august and after – and so she thinks

Ned Stranger – Forever Lost

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 08:01:56 +0000

The multi talented Ned Stranger has released his debut single Forever Lost. Drawing on acoustic melodies and electronic beats, it’s an amazing melding of genres and styles that engages and enlivens throughout. His voice sounds strong and bouyant, fully finessed, even as the musical shapes shift beneath him. It’s a simple contemplative tale about the end of the world and some kind of desolation, which has never felt more apt, and feels right in step with the way we live now. But it’s also lively and optimistic, constanty evolving through the music. One part of the incredible August and After, Ned’s solo stuff sees more varied influences and styles work together to create something enigmatic and exciting, as complex synthscapes and peaceful tension combine to create a song that captures you at different points in various ways

Ned doesn’t want to rest, so is also showing an online gig for subscribers to his newsletter, and running a short story competition. Head to his website to find out more.

He also has this to add: ‘I am there for each and every one of you in whatever way you need. Whether it’s a free music lesson or some content writing or practical advice on managing your time or finances or just someone to sit and listen, please reach out for a chat.’ What a guy.

August and After – Wolves

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 20:34:00 +0000

Ned Mortimer and Vedantha Kumar, aka August and After, have been joined by Jordan Bergmans on viola, and the trio are weaving together their voices and guitars to make the delicate and gentle folk that has been characteristic of the band since their inception, with a new sparkle coming from the member. New single Wolves is a howling belter, dense and immediate layers of brewing emotion building up from the sparce and intimate intro. The strings work is thick with sensual movement, and the guitar work plucked and precise. Taken from forthcoming debut album Embers it is an excellent reintroduction to a band honing their craft and forming their character with a vulnerable strength.
https://soundcloud.com/augustandafter/wolves

August And After – Embers

admin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:36:15 +0000

Released August 1st

Two people, ten guest musicians, a haunt of instruments, and an album of subtle beauty. August and After, also known as Ned Mortimer and Vedantha Kumar, release Embers, an album with a title well chosen, its beauty lying in its gentle flickering rather than any brash roar. Music of a vespertine air, as the day closes and house lights start to dim.
Opener Halley explores a journey, the growth of a life and the two people sharing it together, one of many stories in song form of past experiences. Woven between the lines of all the songs on this album these personal reflections and explorations are so welcoming that they create the feeling that not only are you enveloped in the fabric of the songs, feeling every emotion, but there is nowhere else that you would rather be.
Gleam Behind The Ghosts is given a body of its own in the wholesome string section, and the aching pathos of Waltz For Marie is the how all stories should sound. A quivering guitar on Salamander slowly nullifies any angst, beautifully enunciated diction of lyrics such as ‘apples cling to stratospheres’ in The Orchard add to the variegated beauty within this set of songs, and personal favourite The Jailbreak Song bounces off its boundaries, flexing muscles in a sparse space, fans contributing the foreign spoken word.
A rich tapestry of sounds, each of varying thickness and complexity, all added to a band of aural excellence. It’s hard not to believe that each sound on this record has been nurtured and grown with love and reverence. Art fans to the core, their live performances are a visual experience, and the duo have a series of collaborative film projects scheduled for the summer, including two animations, a contemporary dance video with the UCL dance society and Tripos Productions, a video project with the London School of and have created an independent art platform, whereby fans and artists submit their art as an accompaniment to the songs.
Celebrate their album launch on June 14th at The Islington.