Johanna Kunin

Midnight tangos with ghosts, journeys into the minds of suicidal insects, childhood memories set off-kilter by bad dreams: reality is sometimes elusive but always uniquely beautiful in Johanna Kunin’s melodic meditations. She may sing you an infectious pop song, but not without twists of harmony and turns of phrase that set it refreshingly off the beaten track. She also possesses the kind of sadly angelic voice that compels you to follow on whatever journeys she has in mind, strange though they may be. Although Johanna Kunin now makes her home in Seattle, it is her upbringing among the “10,000 lakes” and meteorological extremes of Minnesota that tends to appear in her lyrics. In particular, childhood summers spent in the Boundary Waters have left a strong impression on the 28-year-old; one from which she now draws both metaphor and insight as a songwriter. Her thoughtful, minimalist piano parts form the strong sonic backbone around which her melodies are built. She writes for the piano with a subtle complexity that calls to mind the music of Chopin or Erik Satie while still having a decidedly pop language all her own. In August, 2006, Johanna Kunin self-released her deb... more...