Since the release of last year’s exquisite Mountain Man album, Magic Ship, Alexandra Sauser Monnig aka Daughter of Swords has readied her upcoming solo album, Dawnbreaker. And off the back of the wondrous single, Gem, she has now previewed another slice of the record through Shining Woman.
Dawnbreaker was written about a breakup that was yet to happen, while working as a farm hand, and the results are stunning. ‘I wrote Shining Woman at a moment when I was feeling really stuck and wrapped up in ideas about what being an adult woman looks like,’ Sauser Monnig said. Regarding the video she stated, ‘The vision of this powerful person alone on a bike trip not asking permission from anyone appeared out of nowhere, and took up residence in my mind. Like my subconscious staging an intervention and reminding me that I haven’t died, there are no rules, and that I have the power to make different choices for myself.’
The LP will be released through Bella Union on 28th June. In the meantime, we caught up with Alexandra to find out what’s been providing her inspiration as of late. Here are her Sound & Vision picks:
Three of my favourite albums:
Whack World by Tierra Whack
Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits
All three of these have been in my heavy rotation for awhile. My band, Mountain Man, opened for Kacey Musgraves this past winter in Nashville and her set was mind blowing. We all cried.
A film that I love:
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
Saw this for the first time a couple of months ago and I laughed so hard in the first five minutes that I thought my abs might break.
My favourite book:
Tehanu from the Wizard of Earthsea series by Ursula K Le Guin
I love the world of Earthsea and the way Ursula K Le Guin’s handling of gender and power becomes more nuanced as the series progresses. Tehanu is the point where you really begin to see things shifting.
A song that’s important to me:
Walk of Life by Dire Straits
The organ line on Walk of Life is the sound of pure unbridled joy to me. It makes me want to shuffle dance around every time I hear it.
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