Selon Recliner

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"Pour a cocktail, curl up on a comfortable chair and enter 'The Orchid Door' – it's well worth the experience."

Liz Barry
NZ Musician Magazine

"A slice of audio bliss from our very own backyard."

Hayley Koorts
Under The Radar

selon

Selon Recliner is a musical collective from Auckland, New Zealand, that creates a uniquely rich and atmospheric sound.

selon /sl/ preposition
according to;~ moi, il va pleuvoir in my opinion, it's going to rain. /adv. in accordance with.

"Soaring and elegant, supremely beautiful and compelling."

Independant Artists Company USA

Musicians

Vernon Rive - bass
Roy Godwin - guitars
Darlene Te Young - backing vocals
Belinda Bradley - vocals
Perry Bradey - samples and electronica
Michael Te Young - drums
Guy Wishart - guitars

BackStory

SILVER SCROLL winning singer songwriter Guy Wishart, and Belinda Bradley from 90s Wellington Indie guitar-pop band The Spirals began writing songs together in 2004.

Auckland rhythm section Vernon Rive and Michael Te Young joined soon after as well as backing vocalist Darlene Te Young and electronic artist Perry Bradley.

“Guy and I have known each other for years and always talked about working together. When Guy moved in on the same street as us in Herne Bay we knew we couldn’t put it off any longer”. The duo literally sat on a verandah with acoustic guitar and Dictaphone in hand, and begin to flesh out their musical ideas.

The debut single THIS WAS FOR YOU was released in Winter 2005, followed by the album RESTROOM in 2006. It is an intricate and inviting collection of dark pop songs that continues to receive strong reviews.

The stunning packaging features photography by vocalist Belinda Bradley who earned an international award for her work.

In 2009, after continuing confusion with the San Francisco neo punk band of the same name, the band identity is adjusted to SELON RECLINER.

"We have twice been billed as Recliner from San Francisco in our own city!" laughs Belinda Bradley. "Selon is french for 'according to' or 'The Thoughts of' and that seems apt."

2009 brings a series of significant events:

Guy Wishart has become resident in Bangalore, India, making long distance contributions to the music. New member ROY GODWIN joins the lineup adding his distinctive guitar sound to the band, and finally, the scheduled release of THE ORCHID DOOR in April 2009, Selon Recliners second complete album.

Lonely Girl is the first song to be released and features the beautiful Varla Dayne, creation of illustrator Russell Chambers.

Reviews

Hayley Koorts
UNDER THE RADAR
17 August 2009

Selon Recliner’s rich, sonic journey takes flight as their second album, The Orchid Door, descends swiftly onto the shelves of your favourite music store. Auckland’s atmospheric collective creates the perfect soundtrack to that fireside nightcap of G & T, splashed with a dash of philosophical commentary and meditative jazz.

The fusion of Guy Wishart and Belinda Bradley’s conjoint brainchild was born – as are most organic music projects – through a favourable coincidence of the geographical kind (as Bradley explains: “When Guy moved in on the same street as us in Herne Bay, we couldn’t put [working together] off any longer”). The duo was soon accompanied by rhythm junkies Vernon Rive and Michael Te Young, elctro-savvy Perry Bradley and singing starlet Darlene Te Young.

Swan, the opening track, is an uplifting, airborne saga that soars alongside a grandiose orchestral score intertwined with new-age glitter. It glistens with smoky wisps of emotive strings, clearing a safe passage for the listener through the tumultuous storm. It makes for an auspicious beginning to what promises to be a majestic voyage into the creative well of some of New Zealand’s best kept secrets.

Carrying on the avian motif, Fire Bird is another stand-out track. With a melody sailing against a backdrop of starry voices and pagan drums, Selon Recliner delivers another colourful, elegantly composed piece with pinches of alluring sparkle. My only complaint is at times I feel led-on by restrained vocals and lack of climax, leaving me yearning for the abandonment of a Bjorkian-style seizure.

However, personal preferences aside, it is hard to fault the bewitching quintet for producing a slice of audio bliss from our very own backyard.

They are a perfect example of a hidden gem, obscured by the plethora of over-hyped and over-promoted local artists, which the public seem to follow blindly as part of their patriotic duty.

If you’re embracing the current multi-textured sound of fellow Kiwi musical collagists Sola Rosa, then let Selon Recliner provide you your latest infatuation.

Sounds like: Modern lounge with a classical sentiment, think Bond after taking acid with Morcheeba.

Listen to while: Entertaining the Jones’ with an aperitif and feigning aristocratic sophistication.

Liz Barry
NZ Musician Magazine

Moody, lush and hypnotic – this is perfect for those cold winter days, conjuring up images of dark swirling clouds, stormy seas and windblown terrains.

Working with producer Dave Holmes (Gramsci, Jacob, Emerald City) the band showcases a rich pallet of mood and atmosphere. Yet maybe ‘The Orchid Door’ is not as dark as it sounds. “Everyone Moves Away” breezes along on mellow atmospheric guitars and is a welcome relief from the intensity of the opening two tracks “Swan” and “Lonely Girl”.

“If Restroom was our interior album then this is definitely about exteriors“ says vocalist and co songwriter Belinda Bradley.

Personally, I loved the lushness of their 2006 debut and instantly became a fan of the then named Recliner. Selon is French for “according to’ or ’the thoughts of’ which certainly seems very apt.

The album artwork is again eye catching with stunning photography and this band are a treat to see perform live – all five members possess considerable songwriting and visual arts talent.

Pour a cocktail, curl up on a comfortable chair and enter ’The Orchid Door’ – its well worth the experience.

****
Stu Edwards
Waikato Times

"The second album from Auckland band Selon Recliner is an atmospheric and sparse experience... with a dark and brooding mood.

Belinda Bradley’s vocals are smooth and complimented with plenty of lush harmonies.

The album is the perfect soundtrack for not being in a hurry, and the songs blend perfectly into one another. The subtle instrumentation paints a cloudy canvas for the vocals to weave their way across.

Swan is a dramatic slice of music fit for a movie with Celtic influenced strings. Walk Like That wakes things up with an angry & hypnotic organ line that pushes things into an entirely different space with a faster driving tempo.

The drums & bass enter the forefront only occasionally, and never at the expense of the dynamics, keeping things well restrained throughout.

This is an international quality recording with class."

MUZIC.NET

“Belinda and Darlene’s vocals are serene and mystical, the guitars are shadowy and hypnotic.

This is a very evocative album; the lyrics are well written and well executed.

The tracks have a hauntingly, subtle nature … an album that needs to be enjoyed in its entirety."

NZ HERALD
Rebecca Barry

“Recliner's songs have a dark, hypnotic beauty that breeze along on mellow atmospheric guitars, poignant keys and gentle beats…

…a luxuriously-produced, tastefully decorated trip-pop album for the post-Portishead generation…

The recording quality cannot be faulted. Everything from the jagged guitars to the ambling drums and warm synths is expertly captured to give a haunting, dreamy effect…”

RIP IT UP Phil Bostwick

“…a collection of ten painfully beautiful languid pop songs…Recliner combines deep layers of crisp instrumentation with distinctly smooth yet weighty female vocals courtesy of lead singer Belinda Bradley “You’ve got hands that touch but there’s no feeling” she sings on opening track Ugly before it soars into sonic soundscape bliss.

Rest Room is an indulgent and often overwhelming musical experience best suited to mature ears and anyone not in a hurry.”

NEWSTALK ZB - Phil Yule:

"Grown up seductive pop...with an underbelly of guitar noise... They've written a stunning New Zealand pop album...exquisitely done"

NZ Music.com:

“In fact, the sonic layering on display throughout the album is nearly as much of a highlight as the sultry vocals of the two singers…reminiscent of the Bristol trip hop bands Massive Attack and Portishead.

…a couple of tunes that allow the band to go into full riff-rock mode ('Something She Said' features a chorus that could have come straight off the Shihad 'how-to-rock' handbook), and you've got an album packed full of great songs...”

Music.net.nz:

Recliner are a cocktail of many genres. They create their own alternative, smooth rock sound, one that is impressively crafted…

'Rest Room' weaves romantically by way of Belinda Bradley’s serene vocals, glossed over with Darlene Te Young’s harmonies. Their voices are a perfect echo setting the scene for the rest of the band to reflect the shadowy atmosphere without flaw…

Recliner have set themselves up with a solid future with this debut album. It is definitely on the way to being a ‘best of’ album for this year.