Snowglobe is an EP by Jesca Hoop, self-released through Last Laugh Records on March 7, 2011."Discogs" Snowglobe EP entry on Discogs.com, accessed June 24, 2014. It was recorded after the artist moved to Manchester, England, although the material was written largely prior to the move. It contains four new songs, supplemented by two acoustic renditions of previously released songs. The track 'City Bird' was released as a free download on January 26, 2011,'City Bird' video released March 9th, 2011 while the album was followed by a UK tour.Glasswerk Laura Johnson, 'Jesca Hoop To Release New EP', Glasswerk, January 28, 2011.
Hoop described the experiences of living in downtown LA in ‘City Bird’ where she found that “the block I moved onto was lined with these cardboard houses and people sleeping in doorways", which was contrasted with “expresses my absolute love for home” in ‘While You Were Away’. A leftover from her previous album Hunting My Dress, the song ‘Snowglobe’ referred to her mother's funeral, which she “would have put [...] the album to accompany the other two songs that I wrote for her, but the truth is that I could not sing it without getting choked up”. The regular a cappella curtain-closer for her live-shows, ‘Storms Make Grey the Sea’ was written "by the sea". Although describing them as folk songs, Hoop maintained that while "folk tends to go towards your intellect, [she also wants to] tap into how your body relates to music"."Guardian 2011" Maddy Costa, 'Jesca Hoop: 'I used to live under a tree', The Guardian, April 6, 2011.
Critical reception The EP received some critical acclaim, with Drowned in Sound calling it "a concise but precise chapter in the Hoop story","DiS review" Lauren Strain, 'Ep Review: Jesca Hoop - Snowglobe EP', Drowned in Sound, April 5, 2011. while the NME described it as a 'deceptively opaque EP'."NME review" Simon Jay Catling, 'Album Review: Jesca Hoop - Snowglobe Review', NME, March 30, 2011. The Guardian explained that "musically at least, is simpler and starker. The focus is on Hoop's otherworldly voice (...) while cello and guitar wisp around her".
Track listing
Personnel
Jesca Hoop – vocals, guitar, piano, percussion Jon Thorne – double bass (track 1) Sophia Lineman – cello (track 1) Sam Morris – French horn (track 1) Tim Thomas – percussion (track 3) Jim Wallace – guitar (track 4) Rebecca Stephens – backing vocals (track 4) Zoe Chiotis – backing vocals (track 4) Dave Jay – musical box, vibraphone, guitars
Technical personnel Paul Mortlock – engineering, production (tracks 1,2) & mastering Mano McGlaughlin – production (track 3) Tim Thomas – engineering, mixing (track 3) Matt Killerby – engineering, mixing (track 4 and 6 (mixing) Marcus Alexander – engineering, mixing (track 5) Dave Jay – production, arrangement (track 5) Katell Sevellec – vocal coach (track 5) Jason Looney – engineering (track 6)
Design Melanie Knott – design Frank Ockenfels – photography
References