Artist Discovery Series Promotes Jesca Hoop

Artist Discovery Series Promotes Jesca Hoop

Teaming with NPR, Whole Foods Market, and Vanguard Records, Inspire will be distributing Jesca Hoop’s groundbreaking album, Hunting My Dress across stores nationwide. James Schoensiegel, Music Supervisor for Inspire, leveraged a cross-promotion between NPR First Listen, KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic, and Whole Foods Market’s website, blog, and newsletter to maximize publicity and enhance album sales.

Here’s our President, Jimmy Dunne, on Jesca Hoop:

When I think of the albums that have withstood the test of time— that continue to impress themselves on new generations of listeners— they tend to share a few common elements: a sense of “location,” a narrative thru-line, an authentic sensibility, a rooted trademark “sound.” And they’re always risky. Kind of Blue. OK Computer. Sgt. Pepper. London Calling. Jesca Hoop’s Hunting My Dress boasts all of the promising elements of a timeless album, and it’s already garnered the affection of critics worldwide. Through our Artist Discovery Series, we’re joining the cause of launching her inventive artistry to center stage. You can find Jesca Hoop’s new album, released by Vanguard Records, in your local Whole Foods Market starting August 6.

Hunting My Dress traverses a broad range of acoustic and electric textures, but it never loses direction; each track further investigates the rich and mysterious layers enveloping Jesca Hoop’s eerily antiquated voice and her bent for storytelling. There is a constant tension as centuries collide, between 19th century hymnal/traditional ballads, 20th century blues and roots rock, and contemporary avant-rock and electronic. “Tulip,” Jesca Hoop’s take on traditional murder ballads, juxtaposes folk instrumentation with contemporary elements of synth-infused dub. “Four Dreams” is a “hoedown” with hints of Robert Johnson in the bridge, but it diverges there with its surrealist imagery and bubbly Bjork-esque vocals.

But it’s not just the merging of multiple influences to a contemporary sound that makes Jesca Hoop so interesting; other recently celebrated emerging acts with female artists, like The Dirty Projectors and St. Vincent, are already harkening to affiliations with the likes of Bjork, David Byrne, and Beck, for their ability to draw from the past. It’s the emotional gravitas of Jesca Hoop’s lyricism and expression that earned her the ongoing support of Tom Waits, and her selection for the Artist Discovery Series. Beyond the sonic experience of her music, her songwriting is captivating. A noteworthy example is “Angel Mom,” a heart-wrenching conversation from a girl to the ghost of her mother, which beautifully navigates between the rage of her loss and the liberating joy of remembering a loved one.

For all of these reasons, and many more, we are proud to promote Jesca’s music in Whole Foods Market. Look for Jesca as she performs in Lilith Fair with our most recent Artist Discovery selection, Nneka!

http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/07/jesca-hoop/