Americana Highways presents this premiere of “Nostalgia” from Ari and Mia’s forthcoming album Sew the City. Sisters Ari and Mia Friedman were the featured two performers on this song, with Mia on vocals, fiddle and banjo, and Ari on vocals and cello; along with Ariel Bernstein contributing percussion. Sew the City was engineered by Ariel Bernstein at Great North Sound Society and will be available March 1st with its cover art by Kat Waterman.
With low cello tones, the song commands attention with tension and a haunting vocal cadence. The lyrics are poetry and the instruments support the tale on “Nostalgia.” Originally created as a poem and an instrumental song, each on the same theme of nostalgia and winter, the resulting merger here is delightful.
Walking around Jamaica Pond one January afternoon, I was captivated by all the beautiful wintry details. The ice on branches looked like clear flower buds and the pond was breathtaking: little stars had formed under the frozen surface. I had been thinking about the word “nostalgia” and wondering if its etymology had anything to do with some interesting old myth. Back at home I looked it up, and, upon discovering that the word did not have a noteworthy origin story, I decided to make one up. “Nostalgia” tells the story of a woman who is so lost in memory that she has effectively become two people; one shadow-self, ghost-like and hollow, lives in the past and is attached to her physical body by a fraying rope. Eventually, the rope breaks and Nostalgia wakes up in the present moment to witness the beauty of the details I had admired that day. — Ari Friedman
We paired this song with a fiddle tune I wrote called “The Quiet Joys of Winter,” making this arrangement a true sister collaboration. I think the detail of the song’s poetry is well suited to the name and vibe of the tune. — Mia Friedman
Order the album here: https://www.ariandmiamusic.com/
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