Charlotte Greve - Waterbodies

Charlotte greve

waterbodies

New Amsterdam Records announces WATERBODIES, the debut solo album from German-born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer and singer Charlotte Greve. Praised by The New York Times as “definitely her own artist,” and featured on two of the publication’s “best of” lists, Greve has drawn acclaim from Pitchfork, MOJO and The Wire for a sound that moves fluidly across jazz, classical and experimental traditions. A sought-after sidewoman for artists including Chris Morrissey, Laura Veirs, Cass McCombs and Matt Pavolka, she recently premiered Breathe for the award-winning vocal ensemble Lorelei, as well as Continuing, a saxophone-and-choir piece presented by Carnegie Hall that debuted at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Produced by Shahzad Ismaily, WATERBODIES features an expansive cast, including the New York-based vocal ensemble KHORIKOS and the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, spanning styles from jazz and ambient to classical, power ballads and ‘80s-inspired dance pop. Unbridled and unapologetic, the album is a deliberate rejection of stylistic cohesion, a defiant journey through Greve’s most cherished musical worlds, and her most personal work to date.

Out Now: “Membranes”

Alongside the announcement, Greve releases “Membranes,” whose upbeat, drum machine driven backdrop places Greve's syncopated vocals front and center as swelling synths bloom in the periphery. "Membranes is a song about the challenge of carrying several hearts in one breast and wanting to feed them all," says Greve. Greve uses the song to embrace all parts of herself as she elaborates, "As a kid, I lived like a chameleon, changing my clothing, language and behavior, depending on who I was spending time with and where. The older I grew, the bigger the wish to combine all the different shapes and forms, both in my character as well as in my music. Let them all live alongside each other - the picture of the semi permeable membrane captured this desirable way of living for me."

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“Although this is my 10th release, in many ways it feels like a debut,” says Greve, who is releasing the record under her own name after nine projects under band aliases. “It captures the full range of what I’ve been drawn to musically. Rather than narrowing things down, I wanted to open them up, placing these disparate influences side by side and trusting their connection would come through because they’re all channeled through me.”
Written while Greve was pregnant with her daughter and first child, WATERBODIES opens with the gentle drone of “The Well,” her distinctive saxophone wandering, curious, before crashing into the poised thrum of “Wave,” a synth-centered, ‘80-pop-inspired track where Greve sings, “Trying to escape the big water coming.”
Soon after learning she was pregnant, a friend urged her, “Record it now, before the baby comes!” The advice provided the impetus to document this moment in her musical life, resulting in a record that kicks against the goads — sometimes contemplative, often triumphant and always sanguine.
“This is the most holistic representation of my musical interests,” she says. “I wanted it to feel like a playground — the opposite of an easy-to-sell, career-minded, one-kind-of-thing record. In some ways, it made no sense. I was pregnant and pouring my money into something that was clearly not commercial. But this was a personal wish. Something I felt I had to do.”
Like currents across the sea, the album’s songs move as individual pieces within a shared world, shifting from spoken word to a full symphony orchestra, improvised jazz to bizarro synth-pop, power ballads to the serene, arpeggiated closer, “Scorpio.” It all ends where it begins: in muted musing, finally bringing the tempest-tossed listener to shore.
“With WATERBODIES, I hope to invite the audience to experience the music as if walking through a film,” says Charlotte Greve. “Contrasting scenes unfold one after another, yet remain connected by a common thread.”
Much like life itself.

Tracklist and Credits

1. The Well
Charlotte Greve: saxophone, synths

2. Wave
Charlotte Greve: vocals, synths
Charlotte Jacobs: vocals
Manuel Schmiedel: synths
Ryan Dugre: guitar,
Chris Morrissey: bass
Bill Campbell: drums

3. Hidden Threads
Charlotte Greve: vocals, flute, synths
Kayla Williams: viola
Mariel Roberts: cello
Rose Stoller: spoken word

4. Lighter Blue
Charlotte Greve: vocals, synths
Manuel Schmiedel: synths
Joshua Crumbly: bass
Buz Donald: drums
Ryan Dugre: acoustic guitar

5. Own Lap
Charlotte Greve: vocals
Simon Jermyn: bass
Keisuke Matsuno: guitar
Mark Schilders: drums
Manuel Schmiedel: synths
Bratislava Symphony Orchestra

6. Membranes
"Charlotte Greve: vocals, saxophone, synths
Joshua Crumbly: bass
Buz Donald: drums

7. Swim
Charlotte Greve: saxophone, alto flute
Shahzad Ismaily: Synths
Manuel Schmiedel: piano
Marc Muellbauer: bass
Moritz Baumgärtner: drums
8. Olive Tree
Charlotte Greve: piano, vocals, saxophone
Moritz Baumgärtner: drums

9. Desert Song
Charlotte Greve: vocals, synths, saxophone
Charlotte Jacobs: vocals
Manuel Schmiedel: synths
Shahzad Ismaily: synths & solo
Ryan Dugre: guitar
Chris Morrissey: bass
Bill Campbell: drums

10. 22
Charlotte Greve: vocals, saxophone
Kayla Williams: solo viola
Mariel Roberts: solo cello
Charlotte Jacobs: vocals
Simon Jermyn: bass
Keisuke Matsuno: guitar
Mark Schilders: drums
Bratislava Symphony Orchestra

11. Scorpio
Charlotte Greve: saxophone
KHORIKOS: voices
Recorded by: Charlotte Greve (1), Katie von Schleicher (2,8,9), Shahzad Ismaily (3,4,6,11), Nanni Johansson & Martin Roller (5,10), Philip Krause (7), & Johannes Felscher (11)
Mixed by: Seth Manchester
Mastered by: Zach Hanson