarlett do her thing regardless of her musical talent:
Scarlett Johansson is really making a go of this music career I guess… This collaboration with Pete Yorn is a bit more understandable compared to her odd Tom Waits cover album of a few years ago.
LOS ANGELES — In 2006, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Pete Yorn contacted actress and Atco recording artist Scarlett Johansson with the idea to record a duets album in the spirit of Serge Gainsbourg’s 1960s recordings with Brigitte Bardot. “I was having a strange week of insomnia and when I finally passed out, it came to me in a dream,” says Yorn. “I woke up and the whole thing was in my head, fully formed.” Johansson was intrigued by Yorn’s out-of-the-blue invitation. “It sounded like an interesting little adventure,” she explains. “The idea of two people vocalizing their relationship through duets.”
Check out the first single here
BREAK UP includes eight original compositions by Yorn, ranging in tone from the lilting opener “Relator” to the disarming, retro/futuristic “I Don’t Know What to Do” to the climactic “Someday.” Completing the collection is a powerful interpretation of the art-rock classic “I Am The Cosmos” by the late Chris Bell, co-founder of quintessential cult band Big Star. Produced by Sunny Levine, with Yorn and Max Goldblatt as executive producers, the album features contributions from guitarist Robert Francis; bassist Giuseppe Patane; and violinist Amir Yaghmai, with Goldblatt on banjo, synth bass and backing vocals, and Levine handling programming and mixing.
Predating Johansson’s debut album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, by nearly two years; BREAK UP was conceived and recorded in 2006, in Levine’s garage studio. “I always thought of it as just a small project between friends,” explains Johansson. “I’ve loved the album ever since I heard it completed. It perfectly captured where I was in my life at the time.” Yorn was as protective of BREAK UP as a father of his daughter, playing it for no one until last year. When those close to him finally heard BREAK UP, the overwhelming response convinced Yorn that it was simply too strong a work to remain under lock and key.
BREAK UP
Track Listing
1. Relator
2. Wear And Tear
3. I Don’t Know What To Do
4. Search Your Heart
5. Blackie’s Dead
6. I Am The Cosmos
7. Shampoo
8. Clean
9. Someday
MySpace Page:
Ben Jelen will be touring with Pete Yorn this summer in support of his new album Ex-Sensitive. The release will be available in stores on July 17 th through Linda Perry’s Custard label. Ben will kick off his new CD and tour with a record release party at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on July 16th and an in-store performance on July 17th at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square.
Los Angeles, CA — Ben Jelen will kick off his new CD and tour with a record release party headlining the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on July 16 th and in-store performance to follow on July 17th at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Jelen will then set out on tour with Pete Yorn on his East Coast tour starting in St. Louis on July 21st. See all confirmed tour dates below.
Ben Jelen’s sophomore CD ex-sensitive will be available in stores on July 17th through Linda Perry’s Custard label. Jelen is the first artist release for 2007 from Custard, home to multi-platinum selling “You’re Beautiful” singer James Blunt. Jelen recorded the tracks for the album with producer/label head Linda Perry whom also mixed the majority of the songs in addition to two mixes from famed producer Bill Bottrell (Shelby Lynne, Tom Petty, Rosanne Cash, Elton John).
Jelen, whose first album was released in 2004 ( Give It All Away, Maverick Records), sought Perry’s éclat as an artistic luminary to produce his second album. When first meeting with Ben at her studio, Linda found him as that ever-rarer gem in today’s music landscape: a unique artist who is best served when serving only to his art. “Lyrically and melodically, Ben’s perspective is creative, visual and beautifully stated,” says Perry. Production soon began to capture Ben’s vision with an organic, classic approach. Upon recognizing their achievement during the production, Perry made the decision to release the CD through her own Custard label.
Jelen’s latest CD speaks of his growth as an artist, songwriter and human being. “I feel like I have lived a bit more, I know who I am right now and I feel we captured that on the album,” he says. Jelen has long dedicated a significant portion of his time to working with organizations and charities (United Nations, Natural Resources Defense Council, Live For Darfur, Amnesty International, Rock The Vote, among others) that he feels are affecting change in a positive and meaningful way, a common theme throughout ex-sensitive. Jelen’s career has given him the opportunity to work closely with such organizations and as a result, Jelen has developed a strong ethos for using his voice not only to express himself, but also to speak out on behalf of others.
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