release date - the Human Hearts

Evoking the spirit of both el and Postcard records, American indie icons Franklin Bruno and Jenny Toomey return to recording with the classiest 7” you’ll hear all year.

 
Billed as the Human Hearts, Toomey and Bruno swing, crackle and POP through two instant classics – the reflective Loyal Opposition, and the Motown meets Orange Juice stomp Distracted.

Bruno is an American singer-songwriter, academic, writer, and blogger originally from Upland, California. He has been a member of Nothing Painted Blue since its inception in 1986, has worked on two Mountain Goats albums, written a book on Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces and is a professor of philosophy.

Alongside Kristin Thomson, Toomey booked the first Riot Grrrl shows in DC and co-founded the prolific indie label Simple Machines in 1990. She played and sang in Tsunami, Liquorice, Geek, So Low, Choke, Grenadine, My New Boyfriend, Slack and her own Jenny Toomey band (with members of Calexico). After Simple Machines shut down, Toomey co-founded the Future of Music Coalition while on sabbatical from a copywriting job at the Washington Post. Now she splits her time between New York and D.C., doing important-sounding work at the Ford Foundation—and for the last decade or more, it seemed like she had put music on the far-back burner. But now, Toomey is back at it again.

For the first time since 2002’s Tempting, Jenny Toomey’s voice appears on a new record via English label Where It’s At Is Where You Are. Not only is it a collaboration with songwriter Franklin Bruno (her long-time pal and off/on creative partner), but violinist and vocalist Jean Cook, who has played with Pulp, The Mekons’ Jon Langford and D.C.’s Beauty Pill, among others also adds strings and ahhhs.

The picture disc is illustrated by Sarah Lippett

review on Bandwidth

Bandwidth have done a lovely piece on the Human Hearts single:

For the first time since 2002′s Tempting, Toomey’s voice appears on a new record—a 7-inch single by New York outfit Human Hearts, expected out in November via English label Where It’s At Is Where You Are. It’s another Toomey collaboration with songwriter Franklin Bruno, her longtime pal and off/on creative partner, and violinist and vocalist Jean Cook, who has played with Pulp, The Mekons’ Jon Langford and D.C.’s Beauty Pill, among others.

The record’s jumpy B-side, “Distracted” (stream it below), is a Motown-tinged pop song that Bruno wrote with Toomey’s hectic lifestyle in mind. ”She’s very connected, and she was one of the first people that I knew well who frequently had their Blackberry or what have you,” Bruno says. (“It wasn’t a Blackberry, it was a Treo,” Toomey points out.) “Usually when we’re getting together to do a session, her husband will call at least once, and there’s a lot of phones and screens and tablets in the room.”

thanks very much Bandwidth!

keeping the weekend free

just in case you haven't already heard it, here's Jenny Toomey singing a Franklin Bruno song back in 1995

lovely

77 days is too long - the Human Hearts (feat Franklin Bruno and Jenny Toomey)

The penultimate single of wiaiwya-7777777 of 2014 (released November 7th) is by the Human Hearts - the latest band fronted by Franklin Bruno (the chap from Nothing Painted Blue, and author of the 33 1/3 book on Elvis Costello's Armed Forces) with guest vocals from Geek, Tsunami, Grenadine and Liquorice front woman Jenny Toomey. As you know Jenny also co-founded the Simple Machines label.

Not only were Simple Machines (along with Grand Royal and Sarah) one of the main reasons for starting a label, but their Working Holiday 1993 singles club (along with the Wedding Present's Hit Parade and OddBox's 100 club) was a huge inspiration for doing wiaiwya-7777777.

Releasing a record with both the incredible songwriting talents of Franklin Bruno, and Jenny Toomey's gorgeous vocals has been one of my ambitions for wiaiwya - thank you Franklin for making it happen!

so, without further ado - you can pre-order Franklin's first recordings since 2012's Flag Pin, and Jenny's first recordings since 2002's Tempting (an album of Franklin Bruno covers) here, and I URGE you to do so!:

the masters have been sent!

the masters for the last 3 singles of wiaiwya-7777777 2014 were sent off this morning

that's three killer singles from My Favorite, the Human Hearts (with Franklin Bruno and Jenny Toomey) and eagleowl

and, of course, it's not too late to subscribe, and get all seven remarkable picture discs before they sell out:

to subscribe to wiaiwya-7777777 2014 (seven 7" picture discs)

incl UK p&p £35.00 GBP incl EUR p&p £42.00 GBP incl US & ROW p&p £49.00 GBP

add 2013 membership number

oooh-oh, we're half way there...

we're at the half way point of 2014's wiaiwya-7777777 schedule, and subscribers should now have had the first 3 picture discs, and a download code for the School single (the record will follow)

i've got the final mixes for the Human Hearts single (the return of Jenny Toomey!!! - i'm thrilled) and the eagleowl christmas record (gorgeous and melancholy, lovely) with the brand new My Favorite single being mastered this weekend

7th April - Freschard and the Wave Pictures

7th May - Trick Mammoth

7th June - the Leaf Library

7th August - the School

7th October - My Favorite

7th November - the Human Hearts

7th December - Eagleowl

and if you haven't subscribed yet, you still can, HERE:

to subscribe to wiaiwya-7777777 2014 (seven 7" picture discs)

incl UK p&p £35.00 GBP incl EUR p&p £42.00 GBP incl US & ROW p&p £49.00 GBP

add 2013 membership number

wiaiwya-7777777 2014: the lineup

oh, yes indeedy... here it is, the lineup for next year's singles club - seven 7" picture discs, featuring exclusive tracks by each band, illustrated by some of my favourite artists, that together form a seven step guide to releasing your own records

what more could you want?

so, without further ado, the bands will be: 

Clemence Freschard (feat the Wave Pictures and Stanley Brinks)

Trick Mammoth

the Leaf Library 

the School 

the Secret History 

the Human Hearts (feat Franklin Bruno & Jenny Toomey)

Eagleowl 

And the picture discs will be illustrated by:

Tom Humberstone 

Daniel Novakovic 

Tanya Meditzky 

Andy Hart 

Jeff Mellin 

Sarah Lippett 

Frances Castle 

to subscribe to wiaiwya-7777777 2014 (seven 7" picture discs)

incl UK p&p £35.00 GBP incl EUR p&p £42.00 GBP incl US & ROW p&p £49.00 GBP

add 2013 membership number