Mara Carlyle
Encyclopedia
Mara Carlyle is an English singer-songwriter and arranger who also plays the musical saw and the ukulele. She was raised in Shropshire
, England and now lives in London
.
album Not For Threes
(Warp Records, 1997). She subsequently sang on Plaid's next two albums, Rest Proof Clockwork
(1999) and Double Figure
(2001). Having sung on Matthew Herbert
's big band album Goodbye Swingtime
(2003), Carlyle signed to Herbert's label, Accidental Records. Her debut album The Lovely was released in July 2004. It consisted mostly of original compositions, as well as a few reworkings of pieces of classical music. I Blame You Not is an English-language version of Schumann's Ich grolle nicht. Another track, Pianni, was featured in the IKEA
"Happy Inside" television commercial in which 100 cats are let loose in the retailer's Wembley store.
The I Blame Dido EP was released in May 2005. It contained I Blame You Not and a version of Dido's Lament by Henry Purcell
. Carlyle has denied that the EP's title is a swipe at the singer-songwriter Dido
.
After receiving critical acclaim for The Lovely, Carlyle signed to EMI in 2007. She recorded her second album in London with producer Dan Carey
(The Kills, Kylie Minogue). The album was scheduled for release in June, 2008, but was shelved during the restructuring that affected EMI after the label was bought by private equity firm, Terra Firma. Carlyle described this as a period of limbo, in which the album "continues to languish pointlessly, like a pirated ship off the coast of Somalia."
December 2008 saw the release of Classist, a collaboration with composer Max de Wardener
under the name "Max de Mara". Carlyle contributed four tracks adapted from Handel, Purcell, Walford Davies and Jacques Offenbach
. The album was a limited edition of 333 copies available through Stanley Donwood
's Six Inch Records.
After protracted legal negotiations with EMI, Carlyle regained the rights to the album. Originally called Nuzzle, she changed the title to Floreat, meaning "Let it Flourish". It was released in August, 2011 to a critical acclaim.
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England and now lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Carlyle's first recorded appearance was on the PlaidPlaid (band)
Plaid is a London-based British electronic music duo comprising Andy Turner and Ed Handley. They are former members of The Black Dog and used many other names, such as Atypic and Balil , before settling on Plaid...
album Not For Threes
Not For Threes
Not For Threes is an album by Plaid released in 1997 on Warp Records. This was Plaid's first full length CD release. Björk wrote and sang the lyrics for the track "Lilith".-Track listing:#"Abla Eedio" – 7:56#"Kortisin" – 5:23#"Headspin" – 5:34...
(Warp Records, 1997). She subsequently sang on Plaid's next two albums, Rest Proof Clockwork
Rest Proof Clockwork
-External links:* at the Warp Records website...
(1999) and Double Figure
Double Figure
Double Figure is an album by Plaid released in 2001 on Warp Records. Like many previous albums by both Plaid and The Black Dog, Double Figure contains several short linking tracks, here listed as "Tak 1", "Tak 2", etc.-Track listing:...
(2001). Having sung on Matthew Herbert
Matthew Herbert
Matthew Herbert , also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, and Wishmountain, is a British electronic musician...
's big band album Goodbye Swingtime
Goodbye Swingtime
Goodbye Swingtime is the first album by The Matthew Herbert Big Band, released in May 2003. The whole album deals with the media in general. The albums consinsts of three instrumental tracks which introduce into the album, divides the album into to parts and end the album...
(2003), Carlyle signed to Herbert's label, Accidental Records. Her debut album The Lovely was released in July 2004. It consisted mostly of original compositions, as well as a few reworkings of pieces of classical music. I Blame You Not is an English-language version of Schumann's Ich grolle nicht. Another track, Pianni, was featured in the IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
"Happy Inside" television commercial in which 100 cats are let loose in the retailer's Wembley store.
The I Blame Dido EP was released in May 2005. It contained I Blame You Not and a version of Dido's Lament by Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
. Carlyle has denied that the EP's title is a swipe at the singer-songwriter Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
.
After receiving critical acclaim for The Lovely, Carlyle signed to EMI in 2007. She recorded her second album in London with producer Dan Carey
Dan Carey (music)
Daniel De Mussenden Carey is a London-based producer, writer, mixer and remixer whose credits include work with CSS, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Athlete, Emilíana Torrini, Sia , Alice Gold, Kylie, Franz Ferdinand, Santigold, The Kills, Róisín Murphy, Mr Hudson, Lily Allen, Brazilian Girls, The Long Blondes,...
(The Kills, Kylie Minogue). The album was scheduled for release in June, 2008, but was shelved during the restructuring that affected EMI after the label was bought by private equity firm, Terra Firma. Carlyle described this as a period of limbo, in which the album "continues to languish pointlessly, like a pirated ship off the coast of Somalia."
December 2008 saw the release of Classist, a collaboration with composer Max de Wardener
Max de Wardener
Max de Wardener is a British composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist known for his scores for film and television and his work in jazz, classical, world and electronic music.-Career:...
under the name "Max de Mara". Carlyle contributed four tracks adapted from Handel, Purcell, Walford Davies and Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
. The album was a limited edition of 333 copies available through Stanley Donwood
Stanley Donwood
Stanley Donwood is the pen name of English artist Dan Rickwood. Donwood is known for his close association with the British rock group Radiohead, having created all their album and poster art...
's Six Inch Records.
After protracted legal negotiations with EMI, Carlyle regained the rights to the album. Originally called Nuzzle, she changed the title to Floreat, meaning "Let it Flourish". It was released in August, 2011 to a critical acclaim.
Discography
- The Lovely (Accidental, 2004)
- Floreat (Ancient & Modern, 2011)