Colorama (band)

Colorama is an alternative pop group formed by Welsh singer-songwriter, music producer and multi-instrumentalist Carwyn Ellis.
The line-up varies frequently, both in the studio and on stage.^[1]

History

Colorama released their Japan only debut album, Cookie Zoo on Noise McCartney Records in April 2008,^[2] and released their debut single, Sound via Redbricks Recordings in UK.^[3][4]

The band started playing together in early July 2008 and have since played Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Home Game, The Sŵn Festival, Port Eliot Festival, Truck Festival, The Apple Cart Festival, National Eisteddfodau, Cloudspotting Festival, Festival N°6, Green Man Festival and more.^[5][6][7]

In the summer of 2009, the tragic news was announced that their double bass player, Ellis's best friend David Fletcher had died on 29 June, from a heart attack suffered in his sleep,^[8] just days after Colorama’s appearance at Glastonbury Festival.^[9]

Magic Lantern Show, featuring songs in Welsh and English was released in September 2009 with Dere Mewn becoming a modern classic in Wales and garnering rave reviews and lots of airplay on both sides of the border.^[10][11]

In 2010 Colorama released their third album BOX on Noise McCartney (Victor Entertainment) in Japan and See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings in the UK.^[12][13] Shortly afterwards, they released a Christmas single, Cerdyn Nadolig ( Christmas Card ) which garnered them the Welsh Christmas Number 1 on the BBC Radio Cymru chart.^{[14][15][16][17]} BOX was also nominated for the inaugural Welsh Music Prize.^[18]

In October 2011, Colorama released Llyfr Lliwio ( Colouring Book ), which was their first predominantly Welsh-language collection.^[19][20][21]

August 2012 saw their fifth album release - Good Music, produced by Edwyn Collins and Sebastian Lewsley, and featured high in many an end-of year best album list (2012).^[22][23] In November 2012 Colorama released a limited edition 12" single, Hapus? ( Happy? ) on Aficionado Recordings.^[24]

In 2013, Colorama did remixes for fellow artists, John Stammers and AM & Shawn Lee. They reworked John Stammers's Idle I'm, 'transforming the stripped back acoustic song into a massive Balearic groove that has a John Barry-esque cinematic feel to it'.^[25] Two Times by AM & Shawn Lee however, was transformed from its dub reggae roots and given a hard rock treatment.^[26] Shawn Lee returned the favour, remixing Good Music for Colorama on their Do The Pump EP, also in 2013.^[27]

At the end of 2013, the Colorama back catalogue was released on iTunes through the Wonderfulsound imprint, with Cookie Zoo being made available in the UK and Europe for the first time.^[28]

In 2014, Colorama released a new EP, Heaven's Hotel,^[29] a new album TEMARI,^[30][31] followed by a split single, Yn Rhydiau'r Afon / Forget Tomorrow with The Joy Formidable.^[32]

In November 2014, a compilation of all of Ellis's Welsh songs as Colorama was released on his own, new Agati label, entitled Dere Mewn!.^[33]

Personnel

Colorama was started by Ellis in Liverpool in 2007, the first shows being as a duo with David Fletcher, on double bass. In 2008 they became a trio with the addition of Luca Guernieri on drums. After the passing of Fletcher in 2009, the line-up saw a number of changes until settling with Ellis, Guernieri, David Page and Andrea Garbo from 2012.^[34]

Musical Style

Colorama would best be described as a indie pop and alternative though they’ve been described as dream pop, acid folk, psychedelic rock, Baroque pop, fuzz-soul and electropop. The band perform in both English and Welsh.

A Mojo magazine review of Good Music described Colorama’s music as ‘genre-hopping - playful, boundary-free pop with oodles of melodic backbone and a neat line in intriguing sonic detail’, while various observers (Q, Shindig, NME, eMusic) have made comparisons with The Clientele, Caravan, Harpers Bizarre, Vetiver, Fred Neil, The Kinks, Harry Nilsson, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Beck, Steely Dan, Espers, The Free Design, The Left Banke, John Barry and Bagpuss.^[35][36][37]

Discography

Albums

• Dere Mewn! (2015, UK); Agati
• TEMARI (2014, UK); AED Records
• Good Music (2012, UK); AED Records
• Llyfr Lliwio / Colouring Book (2011, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey
• BOX (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey (2010, Japan); NOISE McCARTNEY
• Magic Lantern Show (2009, UK); Redbricks Recordings
• Cookie Zoo (2008, Japan); NOISE McCARTNEY

Singles

• Forget Tomorrow (2014, UK); Aruthrol
• Hapus? (2012, UK); Aficionado Recordings
• Cerdyn Nadolig / Christmas Card (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey
• Sound (2007, UK); Redbricks Recordings

EPs

• Heaven's Hotel (2014, UK); AED Records
• Do the Pump (2013, UK); AED Records

Compilation albums

• #40 Mawr Radio Cymru (2015, UK); Sain
• Mannequins (2009, UK); Kartel
• The Music Sounds Better With Huw: Vol. 1 (2009, UK); Wichita Recordings

Remixes

• Two Times (Colorama Remix) - La Musique Numerique - AM & Shawn Lee (2013, US); Park the Van
• Idle I'm (Colorama Coloured In Remix) - John Stammers (2013, UK); Wonderfulsound

References

External links

• Official website
• BBC COLORAMA
• BBC Cymru Artistiaid COLORAMA
• SEE MONKEY DO MONKEY COLORAMA
• Bad News Records ARTIST COLORAMA (Japanese)
• Bad News Records ARTIST COLORAMA (English)
• Hanner Cant COLORAMA (Welsh)
• datatransmission.co.uk ARTIST COLORAMA
• Green Man Festival : ARTIST COLORAMA
• Port Eliot Festival : ARTIST COLORAMA
• BBC Blogs : Glittering, soulful music from Colorama
• In conversation with Carwyn Ellis at Wales Arts Review
• The changing man - Carwyn Ellis at Western Mail