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Melissa Axel


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Ethereal, alternative pop with ambient moments.

Status:

Most recent release, Love . Humanity . Metamorphosis (2011)

See also:

Melissa Axel's site

Melissa Axel's Bandcamp page

Comparisons:

Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan

Covers/own material:

Own

General comments:

Melissa Axel's music is lovely and has a lot of substance. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)

Recommended first album:

Free Time ep is her debut

Recordings:


Free Time ep

Release info:

2003—self-released

Availability:

See website for availability

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Melissa Axel—piano, vocals, synth

Comments:

Melissa Axel has a sweet voice and an eclectic approach to songwriting. This ep has four vocal tracks that are all strong and six instrumentals. I prefer the tracks with words, but that's more a personal preference than any real criticism. Those songs are still intriguingly made. This is a wonderful record. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)

Transition (EP)

Release info:

2009—self-released

Availability:

See Melissa Axel's site

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Melissa Axell—vocals, piano

Guest artists:

Kailin Yong—violins (1,2,3), string arrangement (3)
Ryan Drickey—cellos (3)

Produced by:

Melissa Axel; Nick Seley (5)

Comments:

It's been a while since Melissa Axel's last ep, but her style is still recognizable and this new ep is just lovely. This time it's all vocal tracks, which I personally like better than instrumentals so it's all good. "Fall this hard" is a powerful opener with wonderful lyrics about a complex relationship and with superlative piano playing. The title song is equally good, Axel straying close to early Tori Amos in sound and voice. This ep is fabulous and I would love to hear a full length from Axel soon. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)


Thanks to Anna Maria Stjärnell for work on this entry.

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DISCLAIMER: Comments and reviews in the Ectophiles' Guide are excerpted from the ecto mailing list or volunteered by members of the list. They are the opinions of music enthusiasts, not professional music critics.

Entry last updated 2021-11-03 19:34:20.
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