Naked Mâché (2011)

Naked Mâché is now up and available on Bandcamp!

http://daysofrae.bandcamp.com

From here you can stream Days of Rae’s latest album, Naked Mâché AND you can download it for whatever price  you want….and yes…that means even free.  :)

So go ahead…click the link, turn up the volume and enjoy!

And please…forward to anyone you know who you think might enjoy a tune or two!  Help spread the word!

also available on

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PRESS RELEASE:

WWW.DAYSOFRAE.COM

Days of Rae will be releasing their first full length album titled Naked Mâché on Friday, February 4th, 2011. The new album was recorded at Gettysburg studios in Golden Valley MN and mixed and mastered by Shortman Studio’s Darren Jackson (Kid Dakota, The Hopefuls). Naked Mâché is a collection of song rich in dynamic melody and thoughtful lyric. It blends Cherie Rae Cobbs’ singer songwriter roots with the band’s indie pop/rock sensibility to produce a sound that ranges from intimate and emotional to dark, brooding and elegant.

Days of Rae have been heavily active in the Twin Cities music scene since they began in 2009. In this time, they have been showcased with radio airplay on local stations 89.3 and 90.3 fm, internet radio play on Sianet radio, as well as live on air interviews and performances on both radio for 90.3fm and television on NBC affiliate KARE11.

They are celebrating the release of Naked Mâché at O’Gara’s Garage in Saint Paul MN. The event starts at 9pm, is 21+ and there will be a $6 cover charge at the door.

A free copy of Naked Mâché will be given to all in attendance at the CD release show. Following the release, it will be available for download online and physically in local independent record stores and direct from Days of Rae.

Days of Rae can be followed on their website at www.daysofrae.com as well as on all major social networks including Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.

For more information, interviews or promo requests, please contact:

Shon Cobbs -612-234-5723

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Reviews:

How Days of Rae Makes Me Want to Hear More

http://oomphmusicblog.com/how-days-of-rae-makes-me-want-to-hear-more/

• July 28th, 2011
• Posted in bands
• By Jeff McQ
• Write comment

Picking music to write about is not an exact science for any music blogger. Music is just too subjective for that. For me, out of the many music submissions I get, I choose not just to write about those artists who have all their ducks in a row, but also artists with potential. Also, contrary to common belief, I don’t just write about bands from Denver, although I keep a running joke about that. Generally what prompts me to write about a band or act is when something in their music captures my attention, and makes me want to hear more.

Days of Rae falls into that category.

When Cherie Rae Cobbs, part of the wife/husband team that heads up Days of Rae, contacted me to let me know their Minnesota-based act was relocating to Denver, and asked me for my thoughts about their record Naked Maché, I understandably had no idea who they were. But the first few seconds of the first song got my attention, and definitely made me want to hear more. The record contains moments of brilliance with interesting arrangements, catchy melodic hooks (which anyone who reads this blog knows I’m a sucker for), and a unique overall sound.

That isn’t to say the record isn’t without its flaws, or that the band doesn’t have some growing to do. In between those moments of brilliance I spoke of earlier, there are also places where the music feels kind of washed out. As I listened, I found myself sometimes losing interest by a mixture of bland melody lines, pitch/tuning issues and occasional rhythmic sloppiness…and then another moment of brilliance would come and wake me up again.

So, yes, Days of Rae makes me want to hear more–I want to hear more of those moments of brilliance that made me take notice. If I take this record as a snapshot of the band, I’d say Days of Rae definitely has what it takes to make it–they just need to evolve and grow a bit. The elements of greatness are present; now it’s time for those elements to be worked throughout the music like spices in a stew, so they appear throughout the songs, and not just in a few brilliant places.

Geesh, I sound like a chef or something.

So…more, please. I look forward to hearing more from Days of Rae, and since they’re going to be local, I look forward to watching their evolution from here.  Meanwhile, take a listen to “Paperdolls,” the opening track from Naked Maché. IMHO, it’s the catchiest tune on the record–and it’s the song that initially made me want to hear more. And if it makes you want to hear more, you can download the whole record here, and name your price for it.

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Days of Rae – Naked Mâché

Toby
Lunch of Champions music blog

http://lunchofchampions.com/2011/08/days-of-rae-naked-mache/

Days of Rae‘s Naked Mâché is delightful in the most delightful sense of the word. Refreshing and creative, it packs a mature musical punch with its rich tone and minimalist layers of instrumentation.

It’s a shame that the band is moving to Colorado, because everybody knows that Minnesota is better.

Give the album a spin; you will love it.

This entry was posted in Toby’s Posts by Toby. Bookmark the permalink.

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Days of Rae – Naked Mache’
Armond Blackwater
Atlantic Beach, FL
February 3, 2011

Listening to Naked Mache’ by Days of Rae for the I’ve-lost-count-of-how-many times since they provided a reviewer’s copy,  I’m trying to finish my review of the album while dealing with the realization that there is so much to say about this work of art that I don’t know where to stop or how to edit while giving proper due.

I don’t use the word Masterpiece lightly or often.

Naked Mache’ is a Masterpiece, a work of unparalleled brilliance.

Harmonies – Clint Trotter, Shon Cobbs, Ian Carleton, and Cherie harmonizing with herself (it isn’t as easy you might think.)  The layering and placement of the harmonies work like a finely crafted play ala Tennessee Williams. Characters and ghosts weave in and out, emotions ebb and flow, and time stands still… at times.

Lyrics – long ago my mentor Amiri Baraka related to me that Keats had charged poets with the responsibility of relating Truth and Beauty. The lyrics in this album embrace Keats vision.

“Chronically tempted, poison touch, the one that you invented… that you love so much” – fromInventor.

Beautiful truth, the greatest compliment that a poet can receive, is the theme that permeates Cherie’s lyrics.

The greatest truth as a musician is playing only what is needed – that is also the hardest part. There are no wasted or spare notes on these songs. Every chord, vocal passage, harmony, and note is placed with the fine stroke of a master painter.

Musicians: Shon Cobbs plays bass, supporting instrumentation, and acted as producer using the strokes of a masters’ brush.

Clint Trotter plays spot-on drums, so solid, so tight – so right.

Ian Carleton is the versatile keyboard player I’ve always hoped to be.

Producers/Recorders: Ryan Pula, Shon Cobbs. Impeccable capture of instruments, vocals, and emotions.

Mixing/Mastering: I will teach courses using this album as the reference point on recording technique, production values, mixing, songwriting, instrument and sound placement, vocals, album layout, and harmonies used to maximum effect.

Darren Jackson of Shortman Studios in Minneapolis mixed and mastered this Masterpiece. Spaciousness is the prominent result of Mr. Jackson’s work. He places the listener in the room with the band; you can hear where every player and singer is in the room. It takes a very special talent to execute that concept to this level.

Naked Mache’ has caused more buzz in our studio than any in recent or distant memory. Dig it -armond

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Review of Days of Rae album Naked Mache.

By Jillian Williams

Days of Rae have produced an extraordinary album that belongs in every true music lover’s collection. I can’t stop listening to it.

It’s no secret that I prefer female singers, particularly if they have something to say. Cherie Rae Cobbs has a ton to say. She sings the tales of a woman who is smart, savvy, strong, defiant, lovely, tender, and in control yet vulnerable at the same time.

“I got everything you wanted. I got everything you think you need. You got everything you wanted,” Cherie sings in Bravado, “But not from me.” The opportunities for a girl to use that line are endless. I love the defiant, downright mocking way she delivers the line. Great lyrics are another thing I’m partial to and she delivers a barrelful.

“I’m changing my mind, you’re changing my mind, it’s changing my mind, I’m changing my life,” the chorus to Right About That. Need I say more?

Another example comes in their song Fallen Empire, “It’s replaceable, although nothing much is lost. It’s replaceable; lots of fools come with a cost.” Although, that isn’t what I thought I heard the first time. Instead of cost, I heard a word that begins with C and ends in K. I was projecting my own pain into the lyrics (recent breakup – don’t ask). My point is that the song spoke to me deeply, very deeply.

“It’s too late, too late for you and me.” I hear ya, girl. I’ve been there before and I’m there again. Who of us aren’t in that position in life, some of us frequently? Too Latereally rocks out the story of love that has come and gone.

And now, I’m crying. Not because of my own fresh grief but rather at Cherie’s beautiful voice – the nuances that she adds effortlessly that relate every ripple of vibration that crawled down my skin on that fateful night. Wait, that never actually happened to me, but I feel like I just lived the story. Now, that is a gifted storyteller.

“One more time, take your hands off my waist. Can’t you see I gotta keep you at arm’s length,” Cherie sings in Paper Dolls. Her breathy delivery implies, “I gotta keep you at harms length.”

“Chronically tempted, poison touch, the one you invented that you love so much.” Dwell on that line from The Inventor. It will never leave me. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have replayed this song. Amazingly soothing while deeply insightful, I lose myself in this song.

Level Me actually leveled me – its peppy tempo that transition perfectly out of The Inventor. This song is so much fun I forgot all the pain that I was reliving.

On Naked Mache’ Cherie sings, “You get me completely, you know just where I’ll be,” speaking of a girl who has found love, real love… and the songs breaks down into a real French, honky tonk feel.

The musicians backing Cherie are amazing, perfect partners in this collaboration.

Naked Mache’ joins a small list of albums where I love every song. I have a wall filled with CDs that have one good song, two at most. We now live in an era where we download what we like and forget the rest. I downloaded this entire album. Ok, so I got a free reviewer’s copy, but I did load every song onto my IPod.

I am delighted that I have a new sing-along album in my collection. Thank you, Days of Rae.

Jillian Williams, Reporter
Beachhead Gazette
Atlantic Beach, FL

***Review received as attachment by email on 02/01/2011:

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