RACHEL TAYLOR BROWN PRESS AND BIOGRAPHY

PRESS QUOTES FOR ORMOLU

"If singer-songwriter Rachel Taylor Brown's third release, "Ormolu," needed to be summed up in a single word, it would have to be "melancholic." But "pensive" could work well, too, as would "brooding," or to keep it simple, "sad." And "beautiful" would be apt as well.....And that's the difficult artistic trick Brown has pulled off with "Ormolu." She's managed to construct a quick listen that feels almost epic, an album that demands to be encountered and examined again and again." — The Oregonian

"'Ormolu' is only 23-1/2 minutes long and I guarantee that you will keep hitting the replay button on your CD player... over...and over... and over... Hell, I played it back to back five times in a row. This is a must have...will be in my TOP 10 list for album of the year. [WOT90s radio named 'Ormolu' Number Two Album of the Year 2006] " — WOT90s Radio

"'Upright Man' truly showcases Brown's voice and songwriting skills; the image she conjures of a man being trampled, almost peacefully, by a steady stream of foot traffic while repeating, 'I'm under you' and 'I'm a good man,' is desperately sad, but ultimately very human and empathetic. " — Willamette Week

"Delicate, contemplative and beautiful in its melancholy, Rachel Taylor Brown's music will wend its way into your soul, and there it will stay. A truly remarkable and unique talent worthy of your attention and further exploration. " — MastanMusic Hour

"Aimed at that mysterious vulnerable spot between your heart and stomach. " — The Oregonian

"Each precious piece of music deliciously served on its own, unique emotional platter. " — Apotheosis di Musica

"Her voice sounds pure and gorgeous; her songwriting and sparse, piano-based arrangements are classic. Ormolu (is) a collection of hauntingly beautiful, heartbreaking songs that illuminate what happens when love turns into something poisonous and people turn into something other than what we wanted." — The Portland Tribune

"Brown never loses the humanity of each of the characters she creates, in the same way that Breugel could record our follies while also expressing the love he felt for our silly species. As with her past releases, Brown exercises her considerable range as a vocalist, reminding us of her classical work and her ability to put that to use to create dark expressionist tonal worlds like the ones found on Ormolu. Think Randy Newman meets Stravinsky." — The Portland Alliance.

"Unlike anything else... incredible... a completely unique visionary." — Mississippi Studios

"...uncompromising in her writing, willing to imbue her songs with the artful attack of dissonance, storm and stress, and lyrics that will rip your heart out. Part madwoman in the attic, part pop-diva, Rachel is a crazy talent" — Cutthroat Pop Records

PRESS QUOTES FOR JONAH DAYS

"Brown's songs have been described as catchy alt-pop, but they're darker and subtler than that. Many of them have a twist that catches you by surprise... Dawning awareness that things aren't what they seem..." — The Oregonian

"... she has created an album of gravity and substance, haunting in its charm - memorable in the grandeur of its effortless simplicity. This album is to music what John Sayles' "The Secret of Roan Inish" is to film: an enduring folk tale, rich with timeless images. Inspired and original." — Two Louies Magazine

"Brown spins out strange, unsettling stories about fate, bad timing, grand disappointments, cosmic punishments and the blurred line between dream and waking. (She) doesn't make it easy, but she makes it well worthwhile. A few times through Jonah Days and you'll agree." — The Portland Alliance

BIO

Living near but not too close to her painfully morphing birthplace, Portland, with her beloved husband, Jay, Rachel makes sometimes disturbing yet ultimately sensible songs, mostly on the piano. She’s not a lover of summer.

She used to get out a lot more but worried frequently about going crazy, had a nervous breakdown and was a hermit for about 8 years, during which she wrote a lot. She writes a lot still.

Her music reflects a love/hate relationship with humanity and persistent awe at the beauty and horror in the world. Trying to capture that sweet and sour thing in a song is what she’s mostly trying to do.

Her most recent album, "Run Tiny Human," was released in late fall 2018 and was premiered on Popmatters. Run Tiny Human, Falimy, World So Sweet and Songs Without a Home (a little extra clump of previously unrecorded songs) and her previous four records, Susan Storm's Ugly Sister and Other Saints and Superheroes, Half Hours With the Lower Creatures, 7 Small Winter Songs, and Ormolu were all recorded in Portland, Oregon with audio midwife, Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Menomena, Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus).

In addition to her own music she's provided backup for a lot of Portland bands' recordings and projects (Leigh Marble, hurtbird, Fear of Heights, Scotland Barr, Holcombe Waller, Noah Hall, Jeremy Serwer, Vellarest, Pilar French, Steve Wilkinson). She's a soprano veteran of Portland classical groups Cappella Romana, Portland Baroque Orchestra and Trinity Consort, and Seattle's Tudor Choir.

She was interviewed recently by author Rick Moody for his column on The Rumpus, and featured/played on NPR, Fluxblog and in the unusual and critically praised music compendium by the late Scott Miller, "Music: What Happened?"

Rachel was born and raised in Portland, Oregon.

"Brown has a gift for channeling her inner demons into a mesmerizing world of sound" (Robin Hilton, NPR)

"Rachel Taylor Brown--another great unknown." (Bob Boilen, NPR)

"The brilliance of her music is that piano-based songwriting can often times be formulaic, trite and uninspiring, and what she has done for four consecutive albums is anything but. Her music is daring, fearless and chilling, and even sometimes catchy. A cerebral, free-thinking talent that isn't afraid to take chances and stir things up a bit. Somewhere, somehow John Lennon is smiling." (Gregory Robson, Absolute Punk)

"She is a visionary and a true artist" (Jordan Blum, Delusions of Adequacy)

"Unfaltering and brave" (Jedd Beaudoin, Popmatters)

"For those who like their music to challenge their ears, hearts and minds, Rachel Taylor Brown remains a seemingly inexhaustible resource." (Casey Jarman, Willamette Week)