Tag: The Expanding Flower Planet

ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Deradoorian

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In an industry where countless musicians toil night and day to develop a specific sound, that thing that will set them apart from the pack and place them in a category all their own floats up Angel Deradoorian, the self-identified lepidopteran vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumental artist.

Deradoorian, as she’s mononymously known, was a longtime member of the indie-rock cult darlings Dirty Projectors. And her vocals have such a unique quality that immediately evoke the ethereal memory of that infamous project. Only here on her debut solo LP, The Expanding Flower Planet, there is an intimacy breathed into the tracks that promises sincerity, genuine hope and connection. Deradoorian has poured herself into the album in such a way that her being is indistinguishable from the music. Listening to the album all the way through is an exciting and spiritually-laced journey you take with her guiding you down the path of her creation.

We reviewed her debut album at length earlier this week, and on the heels of it’s release I caught up with her to pick her brain on a bit about her story in music.

AF: What prompted your move to a solo project?

D: I’ve had a solo project since I was about 17 years old, but didn’t deeply focus on it. It was either doing another album cycle with Dirty Projectors or hunkering down to work on my own stuff. The timing seemed right for me to take a break from the band to explore my own work.

AF: What experiences in your career to date are you bringing to The Expanding Flower Planet?

D: All my musical experience since childhood.

AF: Where else did you draw inspiration for the album?

D: I draw inspiration from everywhere. Visual art, nature, music, my friends.

AF: Can you describe a bit your process in the creation and evolution of a song.

D: Each song is created in its own way. Written on different instruments and pieced together, some are written on just one instrument.

AF: Does the album read as one compelling piece or is it a series of vignettes?

D: I’d see it more as vignettes, but with a thread binding them together.

AF: What aspect of the album release are you most excited for?

D: For the music to be public and to be heard.

AF: How would you define the music mood of the moment?

D: I live in Los Angeles right now. The mood of music seems pretty broad to me right now. I feel there is a lot of crossover in genres and between independent and major sounding music. Seems like a time of fusion.

AF: Are there any other projects that you are really digging right now?

D: I’ve been enjoying the Badbadnotgood/Ghostface album.

AF: What’s your current jam?

D: Allen Toussaint, “From A Whisper To A Scream”.

AF: What else can we expect from you in the months to come?

D: Tour tour tour.

https://soundcloud.com/anticon/deradoorian-komodo

 

Deradoorian Tour Dates

Aug 28 – Queens, NY – Trans Pecos (Record Release Show)

Sep 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right #

Sep 12 – Richmond, VA – The Camel #

Sep 13 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room #

Sep 14 – Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn #

Sep 15 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder #

Sep 17 – Austin, TX – Holy Mountain #

Sep 18 – Dallas, TX – Three Links #

Sep 20 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister #

Sep 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom #%

Sep 22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo #

Sep 23 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall #

Sep 25 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge #

Sep 26 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project #

Sep 29 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse #

Sep 30 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s #

Oct 01 – Detroit, MI – Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit #

Oct 03 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s #

 

# with Laetitia Sadier

% with Destroyer

 

ALBUM REVIEW: Deradoorian “The Expanding Flower Planet”

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Angel Deradoorian is a former member of the Dirty Projectors. As one of the band’s vocalists, she contributed to many of their trademark harmonies and long, sustained cries that used the singers’ voices more like an instrument than just a way to deliver words. Some of that sound creeps into her solo album The Expanding Flower Planet, but for the most part, Deradoorian chooses a bold, new direction.

The album, which will be released on August 21 via Anticon, appeals to my San Francisco roots: it’s filled with vibes that convey peace, love, and more than a hint of psychedelic drugs. Deradoorian’s voice ranges from serious and mystical to singsongy, like a butterfly that lands on your hand only to flit away suddenly, flying this way and that through the air. On tracks like “The Invisible Man,” the Middle Eastern inflections in her singing  are perfectly mixed with echoes of her voice, low sustained tones, and rock drums. On other songs, however, the percussion seemed overwhelming yet too simple, even childish under the range and layers of her voice.

The Expanding Flower Planet is trance-inducing, but with it’s many, many percussive parts, vocal lines, and a constant stream of lyrics, it’s too busy for passive listening. The best song comes first with “Beautiful Woman,” which recalls Deradoorian’s work with the Dirty Projectors but repackages the sound in shiny, polished pop. Other noteworthy tracks include “Darklord,” which features a trilling surf guitar, the monk-like chanting of “Ouenya,” and the high-energy track “The Eye.” “Komodo,” a song about running from the deadly lizard with a fatal bite, was also enjoyable for its playfulness. 

The Expanding Flower Planet is a fun trip through someone else’s mind, someone who may be in another universe entirely. It’s a great listen if you need to completely change your frame of mind. And, on some distant flower planet, aliens are probably dancing to it somewhere.