(Baroque Pop, Chamber Pop, Jazz Pop) Clare & the Reasons - Arrow - 2009, MP3, V2

Have you heard of My Brightest Diamond, Brisa Rochй, or Bella before? then
you're in for a treat!
First, Clare writes songs.
Then she brings them to the Reasons’ test lab. There, the songs are submitted
to a series of intense treatments and tests until they become what some
people call: “lush and sinfully beautiful”. This process named in the
scientific community “Reasonitis Polymorpheus Synthesis” or RPS, lead to the
making of “The Movie” (Frogstand Records) their debut album. (no known side
effects. FDA approval pending).
But who is this Clare anyway?
She was born on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in a vegetable garden
amongst the most incredible tomatoes grown by her mother Sheila. Her father,
music innovator Geoff Muldaur, introduced her to artists such as Mildred
Bailey, Bessie Smith and Sam Cooke. Clare rode hundreds and hundreds of
horses and listened to these inspiring musicians on her walkman while working
in the barn.
One day, she rode her horse all the way to Berklee College of Music. With a
handsome scholarship she was able to study jazz arranging and composition.
There, she met now long time collaborator Olivier Manchon. On their first
encounter, he made her cry and then they got married.
But who are “The Reasons”?
Alan Hampton, Olivier Manchon, Christopher Hoffman, Beth Meyers,Greg Ritchie
and Bob Hart can be found in Brooklyn, NY. Most of the time, they are
rehearsing, singing harmony vocals, pretending that their string trio is an
orchestra, or playing very embarrassing football (the real name of soccer) in
Prospect Park while discussing how to get endorsed by big sports gear
corporations.
“The Movie,” was released September 2007 to glowing reviews. “Atop an
orchestra of plucked strings and backed by a complementary chorus of Reasons,
Clare Muldaur’s knee-buckling voice sings a bittersweet but ultimately
uplifting song about the now-dwarf planet Pluto. ‘Cheer up, Pluto,’ she
croons, ‘the stars still love you, and we down here do, too.’ Coupling this
sort of charm with Muldaur’s gorgeous voice, equally gorgeous orchestration,
and a nice list of contributors.” -Pitchfork. It was released in Europe
through Fargo Records in August 2008. It features guests such as Van Dyke
Parks, Gregoire Maret, Sufjan Stevens and an augmented string section of
nothing but the best string players in the universe.
You can hear Clare sing 2 songs on the Fox show “Arrested Development”. She
also has songs in 2 Lion’s Gate films. Most recently, her song “Cactus Tree”,
can be heard in an HBO show. Clare and Olivier have toured together in Japan,
Ireland, France and the US of A.
In September 2007, Clare and the Reasons did a compact European tour and ate
really good food, they returned to the UK and to France in early December
2007 for a tour supporting St. Vincent, Joseph Arthur and the amazing Duke
Special, as well as headlining their own shows. They also appeared on the
BBC’s Culture Show in July.

Clare Muldaur-Manchon, Olivier Manchon, Alan Hampton, Beth Meyers, Christopher Hoffman, Greg Ritchie, Josh Mease, Bob Hart