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PlayingInFog.com > Live Reviews: Rykarda Parasol has an authentic storyteller's voice--an eerie, expansive, lost highway kind of voice, with undercurrents of bourbon and swagger. Her sexy EP has been in regular rotation at my place for a couple of weeks, making bedroom eyes while it tells noirish tales of a dangerous South. Given how confidently it seduces, I was a little suprised by how stoic Rykarda's life performance was. She played guitar almost solemnly--a stylish American Gothic, and although it added to her mystique, I admit wanting to *see* some of the warmth and raciness I could hear in that bluesy Siouxsie voice. Rykarda's cover of "She's Like Heroin" deserves special mention for the cascading, falling leaf motions it makes along the lines of the Gun Club's urban shanty.

PerformerMag.com ...Here She Comes is stunning. Parasol is an able front, leading everyone involved into a desolate, western setting. She's accurate in describing her own work as "underhanded and white-collar criminal." These extremely cinematic songs lay out stories of bad deeds and betrayed loves with stark simplicity. While other reviewers have noted throwbacks to Nick Cave and Johnny Cash, it's obvious this desolate, western land is Rykarda's skewed universe. She merely reports on what she sees, thereby creating a genre all her own. In this Americana Noir you can almost hear the tumbleweed blowing by. You witness a Klan lynching in the rambling, Texas-Panhandle blues of the Langston Hughes-inspired "Lonesome Place." In "Lullaby for Blacktail" a train and its passenger-narrator become a sort of Oroboros of loathing. And in a hidden song, Parasol plays a toy organ behind a loosely-translated Baudelaire poem for a closing scene of debauchery. If the narratives start blending together, it's Rykarda's superb vocal command that saves them. Enhancing her otherwise husky intonations, several years of opera training also serves as a source of wonderful conflict, prevalent especially in the opening song "En Route" where her crone-like wail of "Ride! Ride! Ride! Ride!" is given a soft lilt to leave you unsure whether this is banishment or admonition. The effect is unsettling. And that's perhaps the best word to describe the EP. While the edges may be a little rough, it's certainly deserving of a spot in the collection of any self-respecting music lover. One day you'll say "I heard them when..." (Blood of the Young Records) - Shane Bartlett

BornBackwards.com >Reviews
"Enter the impressive vocals of Rykarda Parasol (best name EVER). She has a sweet way of bellowing her words much like Debbie Harry does. Her powerful, deep voice carries the lyrics with great control, constantly varying from hard, deeper sounds to airy, high notes. She also, obviously, has an excellent handle over her vocal projection, making her somewhat commanding in her singing. Parasol gives me goosebumps. Her bluesy sound fills me with images of a dark, empty bar in the middle of the boonies, where she sways and sits slightly intoxicated on a barstool in a cloud of smoke. Each of these five narratives would give any listener a gallery of vivid imagery. The music of the first track is instantly soothing and dreamy, with churchy piano and organ sounds to back up the crooner. Parasol really bears the weight and greatness of this E.P. "She's Like Heroin," the second track, is accredited to Gun Club, but could be easily sung by Lou Reed without question. There is more prevalent, unique piano work here and Parasol seems to honestly pine over the woman described. "Here Comes Misery I" is a slow, haunting song, opened by sullen piano and organ... The singing is somewhat hesitant, reflecting the severity of the subject to the story-teller. With her dark images and desperate and melancholy vocals, she makes me want to give her some Zoloft... Parasol clears her throat and starts slowly singing, pleading to this woman to stay near rather than return to Texas (I don't blame her). She is more raspy in this short and sweet song, which is reminiscent of a lullaby... I really enjoyed this entire sampling and can barley wait for the full length. - Amber > BornBackwards.com

Bay Area Buzz Initially sounding like a peppy version of the Bad Seeds fronted by P.J. Harvey, comparisons of Rykarda Parasol to Nick Cave are inevitable. Dead lovers, whisky, love-as-narcotic-habit, thunder-and-lightning. RP's deadpan vocals (the band is named for the singer) are backed by generally spare instrumentation. Although her voice is alluring, its super-cool delivery undermines the emotion of her able lyrics, especially in "Lonesome Place," about a woman's lover who is lynched by klansmen. The most effective tune turns out to be a secret track after the sixth and last song, where Parasol's wonderfully bored vocals recite a poem by Baudelaire about an opium den over a psychedelic wash of organ. These are engaging songs, and the passion that lies in wait in this ripening band will be something to hear when they let it loose. -Dan Nelson

Mystery & Misery Gothic American Rock? If your not sure what that genre sounds like, listen to the (rykarda parasol's) MP3s... The lyrics fall somewhere in between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave. The band is right up there with their peers as not too many people can make music so dark yet sound so rich and beautiful.

Luna Kafe e-Zine Rykarda Parasol is both a band and a singer. Their EP is pretty special. Parasol's hard-edged yet seductive voice is amazing. Echoes of PJ Harvey can be found in it and in the music. The cool "Lonesome Place" is splendidly malevolent. Parasol's vocal struts like a cat over a bluesy guitar. Here Comes Misery I" is a serene song. Rykarda Parasol's singing is drenched in the misery she so lovingly sings of. It's never self-indulgent though, only beautiful. The band plays perfectly on the Bad Seeds-like "Lullaby for Blacktail". Parasol is very bit the mysterious noir chanteuse here. The cover of Gun Club's "She's like Heroin" is lovely. Parasol sings of longing and obsession like it was her song in the first place. The EP promises great things from this band. Their album could be a classic. - Anna Maria Stjarnel

MakeOutClub.com > Zine > by: Vanessa Smith

Rykarda Parasol (vocals/piano/guitar) invokes thoughts of Chan Marshall, but with a hint whiskey-coated sadness... Parasol's stunning voice paints stories of romance, loss, need, the typical topics songwriters choose. However, the songs on this distinctively packaged (a black enveloped tied in black ribbon) 5 track ep are woven so beautifully and intricately that the music haunts and moves in an entirely unique fashion. Songs like "Texas Midnight Radio" and "Here Comes Misery I" somehow sound classic and new at the same time, while "Janis, Don't Go Back..." appears to be an impassioned plea to Janis Joplin to not return to her home state. Equally outstanding is the stirring rendition of Gun Club's "She's Like Heroin". This recording is not easily placed into any genre of popular music today, and that is more than likely a good thing. (Rykarda Parasol) has a sound that soothes and provides catharsis, the kind of music you listen to late at night while in bed with the headphones on and the lights out, or when kissing your favorite bottle. Simply put, (Rykarda Parasol) offers some of the most promising musicianship heard in quite some time.

High: A wonderful surprise, well crafted, evocative and
poignant music. Beautiful and creative packaging.

Low: None. Even the sound quality of the CD is great.

Think: Chan Marshall (Cat Power) meets Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with a touch of Leonard Cohen (the band bio/press kit was right on the mark with this).

Verdict: Not enough good things can be said about this band. Fans of any of the above mentioned artists should take a listen.

SplendidEzine.com
"...The songs are moody, vampish noir tales; David Lynch would need just one listen to Parasol's eerie delivery to draft them as the house band on his next film project. Parasol is smart enough to realize that tunes like these should be delivered as straightforwardly as possible, without pointless atmospherics or over-the-top vocals. In fifteen minutes, this will have you eagerly anticipating a late night cocktail in the dark, your only accompaniment the tinkling and the moans their disc will drag out of your stereo.

...great songs...when they get huge, you'll want to be the guy or girl who knew them when they had their 'young, raw, untutored sound'. " - Brett McCallon

San Francisco Bay Guardian >
"Parasol is a real-piece of work. She is a rough-throated crooner who sings in the somber shadows" - Alex Lash, San Francisco Bay Guardian

Leicester Bangs > CD Reviews
When a CD arrives wrapped in black paper, tied with black ribbon, it's natural to expect some Goth influence in the music. The 5 track EP came dressed just like that, and sure enough, it oozes the black stuff, but not that your average Bauhaus / NIN fan would recognize it as such. (They) play sweeping American Goth country music, which permits them to slow down the Gun Club's "She's Like Heroin" and make it their own, or underpin the title track with dark piano and organ - not unlike the Cowboy Junkies playing David Ackles. I'd love to hear a whole album. - Leicester Bangs, UK

m a t a m o r e

A positive review, here's my French translation:

A new American group fronted by the mysterious singer Rykarda Parasol... She reminds me of PJ Harvey in her "to bring me my love" days. I can't quite place it though - perhaps its the bluesy quality. And then, she reminds me of Siouxsie in her power. But it's not like any British singer for their is a definite American earthy and sad quality. The voice comes down low to offer up stories, like Nick Cave, that are histories told w/ morbid and black tones... In short, on the five titles of this E.P, no nest to be neglected, and for most curious, I will advise even to listen to the 3 other songs posted on the Rykarda Parasol and Her Band web site. The sound remains strong and the songs also are successful, if not better. - Valerie, Matamore, Belgium

Independent Songwriter Magazine
Indie Picks Of The Month

"Punk music that's sexy but not easy. Don't expect to leave without a fight."

The Art of the Mix Rykarda Parasol might have to be my latest obsession- I am usually not a fan of female singers, but her voice and music is just gorgeous.

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