#39: The Jane Austen Argument - The Birthing Pyre

Phoenix (Kingwell/Dickins)
Here In Melbourne (Dickins/Kingwell)
Bad Wine And Lemon Cake (Dickins/Kingwell)
It's Love (Kingwell/Dickins)
The Debt Collectors (Dickins/Kingwell)

Tom Dickins - vocals, 'Judith'* on 'Here In Melbourne' and 'The Debt Collectors'
Jen Kingwell - piano, vocals, 'Judith'* on 'Here In Melbourne' and 'The Debt Collectors'
Lyndon Chester - violin on 'Phoenix'
Cade Diehm - 'Judith'* on 'The Debt Collectors'
Twitter Choir on 'The Debt Collectors' - Ty ‘The Guy With The Headphones’ Carson, Ryan Tessier, Christoph Kummer, Jessica Allyn, Amber Stricklin, Meghan Dornbrock, Cass Dalgleish, Daniel Lee, Jesse Markham, Gerry Norton, Teralyn Tanner, Jhube V, Clay Robeson, Grace Frick, Nick Schultz, Aaron ‘Man with Hat’ Shay, Kim ‘AthenaMuze’ Butler
Produced by The Jane Austen Argument and Cade Diehm

*NOTE: I have no idea what a 'Judith' is...

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, The Jane Austen Argument are what is known in the trade as an "indie cabaret-noir duo" comprised of Tom Dickins and best friend, Jennifer Kingwell. When it comes to live performances, the pair draw on the "cabaret" portion of that title by combining scripted dialogue and acted scenes, with their dark, emotional music. Five of these songs are featured on the debut EP, released whilst on tour with Amanda Palmer this January.

Tom and Jen's voices both sound angelic, and when the pair sing they intertwine perfectly, and Jen's piano-playing as - mostly - the only ever instrument involved, provides an even stronger emotional backbone. The highlights of the EP are 'Bad Wine And Lemon Cake' - a live version performed with Palmer is available on her '...Goes Down Under' album - and the closing track, 'The Debt Collectors', which features a choir of their fans on Twitter.

A little something about The Jane Austen Argument... they have embraced Amanda Palmer's "Ninja Gig" - a show at a random location announced on Twitter a little while before it starts - and have rechristened it the "Twitnic". I find this sort of thing a genius way of building a relationship with fans, using Twitter as a marketing tool, without having to rely on the corporate machine of record labels. Of course, not everyone would be able to do things this way, but for those up-and-coming musical groups? I strongly advise you to do something similar.
Listen And/Or Download Here: http://thejaneaustenargument.bandcamp.com/album/the-birthing-pyre