Hieronymus
Save the day
© 2006 Hieronymus (634479379789)
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The second full length album from Oxford (UK) based Hieronymus which captivatingly combines melodic pop with the band’s favourite genres of folk, indie, country, electronica and jazz with Katherine's voice sounding like a modern day Karen Carpenter.
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Hieronymus:
Jonathan Chalstrey - Katherine Hieronymus - Paul Parry
Hieronymus are a band. They play what they want to play. Their mission: to escape that ever-popular tendency of being pigeon-holed, stereotyped or categorised. Luckily for them there is no ONE word that sums up their luscious soundscapes: a mixture of melodic pop and folk, with a smidgen of country, and a dash of electronica and indie. From Ramone’s sounding power chords to Erasure-like piano loops, Hieronymus keep their songs varied to entertain themselves and others. Ok Ok, you still can’t get around the question “Who or What do they sound like?” Well, lead singer, Katherine, is frequently compared with Karen Carpenter, Natalie Imbruglio, Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays), Nerino Pallot and KT Tunstall to name a few.
Oxford, England is their home but lead singer Katherine originally hails from a small town in Georgia - claiming she's not really a redneck but strangely always wears scarves. She went to university in Athens (home to R.E.M., Vigilantes of Love and the B-52's) where her love for music took her by the throat and wouldn't let go. Soon after graduating Katherine found herself living and working in Oxford. While doing her first ‘proper’ job she met guitarist and future co-songwriter Jonathan Chalstrey. During that time she was doing backing vocals for a local band whose biggest claim to fame was supporting Paul Carrack. Jonathan, who had played in various bands in London and Oxford for most of his adult life, had a suitcase full of songs, could see star quality and convinced Katherine they should form their own band. Bass player Paul Parry came on board and that first concoction called Moose County was born.
The band’s first break came quickly when a scratchy home-made demo was sent off and accepted so that in 1997 they played their 2nd ever gig at BBC Radio One Sound City Oxford. In those early days their country-tinged sound distinctly stood out in a town awash with indie bands. Over the next three years the band worked hard recording, gigging and perfecting their songs and sounds.
In the summer of 2000 Quail Records noticed them at the 12 Bar Club in London and asked them to contribute to a folk compilation CD called ‘Women of Heart and Mind’, which received great reviews from Q and fRoots:
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“extends far beyond gentle strumming Powerful performances“ (4 stars) - Q Magazine
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After a change in ‘personnel’ and new direction in sound with the purchase of an old synthesiser the band changed its name to Hieronymus. Stepping out in their new guise, they performed in Oxford’s premier music festival for new artists, the Oxford Punt to rave reviews in May 2001. They soon became local folky pop heroes. Encouraged by the great feedback Hieronymus set to work on a full length album.
In 2001 Hieronymus released their debut full length album, ‘Alone in This Tree’ also available on CD Baby to some great reviews (scroll down to see highlights).
After releasing and promoting ‘Alone in This Tree’ Hieronymus were keen to get right back into the studio. They started writing and recording another album in various studios in and around Oxford. Little did they know it would be a four year process! But that’s exactly how long ‘Save the day’ took to make. It was a long journey and along the way they sadly said goodbye to their longstanding drummer, Mark Narusson. They decided therefore to bring in the help of a few local drumming legends such a John Halliday from The Candyskins and Greig Stewart from The Guillemots (who are currently riding high along a popularity wave in the UK.)
Hieronymus have always been in touch with their roots and as such it was an honour for them to also have guest violinist Ric Sanders play on three of the tracks. Ric who is a member of legendary Fairport Convention brought beauty and light to these songs not to mention toe cramps (from all the foot tapping).
‘Save the day’ sees Hieronymus doing what they do best. Melodic pop with a twist. With lyrics sharp and sometimes bitter and twisted they want you to sit comfortably but maybe not for too long.
Praise for ‘Alone in this tree’:
"Alone In This Tree" CD review - from Guitar Magazine
“For those that love lusciousness of the kind you get from music that’s Carpenters-meets-St.Etienne - with The Sundays droppin’ in for a scone".
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"Alone In This Tree" CD review - from Logo Magazine
“With her thick, dulcet tones and considered sass, Katherine is tailor made for FM radio. A sublime dash of melodic pop that paints Hieronymus as a serious future threat to any contemporary chart topper.”
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"Alone In This Tree" CD review - from oxfordbands.com
“Alone in this Tree must surely be the most polished release we’ve received. Liberally sprayed with FM sheen and buffed to a retina-burning shine, all the tracks on offer here would sound perfectly at home on commercial radio.”
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"Alone In This Tree" CD review - from the Oxford Mail
“Hieronymus has until now been a relatively unknown local treasure. Fortunately for music lovers things are about to change. A class act.”
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"Alone In This Tree" CD review - from Nightshift Magazine
"Morning lie-ins, wistful contemplation, sunlight through windows, dissatisfaction, pastel colours, frustration, soft interiors, reflective solitude, warm breezes, and a sense of not being in love but stoically comfortable and hopeful of change. You could throw in, fruit'n' fibre and blue sky thinking, they wouldn't mind. From the sound of their debut album, Hieronymus are not about to get into a pillow fight about it, they don't do hysterical angst or drug-fuelled feedback.
It all stems from the voice: dulcet, low and reassuring. Singer / lyricist Katherine Hieronymus, originally from Athens, Georgia, but for the last decade an honorary Brit, sounds like a modern day Karen Carpenter, without the gushy kitsch, as she takes on the heartland of The Sundays, with `Clueless' and `Never', and the sassy poppiness of Shania Twain, in `Shy With Me' and `Star' ("I want to be a star in my own life / Don't want to be an extra in yours"). But `Alone In This Tree' is more than a necklace of smooth, well-rounded beads of airy songs. It's in the running order and studio production that the band go beyond convention . The splashes of electronica slinking throughout, like ghosts in the machine; the sample bursts of soprano opera in the remarkable `Tragic Truth' and film dialogue of Cary Grant from An Affair To Remember in the utterly infectious `Go Dry', all show a masterful touch. The album finishes on the triumphant note of `Burning Bridges', swathed in an 80's stadium rock drumbeat, last heard when John `The Voice' Farnham threw back his shoulders and marched into the sunset. Thankfully, they stop short of mixing bagpipes to it.
Add tales of disillusionment and alienation (`Dragonfly'); love as vehicular paranoia (`Afraid'), and straightforward self-questioning (`Talk Me Down'), and you end up with a very fine debut album, the sort you can wake up, or calm down, to, without tripping over any duff fillers. Life as one big sigh."
reviews
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I have few words.....
author: ToniI have very few words to describe this album, awesome, amazing.....eclectic. I have this in the car, it's great driving music, a good mix of styles that'll have you yearning for the past, remembering old lives and loves, and facing the future. Katherine has a fantastic voice which communicates every emotion in a song.
Heard a track loved other songs and the whole feel of it is joy
author: steve butlerI heard a track from this band played on BBCs radio oxford program called Download. The song was called Sad and it encoraged me to go find some more of there stuff. It's a strange mixture of music many styles in there but all played very well and an enjoyment to listen to. The links on the cdbaby page here are really good quality and i love what I've heard. The styles range thro C&W to laid back blues to rock which I guess means they can't be put in a labelled box like so many others. The vocal style reminds me of dido a bit and possibly others. very gentle vocals but lovely to chill to or even probably drive along to The music is great at times and has lots of exiting peaks and turns. The drums are good all the way and the bass playing really holds it all together and seems to be the leed instrument at time. Remind me of john entwistle . Ill buy a copy of this CD for that alone big WHO fan and bass play er myself but this is magic stuff all the way. will listen a few more time to make sure i like it all but so far its a real good find. good luck hieronymous.Buying this for my sister to who will like it I'm sure
I like it like that...
author: Paul GreavesOxford based band Hieronymus return after a three year gap with their second album; Save The Day. Following on from their debut, Alone In This Tree, the band have provided a confident sequel. Lead singer Katherine Hieronymus provides beautiful vocals that bring to mind, for me, Julianne Regan and Liz Fraser at their most ethereal (although you get the feeling an opportunity for her to 'let rip' would produce something truly outstanding). Standout tracks for me are right at the beginning with both Sad and Forgive proving memorable for completely different reasons. The former for beautiful lyrics, beautifully sung, the latter for Katherine's vocals working with some great programming. This isn't to say that its all downhill from there however. Windy In The Cellar, Throw Me A Line, Bloody Heart and Long Long Way all deserve a mention and the album as a whole doesn't disappoint. If I have any negative comments, it would be the lack of a real standout track (like Burning Bridges on the first album). All the tracks are solid listens and vary between good and great - but there's no absolute blinder that you're humming for hours afterwards. (Having said that, Forgive has been rattling round my head since the second listen) Is it better than Alone In This Tree? Not sure yet, but repeated listens are proving the quality in the writing and performing. With so much available that is anodyne and/or mass produced, its heartening to find a band doing something that is, while not always perfect, done with real passion and always interesting.