Where to start with Correatown, Angela Correa’s project?  We were first introduced to the talented Correa when she and constant musical companion Tom Brosseau (together they were/are The Shelleys) came to Santa Barbara to play in-store at John Healy’s much-missed Buffalo Records.  And we’ve been in love with both artists’ music ever since (more about Brosseau later).  Initially Correa/Brosseau sang  folk/country/standards.  And Angela put out a couple of great Correatown discs that continued in the indie-folk-ballad genre.  So we were floored when Angela passed along a new disc of Correatown demos a while back, but didn’t tell us of the seismic shift in her/their sound.  Suddenly Correatown had gone ’80s synth-pop!  And what a perfect sound it was/is to show off Correa’s phenomenal songwriting and vocals.  Correa explains: “When I began writing songs for our latest recordings I kept imagining the sounds and instruments that would shape the direction of our new songs. The most appealing were really freaked out thick and pulsing bass sounds or odd twitchy static noises tucked into shimmering and ethereal melodies. The more the band explored different arrangements and instruments, the more I felt the possibility of having a less organic sound that felt more evocative of the music we wanted to create was our compass.”

We’re not alone in our appreciation for Correa and Correatown.  Angela’s voice was featured in the film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story on the song Let’s Duet, she has sung backup with Moby and others, and last year Further was included on the Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack Vol 4.  Her songs have also appeared on Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters and How I Met Your Mother.  Correatown is fresh off the heels of a successful UK / European tour where Angela did a session with Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music and received raves at CMJ, making Spin’s “Next Big Thing” list.  Correa has also recently scored her first film, Sassy Pants, which was released this October as well as having one of her tracks in the recent Scott Hicks’ film, The Lucky One starring Zac Efron.  Where does she find the time?

You can get a feel for what we’re talking about by listening/watching the official video for Play, the first single off of her fantastic album Pleiades below.  After, check out one of our all-time favorite songs (making our Best Songs of 2010) , Further, off of the album, which was released in the US on October 16th by Highline Records.  Put that one on repeat.  Wow.  We are still mesmerized by this song.  Further Everything, All At Once is a phenomenal song off of the album that made our Best Songs of 2011 list.

We can’t say enough about the album.  Go forth and buy it HERE to support this talented artist.