Alana Maa’s debut single release is an introspective dive into the artist’s core philosophies and aesthetics: calm in the eye of the storm and moving forwards from stasis. Written after a period of personal turmoil, the song looks towards brighter futures and finds hope and even magic in the remnants of disaster. Dragonflies are the closest thing to fairies in nature: when one appears, time stands still, and better things are on their way. The music video directed by Alana Maa also features the artist’s most recent inspiration: the one-month-from-being-born Strawberry. Alana Maa’s first EP is called Meant to Fly. The three songs were written to describe loneliness experienced during the Covid-19 lockdown, but were given renewed potency after Alana Maa suffered a cerebrovascular accident while giving birth to her daughter in March 2023 and having to be separated from her for a week right after labour. Bedridden and forced to lie down in a hospital bed in a room without windows, the walls were again falling on her in a complete experience of loneliness, hormones demanding that she seek out her baby but not being able to do so. The three songs are nowadays dedicated to baby Strawberry: Dragonfly as a welcoming wish for her wings to carry, The Cell to describe the separation of the two, and Fool’s Hope as the antithesis for loneliness which focuses on the smallest hope that there is. Three music/lyric videos from the EP are all directed by Alana Maa herself. #newmusic #singersongwriter #indiemusic #guitarmusic #sadgirl #pregnancy #newrelease #womenempowerment #womanpower #bedroommusic #indiepop #acousticguitar #acousticmusic #indiefolk #girlguitarist #indieartist #wintermusic #pregnancymusic #pregnancymusicforbabyinwomb

The is the first video release from the album The Pine and the Birch. J. Richardson's second solo album. The first is The Fold (Svart 2017). The origins of the song go back to 2016. I read a newspaper story (apocryphal) about eight trans people ending their lives in response to that year's US presidential election. It got me thinking what might happen when people are driven underground? Where and in what forms might they resurface? The McMurdo Dry Valleys is a real place in Antarctica, where time has stood still for millennia, but with global warming that’s changing. Before long, still larger areas of Antarctica might become Dry Valleys -- in fact it's already happening. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are also a testing ground for research on microbial life on Mars, which connects again with ecological themes. Part of the motivation for exploring The Solar System in the first place is to find other habitable planets, a search that has accelerated as the environmental crisis has spiralled closer to the point of no return. Mars is one of the leading candidates of nearby planets that might sustain life should we ever choose to go there, or which might even host its own as yet undiscovered life forms. This song is a reflection and fantasy on the awe-inspiring desolation of these two landscapes and the utopian possibility of transformation and resettlement. I threw in some Easter eggs in the lyrics, from Kubrick's Dr Strangelove and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to Curiosity Rover. The title of the album is revealed in the song’s final moments. The Pine and the Birch: beauty, responsibility, and suffering. It's easy to understand the apocalyptic vision of the song's first couple of verses differently in 2022 than when I wrote the song a few years earlier, so I felt compelled to comment on those changes in the video, whether it is the threat of war, now a reality, environmental crises, gender equality, or the challenges and distortions of life in the post-truth society. Album artwork included in the music video is used with the permission of the artist Tarmo Roosimölder; Slow Stream and Hikers in Lappland. The photograph of the Bagnold Dunes is a royalty free image produced by NASA. Drone footage by Kristian Heberg. Model aircraft by Tony Richardson Musicians: J Richardson, vocals, spoken word, acoustic and electric guitars, sound design Anna-Elena Pääkkölä, backing vocals, spoken word, piano, harmonium, keyboards Peter Briggs, backing vocals Sami Lehtonen, electric guitars Marko Syrjäläinen, bass guitar Marko Karjalainen, drums Kaapo Huttunen keyboards (orchestral arrangement) Hannes Merisaari, trumpet and flygelhorn Anna-Maria Huohvanainen, first violin Elizabeth Stuart, second violin Anna Pohjola, viola Joseph Teeter, cello Produced by J Richardson Arranged by J Richardson with Anna-Elena Pääkkölä Engineered by Jussi Vuola, assisted by Mikko Barck and Jori Saloranta (VR); Joona Lukala (Noise for Fiction); Sami Lehtonen (Äänikuva); J Richardson (Bear Street and Longfield Lane studios) Recorded at, VR studio, Noise for Fiction, Bear Street and Longfield Lane studios, Äänikuva studio, and the Sibelius Museum in Turku. Mixed by Oona Kapari Mastered by Henkka Niemistö Album artwork by Tarmo Roosimölder: Slow Stream (The Pine and the Birch cover); Hikers in Lappland (The Dry Valleys cover) Facebook: www.facebook.com/songwriterJRichardson Twitter: @jrichardsonsw TikTok: @jrichardsonsongwriter Instagram: johnrichardson9149 The Dry Valleys is from the J. Richardson album The Pine and the Birch. All rights reserved J. Richardson and Longfield Lane Records 2022.

Boss RC-300 Loop station used with vocals. My first looper-based song. Dark Snow is about the glass ceiling, about people not knowing you and not bothering to find out what you're about and instead making their own minds up about you, about people refusing to give you credit where credit is due. Music video coming up this spring. Copyright: song, lyrics, arrangements: ALANA (Slow Floe Productions 2018). Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlanaSongwriter/

White Parachutes is the second single from the album The Pine and the Birch, due on August 19th. The single is available now on all leading streaming services, along with the already released The Dry Valleys. This music video was directed by Anna-Elena Pääkkölä, who also features prominently in the music. It features her collage art and some stop animation too. White Parachutes is a mixture of old school psychedelia, show tunes and afro funk. I recall sitting on a café terrace one day and crows swooped down out of nowhere. The song’s main theme is the idea of falling, falling from grace, falling towards your final destination, but at the same time enjoying the sensation of air rushing past your ears, watching the wheels go round and round, as the words of another memorable song go. The image of the Jolly Chimp is macabre, like a dark cabaret MC or a battery powered circus ringmaster. This song was written and recorded a couple of years after the rest of the album and features Anna-Elena's brother, Jari Pääkkölä, on backing vocals and Jani Riihimäki on drums. The song was recorded at VR studios with Jussi Vuola and at home at Longfield Lane (as we call it) and Bear Street. It was mixed by Oona Kapari and mastered by Henkka Niemistö. Words and music by J Richardson. Arranged by J Richardson with Anna-Elena Pääkkölä. Personnel on the recording: J Richardson, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, sound design Anna-Elena Pääkkölä, vocals, keyboards, percussion Jari Pääkkölä, vocals Marko Syrjäläinen, bass guitar Jani Riihimäki, drums J Richardson is a British-born songwriter and producer who lives in a quiet wooded valley an hour from Helsinki. His music is lush and atmospheric, inspired by classic songwriting but experimentally daring, absorbing everything from sound art and film music to psychedelic pop and old school funk. Richardson's debut solo album, The Fold, was released by Svart Records in 2017. The Fold was enthusiastically received in the blogosphere and performed live on the Finnish club circuit. Richardson’s second solo album The Pine and the Birch will be released in August 2022 by Longfield Lane Records. Richardson is also a collaborator on the mixed-media electronic project Trappist-1 by the duo Undercover Buddha, also scheduled for release in 2022.

John Richardson: Mabon (published on Autumn Equinox 2020) Music and lyrics by John Richardson Sound design by Petri Kuljuntausta and John Richardson Recorded, mixed and mastered by John Richardson Performed and filmed by John Richardson and Anna-Elena Pääkkölä Music video editing by Anna-Elena Pääkkölä All credits and copyright belong to the artists. https://www.facebook.com/songwriterJRichardson

Svart Records announces the release of an extended music video from John Richardson for the songs Dawnsong and Birdman of Bognor from his album The Fold, released earlier this year. The songs are part of a song cycle and showcase Richardson’s unique approach to art rock. The video for Birdman of Bognor in particular is a strong statement in support of transgender and LGBTQ rights at a time when these rights cannot be taken for granted. It is dedicated to all victims of hate crimes and random acts of violence — including violence towards transgender people, women, and those who have the courage to speak out against hatred and oppression. On a personal level, the song Birdman of Bognor is a response to bereavement and the need for personal transformation; on another, more general level, the video is a rallying call for change, personal freedom and compassion, as well as being a paean to 1970s glam rock. Self-produced by Richardson, the video wouldn’t have been possible without a considerable amount of help from friends, including the songwriter ALANA, the performers Tuuli Kristola and Maija Lindroos, the dancers Noora, Lilli Heberg and Jutta Pääkkölä, and the photographer and drone operator Kristian Heberg.

John Richardson's Open Page (Journey to Enceladus), from the album The Fold (Svart Records, 2017). All rights protected.