valentine's day The Secret Life of Sofia - Seven Summits Out Today

valentine's day When we last checked in with The Secret Life of Sofia, they assured us the release of their debut full-length Seven Summits was "semi-imminent". And after weeks of hand-assembling 500 limited edition copies, they've emerged from their impromptu sweatshop to announce that as of today the wait is officially over!

To get your mitts on one of the limited edition copies, you have several options. Firstly, you can head over to their site right HERE and have it shipped to you for $12 (includes shipping).

OR, if you're like us and have one of those semi-fetishist collection compulsions, lead singer/guitarist Kyle Wilson tipped us off that the lower-numbered copies (they are all hand-numbered after all) are currently stocked at Etherea and Sound Fix (and he assures us that #1 of 500 is on the shelves at Etherea) for $8.

And of course, the band will also be selling copies at all future live shows for $10, their most recent string of dates listed after the jump along with some interesting info about the inspiration behind Seven Summits....

valentine's day a glimpse inside the TSLOS sweatshop during the hand-packaging process
Wilson posted a MySpace bulletin late last night/early this morning detailing the stories and characters behind the songs on the album. As he writes:

"All of the stories on Seven Summits are at least partly true. Some are completely true, and were told to me firsthand. Some are more like historical fiction. All of them, I hope, are respectful to the parties involved, most of whom I have great admiration for.

The idea of writing the album Seven Summits first came to me on a climb of Long's Peak in Colorado. The experience was life changing, and I soon became intoxicated with the drive to climb more peaks. I also became fascinated with the stories I was hearing from other climbers and reading in books.

So it's a limited edition, hand-numbered concept album? Shoot, we like where this is going.....

Listen:
"Outside"
"Fifty Fourteeners"

See also:
- The Secret Life of Sofia - new record, two brand new MP3s, live dates
- The Secret Life of Sofia @ The Delancey - 26 February 2008
- StereoactiveNYC/Hot Rocks Official CMJ Showcase - 20 October 2007 @ The Delancey
- The Muggabears, The Secret Life of Sofia, Mancino, Nous Non Plus @ Pianos - 12 May 2007
- EAR FARM Presents... at Sin-e - 29 June, 2006

See The Secret Life of Sofia Live:
16 May - New York, NY @ Rehab (Crashin' In)
30 May - New York, NY @ The Delancey
05 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
20 Jun - Harrisonburg or Charlottesville, VA @ TBA
21 Jun - Washington, D.C. @ The Velvet Lounge
22 Jun - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
27 Jun - Lehigh Valley, PA @ TBA
04 Jul - Brooklyn, NY @ The Yard

Visit The Secret Life of Sofia on MySpace.

valentine's day The Secret Life of Sofia - new record, two brand new MP3s, live dates

valentine's day The Secret Life of Sofia shared some tantalizing news with EF yesterday, announcing the "semi-imminent" release of their anticipated full-length album Seven Summits. You may remember that we picked TSLOS as one of our top artists to emerge this year, and judging by the two advanced tracks below, we feel so clever! Hold on, we're patting ourselves on the back right now.

The first song, "Outside", is a delicate gust of autumn air in your speakers, a lovely, pastoral romp that establishes the reflective mood that permeates much of Seven Summits. Your palate cleansed, be sure to then check out the galloping "Fifty Fourteeners" and witness the band at its most propulsive and exaltedly frenetic. Together, these two tracks form a nice preview of what to expect on the rest of the album, but don't take our word for it. Listen to it, love it, and act on any of the below opportunities to see TSLOS and hear the new material live in the near future (see below). And though there is no solid release date for the album yet, the band is hard at work putting together a handmade-packaged limited edition version for tentative release at the end of May.

Listen:
"Outside"
"Fifty Fourteeners"

See The Secret Life of Sofia Live:
4 April @ MACRoCk (mid-Atlantic College Music Conference) @ Court Square Theater in Harrisonburg, VA
5 April @ Annex, NYC with Tiny Animals + TAB the Band
21 April @ Union Hall, Brooklyn opening for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin + Via Audio

Visit The Secret Life of Sofia on MySpace.

*above photo taken by Josh Goleman.

valentine's day The Secret Life Of Sofia @ The Delancey - 26 February 2008

valentine's day The Secret Life Of Sofia (above) performed at The Delancey this past Tuesday night. They played a set consisting mostly (entirely?) of songs from their upcoming soon-to-be-released album Seven Summits which they've just finished mastering. The show found the band joined at times by some guest musicians: Leah Paul on flute (pictured above, from the band The Bridesmaids) and Nadim Issa on keys (from the band Mancino*, who also played a set after Secret Life - watch live video of a new song from this performance over on EARF).

As usual, The Secret Life Of Sofia delivered a very strong performance that showed off their full range of abilities from middle-of-the-woods haunting delicacy to full-bore pop rock. This is a band that's equally well matched for an intimate set at a venue like the Living Room as well as a support slot at a place like Bowery Ballroom for a band like Grizzly Bear. Not that I'm telling the powers that book what to do; but yeah, I guess I am. In fact, if I were playing matchmaker, I'd say that a label like Dead Oceans might want to consider looking their way in regards to putting out this Seven Summits album of theirs. One thing's for sure, The Secret Life Of Sofia is one of Brooklyn's top unsigned gems. More pictures, as well as live video of a few songs, after the jump.

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Watch:
"Weathering" by The Secret Life Of Sofia live (from this show) on YouTube | download QT
"Seven Summits" by The Secret Life Of Sofia live (from this show featuring Nadim Issa) on YouTube | download QT

See more pictures EF from this show (and others): The Secret Life Of Sofia | Mancino

*full disclaimer - Mancino is the band of EAR FARM Mike - head over to EARF to watch a brand new Mancino song called "Crossing Guards".