UK indie pop duo KARAMELIEN present 'Lionhearts', a song of determination and resilience

September 23, 2022

''One of the best singles so far in 2022, this is a true work of beauty and professionalism, taking you to your very own ascension heights" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

"Upbeat, a joyous folk-rock affair... bedecked in kaleidoscopic sixties sparkle, a slight splash of psychedelia and a whole tsunami of charm and grace" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"A hug of soulful indie pop with groove as infectious as its melodic breath and lyrical smile is poetic... seductive captivation" ~ Ringermaster Review

UK-based indie pop duo Karamelien present their second single, called 'Lionhearts'. A sumptuous, uplifting track about love and unity in difficult times, this was produced by RIDE frontman Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound near Oxford. The accompanying video was created by Eveshka Ghost.

Karamelien makes soaring perfect pop. Based in East Grinstead, this duo is singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido and guitarist Mark Foster - two long-time friends. The breezy heartened video, created by Eveshka Ghost, perfectly captures the elevated spirit of this song and its creators.

'Lionhearts was inspired by the past couple of years, during which we've all been getting so despondent, confronted by negativity in the news and social media. Covid and other diseases, war, climate change and so on. When actually, there is so much love in the world, good things being achieved, communities coming together, positive things happening," says Léanie Kaleido.

"A friend of mine suggested I write something to convey that and the song happened pretty quickly for me! The idea of the heart of a lion is something that has cropped up in my songs before and comes from my Buddhist practice, which uses that expression a lot and feels so empowering."

This project brings Léanie Kaleido's music into new exciting territory, following up her critically acclaimed 2021 album 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale', also produced by Mark Gardener.

Earlier, Karamelien debuted with the grooved-out 'Ascension Heights' single, featuring a sample from the track of the same name by Top Topham', who is not only Kaleido's father but also The Yardbirds' original guitarist before Eric Claptonassumed his place. Only 15 at the time, he was pressured to leave the band to pursue Art studies. Eventually signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon label as a solo artist, Topham again re-joined The Yardbirds a few years ago during their 50th anniversary tour.

A really moving Father / Daughter work of beauty, this song also features former Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Mo Pleasure, whose CV includes collaborations with Ray Charles, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. With guidance from Paul Statham (Dido, Simple Minds, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Natalie Imbruglia) in sampling her father's track, Kaleido performed the pre-production work from her home studio.

'Lionhearts' and 'Ascension Heights' are out now and are available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

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KARAMELIEN debuts single 'Ascension Heights' feat. YARDBIRDS legend TOP TOPHAM

August 1, 2022

'One of the best singles so far in 2022, this is a true work of beauty and professionalism, taking you to your very own ascension heights" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

UK-based soulful indie pop duo Karamelien present their debut single 'Ascension Heights', a laid-back and groovy summer tune inspired by and featuring Top Topham's track of the same name. While technically a new project, this soaring perfect pop offering actually has a rich and touching backstory.

Based in East Grinstead, Karamelien is made up of singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido and guitarist Mark Foster - two long-time friends. The breezy heartened video, created by Eveshka Ghost, perfectly captures the elevated spirit of this song and its creators.

'Ascension Heights' samples the track of the same name by Léanie's father Top Topham, the original founding guitarist of The Yardbirds before Eric Claptonassumed his place. After all, while he may have been ahead of his years musically, he was actually just 15 and his parents wanted him to finish his Art studies. Topham would eventually sign to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon record label as a solo artist. Much later, he also re-joined The Yardbirds for part of their 50th anniversary tour, which took place several years ago.

Produced by RIDE frontman Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound near Oxford, this song features an appearance by a special guest bassist - Mo Pleasure, formerly of Earth, Wind & Fire, whose CV also includes performances with Ray Charles, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, among others.

"I met Mark Foster in my twenties through a mutual friend, when he started to play my songs live with me. My first album's title 'Karamelien' was made up as an anagram of both of our names’. I also like it as an artist name, so decided to go with it as Mark and I are now back playing together again," says Léanie Kaleido.

"We took my quirky but melodic songwriting style and introduced a more bass and beats-driven sound á la Morcheeba, Portishead, Massive Attack, etc. I'm just focusing on having fun with my songs now and drawing on my influences from both indie and hip hop, but always influenced by classic songwriters. such as Elton John and Joan Armatrading."

Indeed, this project brings Léanie Kaleido's music into new exciting territory. More firmly in singer-songwriter territory was her 2021 critically acclaimed album 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale', also produced by Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound.

"Ascension Heights' is a really moving Father / Daughter work of beauty. A total pleasure and honour to work on... A hot tune for the hot summer for sure," says Mark Gardener.

With guidance from Paul Statham (Dido, Simple Minds, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Rachel Stevens, Natalie Imbruglia) in sampling her father's track, Kaleido performed the pre-production work on this song from home, saying this "was a great feeling and allowed me more room to experiment with hip-hop beats".

'Ascension Heights' is out now, available everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Written by Léanie Kaleido
Léanie Kaleido - vocals, piano, keys, programming, arrangements
Guitar and intro sample (with permission from Blue Horizon Records) from Top Topham's 'Ascension Heights'
Mark Foster - guitars
Mo Pleasure - bass
Recorded and produced by Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound
Additional production by Joolz Dunkley
Mastered by Turan Audio
Top Topham sample permitted by Blue Horizon Records.
Video and artist photography by Eveshka Ghost

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Léanie Kaleido releases Mark Gardener-produced 'How To Weigh a Whale Without A Scale' LP

March 11, 2021

"Great music with stellar delivery... Sheer light and positivity radiates through the confessional storytelling woven through her piano-based offering, leaving you eager for the next chapter" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“Gets under your skin and you just end up playing it constantly... with echoes of the more ethereal parts of the British folk movement in the early seventies, Leanie Kaleido has that curiously English charm” ~ Bluesbunny Music Reviews

"There is a tenderness and pureness here framed in the braveness of revealing one’s soul to a beautifully raw and grounding melody" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Piano and Léanie's clear, strong voice are the primary instruments... nicely understated throughout, but you can hear just a little dreampop drift in, via heavenly harmonies and the occasional lush synth part" ~ Brooklyn Vegan

On March 12, UK singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido will release her new album 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale', produced at OX4 Sound Studio near Oxford by Ride frontman Mark Gardener, who also contributes guitar on one track. Ahead of this, she previews the lead track 'All The Things I'm Made Of'.

No stranger to music, Kaleido grew up in a musical household. Her father Top Topham was the original lead guitarist in The Yardbirds and was signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon record label as a solo artist.

"This album was recorded during very strange times but in fact, those in-between lockdown studio sessions turned out to be a godsend. Working with Mark Gardener, who understood exactly what my tracks needed, gave me the confidence to focus on my vocals and lyrics, and not to throw the kitchen sink at every song. He’s an amazing producer and his attention to capturing the ambient sound in the room as well as the instruments is something that sets him apart from anyone else I’ve worked with," says Léanie Kaleido.

On this long-play, Kaleido plays lyrically astute, laid-back pop, piano-based ballads with the odd quirky guitar ditty thrown in, showcasing Léanie’s eccentric look at life. This new release will thrill Léanie’s existing fans, giving them lashings of melancholia, but peppered with that ever-present tongue-in-cheek commentary that tells you she never has and never will take herself – or anyone else - seriously.

But this third album also cements her as a consistently accomplished songwriter, unbound by the notion of what is ‘cool’ as she sits back and enjoys the thrill of writing unabashedly from the soul.

Léanie, who grew up "snogging posters of Ride and wanting to be PJ Harvey", has, over time, settled into the acceptance that her songs just come out the way they do. “Not especially cool", she says, “but I’m really proud of some of my lyrics. Getting ‘salient verities’ into a song gave me a lot of satisfaction! Now Mark is a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs. And he has the best selection of green tea. I’m now a loose leaf connoisseur, thanks to him!”

Kaleido's 50th year went off with a bang thanks to Gardener's open-armed invitation to record at his Oxford studio. After four or five sessions throughout the less locked-down parts of 2020, and ten songs later, an album was born.

"The songs on this album represent the highs and lows I’ve encountered over the past few years, how I’ve dealt with them and what I’ve learnt through the process. It’s a mixture of love, regret, philosophies, humour and hope. I’ve always been a late developer, and so this to me feels like a coming-of-age album," says Léanie Kaleido.

As of March 12, the 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale' LP will be released everywhere digitally, including Apple Music and Spotify. It may also be obtained directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Léanie Kaleido - Vocals, piano, ukulele, strings, drum programming, synth bass
Mark Gardener – Producer, guitar, bass
Jono Harrison – Guitar, drum programming, synth bass (Codeine, Kite String Mantra)
Chris Gussman – Guitar and engineer on ‘Hat Thief’, engineer on ‘Mr Dragonfly’
All songs written by Léanie Kaleido. Copyright @2021
Cover photo by Jono Harrison
Cover created by Sara Truckel

Keep with Leanie Kaleido
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify |

Keep up with Mark Gardener / OX4 Sound
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | OX4Sound Twitter | Mark Gardener Twitter | Instagram | YouTub

UK indie pop artist Léanie Kaleido announces new LP, presents 'All The Things I'm Made Of' single

February 9, 2021

UK singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido has announced she will be releasing a new album, entitled 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale', produced by Ride frontman Mark Gardener at his OX4 Sound Studio near Oxford. Gardener also contributes guitar on one track. Ahead of this, she previews the lead track 'All The Things I'm Made Of'.

No stranger to music, Kaleido grew up in a musical household. Her father Top Topham was the original lead guitarist in The Yardbirds and was signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon record label as a solo artist.

On this long-play, Kaleido plays lyrically astute, laid-back pop, piano-based ballads with the odd quirky guitar ditty thrown in, showcasing Léanie’s eccentric look at life. This new release will thrill Léanie’s existing fans, giving them lashings of melancholia, but peppered with that ever-present tongue-in-cheek commentary that tells you she never has and never will take herself – or anyone else - seriously.

But this third album also cements her as a consistently accomplished songwriter, unbound by the notion of what is ‘cool’ as she sits back and enjoys the thrill of writing unabashedly from the soul.

Léanie, who grew up "snogging posters of Ride and wanting to be PJ Harvey", has, over time, settled into the acceptance that her songs just come out the way they do. “Not especially cool", she says, “but I’m really proud of some of my lyrics. Getting ‘salient verities’ into a song gave me a lot of satisfaction! Now Mark is a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs. And he has the best selection of green tea. I’m now a loose leaf connoisseur, thanks to him!”

Kaleido's 50th year went off with a bang thanks to Gardener's open-armed invitation to record at his Oxford studio. After four or five sessions throughout the less locked-down parts of 2020, and ten songs later, an album was born.

"The songs on this album represent the highs and lows I’ve encountered over the past few years, how I’ve dealt with them and what I’ve learnt through the process. It’s a mixture of love, regret, philosophies, humour and hope. I’ve always been a late developer, and so this to me feels like a coming-of-age album," says Léanie Kaleido.

"Mark Gardener was determined to make my vocals and lyrics 'the stars of the show' and this has steered my sound to something more stripped back and atmospheric. Mark is a top bloke. He made me feel at ease straight away. The anxiety tablets I’d taken with me to stop myself exploding with fear weren’t needed and we got on famously from the start. It was such a laugh recording with someone who once had been the target of my ‘dribbly poster snogs’ and now is just a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs."

'All The Things I'm Made Of' is now available as an immediate-gratification download upon ordering her 'How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale' LP. As of March 12, the full album will be released everywhere digitally and will be available across online streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. It can pre-ordered directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Léanie Kaleido - Vocals, piano, ukulele, strings, drum programming, synth bass
Mark Gardener – Producer, guitar, bass
Jono Harrison – Guitar, drum programming, synth bass (Codeine, Kite String Mantra)
Chris Gussman – Guitar and engineer on ‘Hat Thief’, engineer on ‘Mr Dragonfly’
All songs written by Léanie Kaleido. Copyright @2021
Cover photo by Jono Harrison
Cover created by Sara Truckel