Azure Ray - Biography
The duo Azure Ray are a fine example of the Saddle Creek sound, a particular sort of folk-pop warbling closely identified with the Omaha, Nebraska-based label of the same name, founded by musician Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes ubiquity). The terms “dream pop” and “ethereal” get liberally bandied during discussions of Azure Ray, rightly so. Members Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor share a close rapport, having been childhood friends in Birmingham, Alabama. In their teens they led a band called Little Red Rocket, which launched with Where Did You Pay (1999 Tim/Kerr). It was a guitar-driven pop affair that received major-label attention thanks to its gender-specific lineup and some inappropriate comparisons to bands like Veruca Salt and Elastica. From there, Fink and Taylor went on a tumultuous ride with Geffen Records, which promptly signed then abruptly dumped them, leaving It’s in the Sound (2000 Tim/Kerr) in the wake. Little Red Rocket split, but Fink and Taylor caught the attention of Saddle Creek with a side project, Now It’s Overhead. In turn, Now It’s Overhead (2001 Saddle Creek Records) opened the door for Azure Ray. Fink and Taylor pursued a more intimate, solemn sound on their eponymous Azure Ray debut, Azure Ray (2001 Warm Records), and its successor, Burn and Shiver (2002 Warm Records). The pair refined and indulged in exquisitely self-absorbed descriptions of romantic pain, loss and heartbreak, singing their delicate, first-person woes over gentle and mostly acoustic accompaniment. The style would serve as an effective template once Azure Ray relocated to Omaha and became fixtures within the equally despondent orbit of Conor Oberst.
Azure Ray’s first effort for Saddle Creek, Hold on Love (2003 Saddle Creek Records), is a dense yet delicately crafted album, replete in soft, enchanting vocals that elevate tracks like “The Drinks We Drank Last Night” and “These White Lights Will Bend to Make Blue.” Hold on Love enjoys vivid production that sparkles within the black-velvet longings of its lyrics and orchestration. The highlight is “New Resolution,” a gripping bit of melancholy gloss that merited an additional EP-only release, New Resolution EP (2004 Saddle Creek Records). However, a furious work schedule started to take a toll on the Azure Ray identity. There were two more releases from Now It’s Overhead: Fall Back Open (2004 Saddle Creek Records), which featured a guest appearance by REM’s peripatetic Michael Stipe, and Dark Light Daybreak (2006 Saddle Creek Records). Fink and Taylor had also become side members of the live version of Oberst’s Bright Eyes, and appeared on his critically acclaimed album, Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002 Saddle Creek Records).
As the opportunities piled up, Fink and Taylor decided not to dilute the Azure Ray brand, and disbanded the project in 2004. They certainly didn’t find time to dawdle. In addition to Bright Eyes, Orenda Fink worked with Moby and Japancakes, started two new Saddle Creek bands, O=S and Art in Manila, and traveled the world; experiences in Haiti and Cambodia informed her solo efforts, Invisible Ones (2005 Saddle Creek Records) and Ask the Night (2009 Saddle Creek Records). Maria Taylor also maintained her Bright Eyes ties, while releasing a series of 70s-inspired soft-rock musings: 11:11 (2005 Saddle Creek Records) has moments of verve tucked between the angst, while Lynn Teeter Flower (2007 Saddle Creek Records) is nuanced exploration, full of loss and vital lifeforce. She then collaborated with Andy Lemaster on Savannah Drive (2008 Nettwerk) and bounced back with LadyLuck (2009 Nettwerk). Fortunately, Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink recognize that their combined talents are greater than the sum of their already enviable parts: Azure Ray reunited for 2010’s Drawing Down the Moon (Saddle Creek Records), a magnificent return from two exceptional gifted singer-songwriters.
