Claire Voyant
Encyclopedia
Claire Voyant is a dream pop
, darkwave
, ethereal wave
band from Sacramento
, California
. The trio were once part of a 5-piece band called Murmur, which split over creative differences. Their 1995 debut, Claire Voyant
, has been followed by three more studio albums, Time and the Maiden
in 1998, Love Is Blind in 2002 and Lustre
in 2009, each introducing new elements making each a distinct work of its own. They are currently signed to Metropolis Records
.
Victoria also contributes to electropop artists HMB and Mono Chrome. Chris also contributes to HMB.
and a drum machine
, so the trio left Murmur to start their own band. They had a difficult time finding a new name; many of the ideas they came up with had already been taken. Eventually, Victoria got the name Claire Voyant from a 1940s comic strip. The band felt the name fit the music they made, and they liked the wordplay, so the moniker stuck. They released their debut in 1995 on their own independent label, Nocturne. They then sent the album to Projekt records
, who then forwarded it to the German label Hyperium Records
. Hyperium put Claire's song Her on their Heavenly Voices IV compilation album, which garnered Claire a lot of publicity in Europe. Hyperium reissued the album, and went on to distribute their next album, Time and the Maiden
. Their third album, Love Is Blind, was released in 2002 on Philadelphia indie label Metropolis
, who had by then re-released Time and the Maiden with bonus tracks for the US market. On September 22, 2009, their fourth studio album, Lustre
, the first in seven years, was released.
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
, darkwave
Darkwave
Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
, ethereal wave
Ethereal Wave
Ethereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
band from Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The trio were once part of a 5-piece band called Murmur, which split over creative differences. Their 1995 debut, Claire Voyant
Claire Voyant (album)
The eponymous debut album of Claire Voyant was first released in 1995. In 1997 it was reissued on the German label Hyperium Records, and was re-released once more in 2000 under Accession Records.Each release of the album features very different artwork....
, has been followed by three more studio albums, Time and the Maiden
Time and the Maiden
Time and the Maiden is Claire Voyant's second album. All but one of the 10 original songs were remixed for Time Again, a collection of remixes.-Track listing:The original 1998 release contained tracks 1-10...
in 1998, Love Is Blind in 2002 and Lustre
Lustre (Claire Voyant album)
Lustre is the fourth studio album released by dream pop/darkwave band Claire Voyant.-Track listing:# "Lustre"# "Shine"# "Into Oblivion"# "Another Day "# "Mercurial"# "Painted Gold"# "Lost"# "Flicker"# "Broadcast"...
in 2009, each introducing new elements making each a distinct work of its own. They are currently signed to Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
.
Victoria also contributes to electropop artists HMB and Mono Chrome. Chris also contributes to HMB.
Murmur and Claire
Prior to the formation of Claire Voyant, its three members were in another band called Murmur. They realized that Chris could do everything that the bass player and drummer did (and more) with a synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, so the trio left Murmur to start their own band. They had a difficult time finding a new name; many of the ideas they came up with had already been taken. Eventually, Victoria got the name Claire Voyant from a 1940s comic strip. The band felt the name fit the music they made, and they liked the wordplay, so the moniker stuck. They released their debut in 1995 on their own independent label, Nocturne. They then sent the album to Projekt records
Projekt Records
This is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...
, who then forwarded it to the German label Hyperium Records
Hyperium Records
Hyperium Records was a German independent record label specializing in ethereal, darkwave, neoclassical, gothic, and ambient music, founded by Oliver Roesch and Oliver van Essenberg in 1991...
. Hyperium put Claire's song Her on their Heavenly Voices IV compilation album, which garnered Claire a lot of publicity in Europe. Hyperium reissued the album, and went on to distribute their next album, Time and the Maiden
Time and the Maiden
Time and the Maiden is Claire Voyant's second album. All but one of the 10 original songs were remixed for Time Again, a collection of remixes.-Track listing:The original 1998 release contained tracks 1-10...
. Their third album, Love Is Blind, was released in 2002 on Philadelphia indie label Metropolis
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
, who had by then re-released Time and the Maiden with bonus tracks for the US market. On September 22, 2009, their fourth studio album, Lustre
Lustre (Claire Voyant album)
Lustre is the fourth studio album released by dream pop/darkwave band Claire Voyant.-Track listing:# "Lustre"# "Shine"# "Into Oblivion"# "Another Day "# "Mercurial"# "Painted Gold"# "Lost"# "Flicker"# "Broadcast"...
, the first in seven years, was released.
Studio albums
- Claire VoyantClaire Voyant (album)The eponymous debut album of Claire Voyant was first released in 1995. In 1997 it was reissued on the German label Hyperium Records, and was re-released once more in 2000 under Accession Records.Each release of the album features very different artwork....
(EponymEponymAn eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Debut), 1995 (Remastered and re-released in 1997, 2000, and 2010) - Time and the MaidenTime and the MaidenTime and the Maiden is Claire Voyant's second album. All but one of the 10 original songs were remixed for Time Again, a collection of remixes.-Track listing:The original 1998 release contained tracks 1-10...
1998, (Re-released in 2000 with 3 bonus tracks) - Love Is Blind 2002
- LustreLustre (Claire Voyant album)Lustre is the fourth studio album released by dream pop/darkwave band Claire Voyant.-Track listing:# "Lustre"# "Shine"# "Into Oblivion"# "Another Day "# "Mercurial"# "Painted Gold"# "Lost"# "Flicker"# "Broadcast"...
2009
Other
- Time Again A Collection of Remixes, 2000