It took me a while, but I finally got hold of SheLoom’s Seat of the Empire. That’s been on my to-do list ever since I discovered them back in the old days on TheSixtyOne. Back then they were called Loom. I think they ran into another band by that name and had to make a switch. SheLoom is one of those bands that didn’t exist before the Internet, a trans-Atlantic collaboration between Filippo Gaetani, an Italian, and Canadian Jordon Zadorozny. The duo creates lush Beatlesque pop that reminds me at times of Skylarking-era XTC.
As soon as I heard “Sink or Swim” on T61 I recognized Jordon’s influence. He was the lead singer of a group called Blinker the Star. That group’s August Everywhere has been a perennial favorite of mine for several years. Seat of the Empire has a similar appeal. Great sense of melody. Great production.
I enjoy the whole album but the first three — “Seat of the Empire,” “Bolero” and “Sink or Swim” — really start things off with a bang and “All for Love” is a hell of a finish.
Apparently Filippo and Jordon have deemed their collaboration a success, because they are already working on a new album, according to their website, SheLoom.com. I will probably still be into this album when their new one comes along.
You can order Seat of the Empire from CDBaby. Or buy the digital version via iTunes. Personally, I would go with the physical artifact. Love the cover art.
Also, check out Blinker the Star’s August Everywhere if you get the chance. I can never stop pimping that album.
Check out an interview with Blinker The Star’s Jordon Zadorozny and a track-by-track album dissection of August Everywhere on Dig Me Out at digmeoutpodcast.com, a weekly podcast dedicated to revisiting lost and forgotten rock of the 1990s.