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

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!: