Flower-Powered Artist - July 2008

Hazel Mills

It is seldom that I get quite ecstatic about discovering a new artist after listening to a single track. In fact, I was so impressed that I immediately requested a copy of our current Flower-Powered Artist's EP, which I was promptly provided. Not only were my expectations met, I was actually blown away by the sheer brilliance of the collection of songs I was exposed to. Our Artist of the Month for July 2008 is probably the most interesting artist we’ve presented so far in our FPA feature. Add to that the fact that she is the first artist we’ve presented with only a mere 5-track EP. Yes, we were that impressed with this rising talent. KGRL is proud to present our July 2008 Flower-Powered Artist: Bristol-based siren, Hazel Mills.

Our FPA was born in Bristol on May 19, 1985. I guess we can say that music is a run of the Mills. Each member of the family has a connection in one way or another to music - from Hazel’s grandmother (who plays piano and organ in the church), to her mom (who is a classical guitar and piano player), to her father (who does theatrical singing), and down to her older sister (who is also a classically-trained pianist). Little Hazel started playing the piano by age 6 and began singing by joining the choir when she was 14 years old. Choral group singing is probably one of the reasons Hazel took interest in crafting intricate vocal harmonies. She received a scholarship to study music, drama and math at Bristol Cathedral School. It was when she was about 16 years old when she took up formal voice lessons. She also had a short affair with a violin only to end up hating the instrument.

In terms of the music Hazel was exposed to during her early years, she went through different phases just like everyone else. Despite being trained in classical piano, Hazel appreciates quite a variety in music. At one point, admittedly, she was head-over-heels with Michael Jackson during the “Bad” and “Dangerous” eras. During her early teenage years, she became obsessed with a German band called Guano Apes. She also played and sang with various bands doing covers and a few originals. Eventually outgrowing the music she used to listen to, Hazel became more interested in modern popular and experimental types of music. By age 18, she stopped the formal piano training and decided to follow the direction she wanted to take, which is in the realms of experimental music.

Hazel attended college at The University of Birmingham where she specialized in 20th-century experimental music and earned a First-Class Honours degree in Performing & Visual Arts. Acting was another outlet Hazel excelled in. However, destiny ultimately led her to a musically-inclined career path that placed the acting gig on the back burner.

Gradually shifting the focus on the type of music she was interested in, she began to look closely into the works of more experimental composers such as Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, and John Cage. A fateful meeting with her current producer TJ Allen (Aesoteric), while working with a band in a rehearsal studio, paved the way for Hazel’s career and perhaps helped establish a definite musical direction as well. A keen interest in Hazel’s music prompted TJ Allen to recommend Hazel to the label he was working for. One thing led to another that basically ended up with Hazel signing under that independent record label, Xpress Records, in 2005. Since they already knew each other, the label paired both TJ Allen and Hazel. Their musical partnership opened up a host of unique and interesting experience for Hazel, including being exposed to evolutionary artists like Matmos, Autechre and Fennesz.

Thankfully, amidst all the influences, Hazel managed to hone her own sound deeply rooted in the experimental / psychedelic / post-rock fusion genre. She started writing and recording original materials with Allen, who encouraged her to push the boundaries past musical theories. Her songwriting became increasingly complex yet never shying away from the most basic and simple progression - the obscurity and the oddball are intact and yet it remains quite accessible.

After recording a handful of materials, her label, Xpress Records, was so pleased with the recordings that they decided to release it as an EP. Thus, the Butterfly EP was born. Released on June 2007, the Butterfly EP instantly garnered well-deserved praise from music critics around UK. Touring for the EP followed shortly afterwards. Hazel’s live band set-up is more than a simple piano, guitars, and drums affair. Rather, they have with them a plethora of high-tech gadgetry - including a looper gadget that Hazel has mastered exceedingly well. Looping vocal and piano patterns on-the-fly, to create layer upon layer of rich harmonies, became one of the key to her compositions and live performances. In today’s era of digital creations, Hazel and her band stands at the forefront of modern experimental music.

As if pushing the boundaries with her solo career is not enough, Hazel along with Allen is also involved in a project with Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay. Two more artists complete the members of this project called The Metaphors: Paul Thompson (Roxy Music’s drummer) and Julia Thornton (a classical harpist). A different serving of influences inspired this project including Sakamoto, Sigur Ros, Satie, Debussy, Brian Wilson, The Velvet Underground, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stravinsky, and John Coltrane. Hazel, of course, lends her vocal and piano expertise to the group. A 6-track debut, titled London! New York! Paris! Rome!, is set to be released sometime in 2008.

As a day job, Hazel works part-time doing various music lectures (vocal coaching and songwriting), as well as studio session work for other artists / bands. Going back to the topic of her solo music career, the follow-up to Butterfly EP is currently in the works. Some of the new songs were already recorded (or roughly recorded) and played live in front of an audience. The audience reaction has been quite positive so far. It is with great pleasure that we can give you an insight on the direction Hazel and the band are taking with the follow-up. Just check the exclusive KGRL FPA Live Sessions below (courtesy of Xpress Records).

KGRL is most pleased and honored to present our July 2008 Flower-Powered Artist, Hazel Mills. Hazel’s record label, Xpress Records, helped fund the exclusive performances, which is officially a part of the KGRL FPA Live Sessions. Be sure to watch each and every video in the live sessions portion as they are VERY MUCH worth your time. We also have a review of the Butterfly EP, photos, as well as our two-part comprehensive interview with Hazel Mills in video, audio, and transcribed form.

As per our usual monthly feature, we are giving away 3 signed Butterfly EPs! Just e-mail me at contests @ kgrl . fm (remove the spaces) and tell us why you deserve to win.

Also, Hazel and TJ Allen -- along with their record label -- not only allowed us to name the exclusive performance under KGRL FPA Live Sessions, but they also gave us their approval to give away copies of the performance in DVD form. That’s right! Those of you who help the station via donation can request a FREE copy of the FPA Live Session DVDs! I shit you not when I say that this is VERY MUCH worth it!

KGRL Hazel Mills Interview

KGRL had a chance to interview one of Bristol's most promising artists, Hazel Mills. The interview was made possible by Hazel's record label, Xpress Records. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone involved in this feature!

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Hazel Mills Video Interview (Click to launch the player!)
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Butterfly EP Review

There is sheer joy in finding a record that transcends a multitude of genres and ends up nothing short of phenomenal. I’m talking about a record where the songs are so masterfully-crafted and complexly-structured not just for the sake of being complex, but purely out of brilliance. Of course, you already know that I’m talking about Hazel Mills’ Butterfly EP. It’s a bold move to tell you right away what I think of the whole EP in the first paragraph of this review. If I am breaking the traditional way of writing reviews to come out straight to the point, then so be it. So, if you think that I have already given you enough reasons to go on your merry way to procure the EP, then go and purchase it now. Hazel Mills’ Butterfly EP is simply a masterpiece. Let me tell you why…

The deceptively piano-laden jazz-rock fusion Give Away serves as an appeasing appetizer - that is until the band comes in and turns it into a main entrée. The simplistic and serene song structure turns into an intensely eargasmic experience in an instant. The flexibility in Hazel’s voice allows for a smooth transition from a sultry songstress to a rock goddess. The mix of distorted guitars and piano totally rocks out this song. Who says you can’t rock out with a piano? If you have any doubts, try listening to this track. On the other hand, I’ve seen the YouTube video of this song done acoustically with only a piano in an intimate setting. The piano-only version accentuates Hazel’s impressive vocal work. All I can say is that the song itself is an excellent composition.

The straight rock-out-loud and headbang-inducing Insomnia is an instant favorite. The collaborative band effort shines throughout the track. This song is just brimming with technical prowess – from the perfect execution of the instruments (drums, guitars, bass, and piano) to the rich vocal harmony – and outstanding use of rests and odd-measured beats. The guitar line is superb and the drumbeats plus the bass really breathes life into this track. The slow build-up of the bridge leading to a climactic end chorus is top-notch. You can tell how much this group of extremely talented musicians click together with a track like this. What makes it more stunning is when you see them play this live. Yes, they all make it look like an easy task. One more thing to note is the impressive use of the Looper gadget by Hazel, where she produces the same rich multi-layered vocal backdrop on-the-fly. This is the time that I shall point you to the exclusive video performance below. Watch and prepare to be impressed!

The title track, Butterfly, is in the same vein as the first track (Give Away). It starts out slow and then delivers the jolt mid-way and never stops until the final phase, in an upslope-downslope pattern. In a sense, listening to this track is like following the transformations of a butterfly that ends up fluttering away freely. This track is quite a testament to the successful songwriting partnership between Hazel and TJ Allen. This demonstrates their expertise in weaving simple song structures into increasingly complex, technical standards.

Sense Of Smell on the other hand indulges us aurally (sadly, not olfactorily) with the same high adrenaline level as Insomnia. Once again, we are shown how superb the band is technically with this track. This song probably has the best build-up from the stanza to the strong choruses. It’s hard not to fall in love with how Hazel rocks the hell out of the piano. TJ Allen should be complimented as well for not taking over the song with loud heavy guitars. The guitar part was just the right mix and gives way for the other instruments, like the piano, to shine. In a song like this, it’s easy for guitar players to show off and steal the scene.

Concluding the EP is the track called Freestanders. It’s the most experimental of all the songs in the EP. While I wasn’t that particularly fond of this track at first, it grew on me after a few more listens. Once it gets hold of you though, you'll be hooked. This is the track where the band members get to use their toys and gadgets. Intentional cuts and skips occur during the track so don’t think that your player is skipping out on you. It is ethereal. It is haunting. And it is quite simply, marvelous! It’s a joy to behold seeing them perform this one live. From what I’ve heard, this is quite a crowd pleaser in their shows – rightfully so, I think. Go check out the exclusive performance of this track below and you’ll see why!

With five killer no-filler tracks, the only downside to Butterfly is that it is an EP. It will surely hook you but you’ll be left wanting for so much more. If you are thinking twice about getting this EP because of the number of tracks, think of it this way: other CDs contain a lot of tracks but most of the times you’d be lucky if even half of them are good. So, yes I’d prefer a CD with a limited number of tracks that are sure to be great, than one with a ton of tracks and only have 4 or 5 good songs.

There was no doubt in my mind that Hazel Mills is an exceptionally talented singer/songwriter/pianist when I ranked her as the top artist to watch out for in 2008. The exclusive KGRL Live Session performance we received is proof of that. I highly recommend viewing the exclusive videos to see just how talented Hazel and her band are. Hearing the new songs in the video performance strengthened my belief that Hazel is seriously one of the most important artists to watch out for. Here’s to hoping that after the planned second EP, the full-length will follow shortly.

Buy Butterfly EP on iTunes (Click Here)!

Buy Butterfly EP on CD Baby (Click Here)!

Buy Butterfly EP on Amazon.com (Click Here)!

Tracklist:

Give Away
Insomnia
Butterfly
Sense Of Smell
Freestanders

Hazel Mills Photos

Play Slideshow!

KGRL FPA Live Session - Courtesy of Xpress Records

KGRL proudly presents another edition of FPA Live Sessions featuring Hazel Mills. The streams can be viewed using our embedded flash player. We do hope you enjoy these awesomely amazing video exclusive performance courtesy of Xpress Records!



And remember, those of you who support the station by donations can request a copy of the DVD. Click here for more information on how to obtain the DVD!


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Insomnia Freestanders

See You Running Esquisk

Moving On What You Want