Anna Domino
Encyclopedia
Anna Domino is a Tokyo-born indie rock
artist who has released several albums under that moniker, notably for Les Disques du Crepuscule
and Factory Records
. Notable performers Domino has collaborated with include The The
, Blaine L. Reininger and Virginia Astley
. She is also one half of the duo Snakefarm. Additionally, she sang lead vocals on the song "Here In My Heart" by The 6ths
on their album Wasps' Nests.
Her stage name is a play on the term Anno Domini
, and an American sugar brand.
in Tokyo, Japan to an artistically-inclined family who particularly enjoyed singing. Her father, James J. Taylor
, was in the United States Army
before he became a videographer
in Washington, D.C.
; her mother, Mimi Cazort
, is curator emerita for National Gallery of Canada
. Her brother, Alan Taylor
, is a well-known film
and television director
.
Being part of a military family, Domino has lived in various places around the world — Ann Arbor, Michigan
, Florence, Italy and Ottawa, Canada. She eventually settled in New York
, where she became a fashion designer.
bands, but didn't catch the attention of American record labels until she had released several albums with the Belgian
record label Les Disques du Crépuscule
, releasing a single in 1983, Trust In Love. Two E.P. releases, East and West and , followed in short order. In 1986, her first complete album Anna Domino was released. In 1987, she met Michel Delory, guitarist for Bel Canto
and Univers Zéro
, and they collaborated on her second album This Time, which received positive critical attention and airplay in Japan. In 1989, Domino released another E.P., Colouring In the Edge and the Outline followed by her third album Mysteries of America in 1990. Since then Domino has not release any further albums under her own name, other than compilations and re-releases.
On June 1, 2010 Domino released a new single, Blood Makes Noise - 20 years after her last release. The single (originally by American singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega
) is a part of Allergy To Consciousness, a singles series released on alternative/minimalist independent music label EnT-T.
alternative
outfit Snakefarm, and released the album Songs From My Funeral, a collection of murder ballads
from the 1920s to the 1950s. Their second album My Halo At Half-Light was released on October 11, 2011.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
artist who has released several albums under that moniker, notably for Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques Du Crépuscule was a Belgian independent record label.The label was started in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, residents of Brussels who had previously organised and promoted concerts in the city. Initial releases were by Factory Records artists, and were labelled as being...
and Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
. Notable performers Domino has collaborated with include The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, Blaine L. Reininger and Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley
Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. From the start of her songwriting career in 1980, Astley took her inspiration from many sources. Her classical training influenced her as did a desire to be experimental with her music...
. She is also one half of the duo Snakefarm. Additionally, she sang lead vocals on the song "Here In My Heart" by The 6ths
The 6ths
The 6ths is a band created by Stephin Merritt, also the prime mover behind The Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes.One story has it that the band was conceived when Merritt, observing that there was no tribute album dedicated to him, decided to make one himself...
on their album Wasps' Nests.
Her stage name is a play on the term Anno Domini
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
, and an American sugar brand.
Background
Domino was born an army bratMilitary brat
A military brat describes people who spend their childhood or adolescence while a parent serve full-time in the armed forces, and can also refer to the unique subculture and lifestyle of American military brats, the term refers to both current and former children of such families.Lifestyle: The...
in Tokyo, Japan to an artistically-inclined family who particularly enjoyed singing. Her father, James J. Taylor
James J. Taylor
James J. Taylor was a self-taught videographer and member of Actors' Equity Association in New York. Taylor was the driving force behind the creation of the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive ....
, was in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
before he became a videographer
Videographer
Strictly speaking, a videographer is a person who works in the field of videography, video production — recording moving images and sound on video tape, disk, other electro-mechanical device. News broadcasting relies heavily on live television where videographers engage in electronic news...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; her mother, Mimi Cazort
Mimi Cazort
Mimi Cazort is a scholar and a former Curator Emerita for Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada.- Biography :From 1970 to 1997, she was the Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada....
, is curator emerita for National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
. Her brother, Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor (director)
Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...
, is a well-known film
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
.
Being part of a military family, Domino has lived in various places around the world — Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Florence, Italy and Ottawa, Canada. She eventually settled in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she became a fashion designer.
Solo
Early in her career, Domino sang with a number of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
bands, but didn't catch the attention of American record labels until she had released several albums with the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
record label Les Disques du Crépuscule
Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques Du Crépuscule was a Belgian independent record label.The label was started in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, residents of Brussels who had previously organised and promoted concerts in the city. Initial releases were by Factory Records artists, and were labelled as being...
, releasing a single in 1983, Trust In Love. Two E.P. releases, East and West and , followed in short order. In 1986, her first complete album Anna Domino was released. In 1987, she met Michel Delory, guitarist for Bel Canto
Bel Canto (band)
Bel Canto is a Norwegian music duo, originally a trio, fronted by Anneli Drecker, and signed originally to Crammed Discs.-Biography:Their first two records were licensed to Nettwerk Records in Canada and its second album was licensed to IRS/MCA Records...
and Univers Zéro
Univers Zéro
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....
, and they collaborated on her second album This Time, which received positive critical attention and airplay in Japan. In 1989, Domino released another E.P., Colouring In the Edge and the Outline followed by her third album Mysteries of America in 1990. Since then Domino has not release any further albums under her own name, other than compilations and re-releases.
On June 1, 2010 Domino released a new single, Blood Makes Noise - 20 years after her last release. The single (originally by American singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
) is a part of Allergy To Consciousness, a singles series released on alternative/minimalist independent music label EnT-T.
Snakefarm
In 1999 Domino and Delory formed the folk rockFolk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
outfit Snakefarm, and released the album Songs From My Funeral, a collection of murder ballads
Murder Ballads
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion."Where the Wild Roses Grow," a duet featuring...
from the 1920s to the 1950s. Their second album My Halo At Half-Light was released on October 11, 2011.
Albums
- East and West (Crépuscule, 1984)
- Anna Domino (Crépuscule, 1986)
- This Time (Crépuscule, 1987)
- Colouring in the Edge and the Outline (mini album, Crépuscule, 1988)
- L'Amour fou (compilation, Crépuscule, 1989)
- Mysteries of America (Crépuscule, 1990)
- Favourite Songs from the Twilight Years (US-compilation - Janken Pon, 1997)
- Dreamback: Best Of (LTM, 2004)
12" Singles
- Trust in love / Repeating (Crépuscule, 1983)
- / Target (Crépuscule, 1984)
- Take that / Koo Koo (Crépuscule, 1985)
- Lake / Hammer (Crépuscule, 1987)
- Tempting / Always Always (Crépuscule, 1988)
Vinyl releases on Factory Records
- FACT 165 Anna Domino LP
- FAC 158 Summer (Arthur Baker Remix) / Summer (Arthur Baker Instrumental) 12"
- FAC 158/7 Summer (Arthur Baker Remix) / The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game 7" (A side is edited version)
Snakefarm
- Songs From My Funeral (Kneeling Elephant, 1999)
- My Halo At Half-Light (Fledg'ling Records 2011)
External links
- Anna Domino biography at LTM Recordings
- Ectophile Guide to Good Music entry
- Official Facebook page
- Official MySpace page
- Anna Domino on EnT-T