more from
Youngbloods
We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Cleansing

by Annabel (lee)

supported by
boxes-with-knobs
boxes-with-knobs thumbnail
boxes-with-knobs Such a pleasant dream to awake to, loved Paris, Room 14 (live version) with it's cool, crisp autumnal ambiance.
Favorite track: Paris, Room 14.
Sky Wonders
Sky Wonders thumbnail
Sky Wonders WOW. that's all I can say! Probably one of the best alums I've ever heard!
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 thumbnail
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 No difficult second album syndrome for Annabel (lee). This record is every bit as good as their debut. Richard E ad Shelia Ellis continue to push boundaries mixing up Bossa Nova, jazz, folk and sample based soundscapes all with a gothic undertone. Quite lovely.
Philip Graham
Philip Graham thumbnail
Philip Graham The first Annabel (lee) was a masterpiece, one of my best-loved albums. Now Richard and Sheila Ellis have created another jewel: music that seems to reside in multiple time periods at once, with haunting atmospherics that often swing. Favorite track: Paris, Room 14.
more...
/
  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    LIMITED EDITION OF 300

    140 gram black opaque 12" vinyl in black inner sleeve in extra soft reverse-board jacket featuring custom, full color, photographs taken by Sheila Ellis. Inside, a full color insert with written lyrics, and digital download card.

    + DIGITAL DOWNLOAD



    Includes unlimited streaming of The Cleansing via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 6 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $18 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD  or more

     

1.
Acquiescence 03:46
Was the strangest sound, coming from the current A subtle whispering over waves, as I heard it, coming closer Approaching the shore with the aid of the wind it seemed to willingly travel in my direction But I would not surrender, not give in As the whisper took form, a voice, neither woman nor man, spoke only to me while the seagulls watched helplessly, restlessly And I attempted to turn away Ignore the call I’d say to anyone who’d listen But the voice was calling ME I was the chosen one And so, not obliged, the sand and the moon and the creatures of the sea just me, just me…Annabel (lee) And I surrendered, yes for I had no choice…the air was cold and I needed shelter A haven from the bitter world I could not suffer in this world Who wants to suffer in this world? So that strange sound was not a stranger at all but the voice of a friend helping another in need and I took heed and followed close behind as it returned towards the current And when slumber approached, I was finally laid to rest on the ocean’s floor and I slept ever so peacefully (Goodnight, goodnight, Edgar…)
2.
Move With Me 05:15
I think you’ve known for years I tasted too much salt Acoustics still unclear from songs that I was taught Wish you could have told that girl in me Wish you could have shared some sympathy Still my young and cautious soul sways to a rhythm I only know Move with me Move with me I never bothered much with friends for my imagination runs, it runs, it runs, it runs across Elysian fields within But look at what’s become Of that girl, now the woman in me reaching outside for all the love she needs Still my young and ripening soul beats to its own tempo Move with me Move with me A little bit of poetry from your heartfelt pages I figured out just what they mean the words you’ve dedicated to that girl, the woman you see You’ve been patient all these years for me Still my young and blossoming soul needs more time in your garden to grow So move with me Move with me Move with me Move with me…………
3.
If I had the chance to make a wish, wonder would I keep my hopes up high for the things I hold so dearly? If I had the chance to chase a dream, wonder would I travel to the sky, would the clouds appear so clearly? But like a child, I too, can dream milk-white clouds, the kind that fold you in keep you warm when the rain begins Before the storm feeds the stream never doubt the rushing wind It blows and brings back love again If I had a crystal ball to tell my future, wonder would I count on faith to trust completely or would superstition lead the way? If I had to fall, wonder would I let you tumble with me, would you care for scratches along the way? But like a child, I too, can dream milk-white clouds, the kind that fold you in keep you warm when the rain begins Before the storm feeds the stream never doubt the rushing wind It blows and brings back love again After the rain, I wish I could explain the calm, serenity, the pain becomes a distant memory Regain the paradise we crave After the rain, I wish I could explain the calm, serenity, the pain becomes a distant memory Regain the paradise, we’re saved If I had to answer questions like do I love you, wonder could I count on you to meet me halfway, down the road to Revelation? If we came across a warning sign, wonder would you and I disregard and carry on our way, walk on air to our destination? But like children, we two can dream Milk-white clouds, the kind that fold you in keep you warm when the rain begins In our castle I’ll be your queen Never doubt the rushing wind, it blows and brings back love again After the rain, I wish I could explain the calm, serenity, the pain becomes a distant memory Regain the paradise we crave After the rain, I wish I could explain the calm, serenity, the pain becomes a distant memory Regain the paradise, we’re saved….
4.
Scarlet One 03:46
I framed a little red-head She stood out from the rest Pale skin but something dark there had put me to the test I normally don’t point out children but this one’s profound I figured out in 15 seconds when she made that sound Hoooooooo, hooooooo While all the children played their pre-adolescent games My little Lucy sat there until her suitor came She dressed in midnight blue no purple polka dots and things When not in view You’ll hear the siren singing, yeah Heeeeeeeee, heeeeeeee Shades of a ghostly figure Has she been here for years? That little one, he digs her but is it laced with fear? A calm and cool seduction but it’s not he she wants Could longing for her lover be in the sound that haunts me? Heeeeeeee, hooooooo Picture a little red-head placed in another time Her soul, possessed of one who was forced to leave behind A life, a love and one who meant it all I wonder if he hears her ‘cause she keeps on calling Heeeeeeeee, hoooooooo I framed a little red-head Picture a little red-head I framed a little red-head Picture a little red-head….
5.
I washed my hands in dirty water For years I thought it was clean That’s what you told me I vaguely felt something amiss when I reached for your hand and asked that you kiss (kiss)…me I closed my eyes and counted, 1-2-3-4 Seconds to minutes to hours, me waiting for you I washed my mind of shameful thoughts For years I was deemed mad That’s what you told me I vaguely felt something was wrong when I answered, ‘I do’ and found myself lonely So I closed my eyes and counted, 1-2-3-4 Minutes to hours to days, me waiting for you I’m like mud when your rain stops Your dirty water is all I got I washed the child from you I bore for years and now I’m strange Ah, that’s what he told me He vaguely remembers water brown when I looked in his eyes and begged him to drown me! Then I closed my eyes and counted, 1-2-3-4 Days to years to a life, I suffered for you aaahh….aaahh…aaahh… I’m like mud when your rain stops Your dirty water is all I got I’m like mud when your rain stops Your dirty water is all I…got (got)
6.
Far 03:26
Just imagine, if you will A figure in the distance, calm and still Is she floating, is she walking on the water? Behold a vision, so unreal Just imagine, if you can An echo in the distance, but understand that it matters not if other cannot hear it Trust the siren, take her hand Come with me If you dare to dream I’ll tell you my life story Just imagine, if you’ve a heart Two figures in the distance, but far apart Still our minds can bring them closer, forever We can determine who we are Come with me If you dare to dream I’ll share you all my story
7.
See Her 04:09
If you get lost in shadows you’ve reached your destiny Between nightfall and dawn’s glow peculiar reverie But you’re afraid, I know The newness of the scene Let the maiden know the purpose of your dream See her, see her, see her, see her See her, see her, see her, see her If you get lost in rapture the life you knew, no more The maiden’s heart, you’ve captured You’re who she’s waited for Don’t be afraid, it grows Perception of the scene Within the pages, know the story of your dream See her, see her, see her, see her See her, see her, see her, see her…
8.
Swimming ‘round your head, that early evening, the thoughts that waves brought to your shore Just the sound of it, your unsteady breathing reveals the silent shield you bore You were a baby, only a baby when she left you behind in this grown-up land But you thought, ‘maybe, just maybe I can get through without holding her hand’ What you found, instead, that Autumn evening, a savior with maternal needs And just the sound of it, as she’d be singing her lullabyes, you knew she’d never leave But it became hazy, everything hazy when she left you behind to become a man But you thought, ‘maybe, just maybe I can get through the mist from where I stand’ You’ve always lived with it the ghost of Nevermore (because, because, because) it’s never ‘she is’, is it? It’s always been, ‘she was, she was, she was…mmmmm’ But you rebounded, one sober evening with introductions to a girl What astounded, that eerie feeling in three’s, they exit from this world She was a lady, became a lady then she left you behind, your life again was faced with Maybe’s, you said, ‘maybe my soul was born to confront the being that I am’ Mmmmm, mmmmm…

about

A followup to their 2015 debut with Ninja Tune, Richard and Sheila Ellis’ sophomore effort, "The Cleansing," exists in the folds, shaking the categorization of a single genre or label by casting echoes of Billie Holiday and Antonio Carlos Jobim atop opaque shades of Debussy and Edgar Allen Poe.

Elements of Jazz and Bossa Nova, accented by striking vocals and enigmatic spoken-word poetry, display a command of the power of contrast. Steady repetitiveness of the instrumentations throughout the record anchor haunting, and often winding, vocal melodies; lyrical themes revolve around both optimistic abstraction and stark reality. These juxtapositions are reinforced by the dual nature of the album itself: Side A, Shades of Reverie, is driven by a sense of hope plucked into existence by embers of acoustic guitar, while Side B, Tones of Clarity, is best defined by dramatic, Bernard Hermann-esque orchestration and soaring vocal performances.

While the casual listener may be (understandably) distracted by the graceful marriage between instrumentation and vocal cadence, each song holds its own poetic merit. Singer and lyricist Sheila Ellis’ masterful penmanship develops a crucial dimension to the album, rendering “The Cleansing” a deeply personal, outwardly introspective listen.

Spanning thirty-eight minutes over eight compositions, the entire record is a warm, bold stroke on an aural canvas, effortlessly moving through embracing melodies and divine soundscapes.

Purchase the lead single, "Far," and get a live 10-person ensemble rendition of "Paris, Room 14": www.weareyoungbloods.com/album/far

credits

released September 22, 2017

All music written and performed by Richard Ellis and Sheila Brown Ellis
Mastered by Steve Kitch at Audiomater in London
Cover Photo captured by Sheila Brown Ellis
Design by Nicholas Concklin
Executive Produced by John Moses and Nicholas Concklin

(P) & (C) 2017 Youngbloods — all rights reserved.
www.weareyoungbloods.com

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Annabel (lee) London, UK

contact / help

Contact Annabel (lee)

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Annabel (lee), you may also like: