Barbara Trentalange, who performs under the name Trentalange, grew up outside Chicago and began performing classical music on piano and flute in various youth symphonies at an early age. In 1992, she moved to Seattle, where she became involved with the musicians associated with Pattern 25 Records, leading her to work with such groups as Spyglass, Sushirobo, and Head Like a Kite. In 2005, she toured as a member of Crooked Fingers. Playing most of the instruments herself, she recorded her debut solo album, Photo Album of Complex Relationships, which was released by Coco Tauro Records on October 3, 2006.
~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Bio of "Awakening, Level One."
Trentalange, the project of multi-instrumentalist Barbara Trentalange, is a veteran musician who began expressing herself musically before she could read. Her talent has carried her around the world and allowed her to play with amazing performers like Crooked Fingers, Calexico, Micah P. Hinson, Head Like a Kite, Sushirobo and Mark Pickerel (formerly of Screaming Trees). Trentalange's songs are vibrant powerful portraits of complex and compelling characters.
After fronting the darkly sophisticated Seattle band Spyglass for five years, Trentalange released her first solo project on Coco Tauro records in 2006 called, "Photo Album of Complex Relationships". The critic's response to the record was overwhelmingly positive. Trentalange's haunting voice and hypnotic beats grabbed the attention of the music editors at Mtv, VH1, and The Oxygen channel, where her music is in regular rotation on a wide variety of dramatic series.
Trentalange's music is a balance between raw power, vulnerability, early heavy metal and disco beats. Her new release "Awakening, Level One" continues the momentum started with "Photo Album..." and sonically shoots into outer space landing on planet Moog. She mines the depths of the human psyche to compose character studies that would make Edger Allen Poe, Nick Cave, and members of Pink Floyd proud. Though dark in nature the listener can't help their body from moving and heart from racing to her sonic sequel. Drawing from diverse influences, such as Black Sabbath, Massive Attack and Blondie, Trentalange crafted a sound that is both unique and compelling.
Trentalange composed, performed and recorded the songs on "Awakening, Level One". With producer Martin Feveyear (Jupiter Studios), drummers Mark Pickerel and Faith Stankevich, and backup singers Dave "Head Like a Kite" Einmo, and Daniel G. Harmann, Trentalange has created a solid repertoire of songs that she skillfully recreates live. Seattle's Sound Magazine put her in the top ten artists to watch in 2008.
With a lifetime of passion and dedication her skill and creativity are astounding. Her music defies description; and cannot easily be put into any one genre. Trentalangess songs are so saturated with emotion and style new sonic discoveries will be made with each listen.
Bio of "Photo Album of Complex Relationships"
Evocative and atmospheric. It should come as no surprise that Barbara Trentalange - the voice and creative force behind Trentalange - is also a visual artist.
Lush, moody and provocative, the songs on "Photo Album of Complex Relationships" are cinematic soundscapes built upon instrumentation that includes cello, piano, flute, bass and percussion, with Trentalage's voice - velvety and emotive - as the foundation and centerpiece.
After touring as part of the most recent line-up of Crooked Fingers and fronting the darkly sophisticated Seattle band Spyglass, the chance to write and record her songs was a liberating and intriguing experience. Trentalange wrote, recorded and performed the vast majority of the album herself. Members of Crooked Fingers, Spyglass and Head Like a Kite added flourishes before Trentalange joined producer Martin Feveyear (Rosie Thomas, The Dark Fantastic) and drummer Mark Pickerel (Screaming Trees, Neko Case, Brandi Carlisle) at Seattle's Jupiter Studios to add the finishing touches of drums and vocals.
The resulting 12 songs are indeed striking (and sometimes unsettling) snapshots of lust, longing, terror, grief and loneliness. The relationships in "Photo Album of Complex Relationships" are ones where terms like "darlin" can be bruising and menacing; where the comfort of another's company is fleeting - and sometimes lethal.
If that sounds melodramatic, it's far from it. Lyrics are oblique and understated, and Trentalange's voice is a soothing, hypnotic force. The drama comes from the arrangements - the slow-building dirge of "Rabbit" that, like the hunt portrayed in the song, rises to a finale and climaxes abruptly, or the ghostly backing vocals of "Stand Alone" that underscore a murder hidden in what feels like an upbeat number.
Like any good drama, "Photo Album of Complex Relationships" draws you in and holds your attention until the end. It's a gripping and engaging album from an artist who's come into her own.