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Unfamiliar Minds

by Elena Setien

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Unfamiliar Minds via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $22 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Unfamiliar Minds via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 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

      $9 USD

     

1.
2020 03:35
I’ve fallen from a place of illusions I’ve broken all last year's resolutions I meant to find some conclusions But how slowly days move How slowly How slow How?
2.
Situation 03:00
The situation's wrong ́Cos you never took my car keys The situation's wrong I think I heard you were gone Where could you have gone to? Where could you have gone to? The situation's wrong 'Cos you never took my car keys The situation's wrong Where could you have gone to? Where could you have gone to? The situation's wrong It's been more than 24 hours
3.
4.
New 02:28
Today when I woke up I found a new face in my face And when I said things I found a new voice in my voice And when I touched things I felt a new touch in my hands And when I looked at the window I found a new window in my window And when I looked at the sky I saw a new sky in the sky And when I heard the birds sing I heard a new song from the birds A new song from the birds A new song from the birds
5.
Such A Drag 03:46
Television melodies Making her feel blind Speak about so many things Leave nothing in her mind It's such a drag, such a drag, such a drag To be alone It's such a drag, such a drag, such a drag To be on your own Fortunate she got a call She's now leaning on the wall Speaking to her nephew He may visit in the fall It's such a drag, such a drag, such a drag To be alone It's such a drag, such a drag, such a drag To be on your own So far behind, behind, behind So far behind, behind, behind So far behind, behind, behind
6.
BY EMILY DICKINSON In this short life That only lasts an hour How much, how little Is within our power
7.
8.
So we'll finally go blind And we'll see our tiny bodies Drifting freely though a dark sky And we'll hear thunder in our minds We'll hear thunder in our unfamiliar minds Recreation will not be our creed We will be the new beginners Of a futuristic language everyone can speak And we'll hear thunder in our minds We'll hear thunder in our unfamiliar minds
9.
No Trace 03:04
Walking down this road alone Going back to my only home Dessert speed, I'm slowing down Steps of stone you're gonna make me frown Silver moon is shining low Touching the waters with shiny bow Give me a break, I wanna watch it move I wanna change the situation, wanna make things groove Velvet green I'm looking for you You've got a secret in your pocket and you know what to do Going down to a foreign place Going down I'm gonna leave no trace
10.
Water 04:58
Water knows my name and takes me to the shore Recalling some old familiar situation from before Never had I walked in water so clean It makes my feet pure and crystalline Try and think of how it could be with no names on Earth Ignoring nature and not knowing what it's worth

about

Basque artist Elena Setién shapes the ethereal into immediate on the stunningly pristine songs of Unfamiliar Minds. Her command of melody and resolute voice are complemented by lush arrangements that surround the listener in a world of intimate beauty. Setién is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, collaborator and improviser, having worked with artists like Mary Lattimore and Steve Gunn as well as composing for film and television. On Unfamiliar Minds, Setién reflects on isolation, confusion and harnesses uncertainty with optimism on ten ghostly wonders that capture ineffable feelings in radiant detail.

After completing her Basque language album Mirande in collaboration with composer Xabier Erikizia (released on Forbidden Colors in October of 2020), Setién began composing Unfamiliar Minds during the height of lockdown, starting with songs she had begun in pre-pandemic times. As days turned to months Setién grew disconnected from the incomplete pieces made in a different reality. The paralyzing tension of those disorienting early months eventually gave way to new inspiration. Romantic poetry by Emily Dickinson served as a refuge and a springboard for Setién to ground herself in writing new songs in English. She drew inspiration from conversations with composers Gyan and Terry Riley as well as her collaboration with Xabier Erkizia for the Basque television series Altsasu. Erkizia and Setién extended their remote collaborations beyond the series as the two began focusing on their own reconfigured sense of mood and perspective after a year of so much pain and drastic change.

As our environments became smaller and smaller, details within became more significant: we experienced more fully the beauty of birds, the smells from the kitchen and the joy in even the smallest taste of companionship. Setien replicated this phenomenon beautifully in her writing and the resulting songs are at once personal, lush, and elegantly detailed. Dulcet keyboards, otherworldly strings and rippling electronics echo and reverberate in enchanting cascades that become environments unto themselves. Setién’s direct, resonant voice brings a striking intimacy to the celestial arrangements from the crackle of her whisper to the weightless glide of her lilt. The unadorned guitar of title track “Unfamiliar Minds” is gradually swallowed by rising towers of tender strings and alien undulations as Setién contemplates the world anew with “Recreation will not be our creed / We will be the new beginners / Of a futuristic language everyone can speak.” “Situation”’s flourishing electronics spring from steady piano in a devastating ode to loss. On “I Dwell In Possibility” and “In This Short Life,” Setién casts oceanic swells and buoyant twinkling organ around Emily Dickinson’s poetry, given new meaning in the album’s framework.

Elena Setién’s chameleonic songcraft effortlessly bends songs into immersive realms. Her music illuminates the fragilities and ephemeral nature of life with exceptional poise. Unfamiliar Minds is a palatial guide through trial and exaltation, a meditation on disquiet and hope for uncovering what lies ahead.

credits

released January 28, 2022

All tracks composed and co-arranged by Elena Setién, co-arranged and produced by Xabier Erkizia except lyrics on I Dwell In Possibility and In This Short Life by Emily Dickinson.

Elena Setién: vocals, keyboards, violin on all tracks and guitar on Unfamiliar Minds
Xabier Erkizia: electronics on all tracks
Joseba Irazoki: guitars on No Trace and Water

Recorded in The Basque Country between March 2020 and March 2021 by Elena Setién, Maikel Garcia/Mik Estudioa except track 10 recorded by Yon Vidaur/Muir.

Mastered in Denmark by RedRedPaw Mastering
Cover photo by Pablo Axpe
Artwork by Allan Daastrup

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Elena Setien Spain

Singer-songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist Elena Setien was based in Copenhagen, Denmark for many years. As she returned to San Sebastian, Spain- she recorded her second solo album, Dreaming of Earthly Things which is to be released by the german label EnjaYellowbird.
Elena´s music is personal and direct: her sound is instantly recognizable and brings the listener to evocative spheres.
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