Serena Jost

Music:

Member Since: 6/26/2006
Band Website: serenamusic.com
Band Members: Musicians: Serena Jost (lead vocals, cello, keys, guitar) and The Core: Julian Maile (guitar/piano/bu vox), Brad Albetta (bass & so much more), & Colin Brooks (drums). Plus: Bill Dobrow & Matt Johnson (drums), Rima Fand (violin), Todd Horton (trumpet/flugel), Jim Brunberg (banjo) & Greta Gertler-Alice Bierhorst (vocals). Forthcoming CD produced by Brad Albetta and Serena Jost. Supremely made and mixed by Brad Albetta & Brian Fulk at Monkeyboy Studios.
Influences: Skirts with pockets.

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity" (George S. Patton).
Sounds Like: Time Out New York / Issue 667 : Jul 10–16, 2008
Top live shows

Barbès; Thu 10

"Serena Jost writes gently eccentric songs and sings them in an elegant alto, often accompanying herself ..o, but it isn’t quite right to call her a singer-songwriter. The term art song—normally tied to 19th-century concert music—usefully characterizes Jost’s carefully arranged pieces and succinct lyrics, neither quite rock nor folk.

If this sounds a bit highbrow, fear not. One of the highlights of both Jost’s live show and her recently released CD, Closer than Far, is a straightforward, almost rollicking take on Iris DeMent’s bittersweet “Our Town.” Several of her own catchiest vocal hooks (such as on “Vertical World” and “Halfway There”) basically consist of one note, relying on the instrumental chord changes underneath to give them momentum. The slightly old-world, cabaret quality of Jost’s music should be underscored by the intimately curtained back room at Park Slope’s Barbès." — Bob Bannister, Time Out New York

"A richly melodic, stylistically diverse masterpiece." — Lucidculture

"A few years back Serena Jost was a member of the modern progressive cello trio Rasputina. We hesitated to even mention this fact, however, because Jost's own music comes from an almost completely different universe. Whereas Rasputina incorporated elements of industrial rock and chamber/classical music, Closer Than Far presents subtle and intriguing modern progressive pop. But instead of writing and recording modern pop that sounds like every other twenty-first pop artist on the plant, Serena instead presents tunes that have much more in common with some of the more artsy British bands from the late 1970s. Pop fans seeking something immediately familiar and catchy may be somewhat confused by this album. Instead of writing easy pop, Serena composes rather complex and mature melodies that involve different elements from folk music and beyond. Subtlety is the key word here. These songs may not clobber you over the head at first. But multiple spins will reveal cool nuances that are not immediately obvious. Beautiful compositions include "Our Town," "Halfway There," "I Wait," "Awake In My Dream," and "Stowaway." Recommended." (babysue.com)
Type of Label: None