Aimee Bobruk

“When I hear music, I see pictures and the other way around,” says Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk. “So naturally, when I write songs it starts with me trying to set an image to words and sound.” Those who study synesthesia might perk up with this statement, but for music fans, it’s also an interesting idea. Bobruk claims that a number of paintings, cartoons, and films inspired her upcoming album, /ba.’brook/, out January 29.

The visual element is even in the record’s title, a phonetic spelling of her unusual last name. Bobruk worked with some Austin luminaries to help craft her vision. Brian Beattie–longtime bassist for the local punk outfit Glass Eye–produced the effort, having previously worked with Daniel Johnston, Okkervil River, Shearwater, and Bill Callahan. The inventive percussionist Dony Wynn sat in behind the kit, following stints with Robert Plant and Robert Palmer.

But the real star on the record is, of course, Bobruk herself. Taking cues from old Disney film scores, the songs contain certain fantastical elements that really make you take notice. “Two Of A Kind” starts off sounding like a cassette demo before a higher-definition version works its way in. The mixture of crystal-clear sound and warbling analog accents lends intimacy to the song, and it’s all topped off by Bobruk’s ethereal melody. Whatever the sounds give you visions of, you can certainly see–and hear–the young artist’s singular talent. - KUT.org Radio

Exclusive interview and preview of upcoming album, /ba."brook/ (1/29/13)
by renowned DJ David Browne. - KUT.org Radio

To say that Austin-based songwriter Aimee Bobruk likes to color outside of the lines, musically speaking, would qualify as a pretty serious understatement. It's not surprising that Bobruk, who cites silent movies, painting and cartoons as influences, named her forthcoming January 29 album after the phonetic spelling of her name -- /ba:'brook/ -- this is an musician who brings a distinctive visual focus to her art, as if she wants to see what others might hear. Calling on local indie stalwarts producer/bassist Brian Beattie and drummer Dony Wynn to help interpret her songs instrumentally, Bobruk manages to find the hidden, shadowy essence of her compositions, turning a song like her new "Two of a Kind" from what might have been a straight forward folk/pop song into something reeling, woozy and completely left-of-center. And, concurrently, completely disarming. “My original demo vocal was very shaky and lo-fi, and I loved the fragile texture of it, but I told my producer that there was no way I could ever reproduce it," says Aimee. "So, he started arranging the song into a duo that would consist of my old vocal side-by-side with the new track and we ultimately produced a song that morphs back and forth, between old and new, with one voice from two different times.” - Direct Current Music

KUT.org selects Bobruk's "Two of A Kind" as it's Song of the Day - KUT.org

Denmark's Jelling Musikfest is one of the larger festivals in northern Europe. Located in the green fields outside Jelling, a small suburb of Vejle, the six stages draw 25,000 people a year and some of the bigger acts from Denmark, England and the continent. At last year's festival, the last weekend in May, the headliners included France's synth pioneer Jean Michel Jarre, Ireland's blue-collar rockers Thin Lizzy, Denmark's Springsteenish legend Poul Krebs and Denmark's up-and-coming pop-rock duo Hush. Also part of the line-up were two Texans, Troy Campbell and Aimee Bobruk, singing their recent Danish hits. - Texas Music Magazine

Austin-based musician and singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk will be a featured artist in Starbucks playlists nationwide in 2013. - Starbucks

Aimee Bobruk was invited to be a featured artist photographed and interviewed in Austin's Premeire music photo book. - Mathew Sturtevant

"Nothing short of a work of art."

"The Safety Match Journal, the debut from Austin, Texas songstress Aimee Bobruk, is a work to be savored from beginning to end. Each song carries enough pop sensibility to stand on its own, but the album as a whole—strung together with quirky and inventive instrumentation, almost tribal percussion with a lilting blues beat and ethereal, folk-savvy vocal stylings—is nothing short of a work of art.

“Liverpool” opens the set with a heartbroken girl’s attempt to regain lost love. The threat of heartache continues in the deceptively upbeat “Fools for Love,” a rollicking lesson in the consequences of materialistic romance. Finally, “Shores of Gold,” a breathtaking soundscape with a glimmer of hope, leaves the listener savoring every last page of this insightful Journal." - Performing Songwriter

"She [Aimee] certainly has her own sound."--Sandra Beckmeire, KOOP 91.7 FM Radio - Sandra Beckmeire

A sweet, sensual and surprising album from start to finish

Austin’s Aimee Bobruk takes every opportunity to defy convention. Not least did she send out her promo CD’s encased in old 12 inch record sleeves, individually pasted over with paint and stickers - enough to capture even the most jaded journalists attention. But the twenty-six year-old, who could have so easily blended in with a glut of middle-Americana songstresses, has teemed up with innovative producer Darwin Smith to give her songs on THE SAFETY MATCH JOURNAL a variety of edgy, indie, ambient, classical and even prog rock spins. The result is a lush yet delicately textured palette if ever there was one, sensitive and uncluttered.

But just when you’re acclimatized to the spacey effects of Puppets at Play or the bass synths, trombone and vibraphone worldliness of Yo Los Veo a comparatively simple and rootsy number like Precious Jesus or Blessing peeks round the corner and knocks your socks off. With echoes of Po’ Girl, Feist and the Cowboy Junkies, these are clever songs executed with great intelligence. HK
- Maverik Magainzine, UK

This...is a debut album...???!! Whew, you'd never know it from the sound of the smart, mature compositions on The Safety Match Journal. Aimee Bobruk's smooth, crystal clear voice immediately reminded us of Mary Hopkin...although in terms of songs she is markedly different. So many up-and-coming artists quickly throw together some words and music...and are then declared "the next big thing" by easily-persuaded folks in the media. Journal is a different animal altogether. Aimee writes smart, memorable tunes that hold up to many repeated spins...and the arrangements are impeccable. The minute subtleties in these compositions all serve their appropriate purpose...which is to support the main melodies. This is easily one of the best debut albums we have heard this year. Cool pensive cuts include "Liverpool," "Fools for Love," "Here She Comes," and "Shores of Gold." Recommended. (Rating: 5++) - LMNOP BabySue

"...gorgeous instrumentation."

"Aimee Bobruk presents a notable debut with The Safety Match Journal. It's something to please Cowboy Junkies fans, given Bobruk's dreamy, Timmins-esque vocal languor and the CJ's Kim Deschamps on steel. Bobruk's songwriting recently left the folk-pop cocoon and tries out its muted-color wings with gorgeous instrumentation and a flutter of hesitancy. Bobruk brims with potential and plenty of time to test the waters."--Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle

Link to this review online at:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A610833 - The Austin Chronicle--by Margaret Moser

This review received the following Headline in the Printed Version:

Bobruk's 'Journal' Lies Somewhere Between too Weird and Stunning!

"Ready-for-radio 'losing the magic'...Bobruk is at her best when she is like everyone else, only more open and with an atmospheric voice made for both cello and feedback."


"“The Safety Match Journal,” so texturized with unique musical ideas, finds Bobruk and producer Darwin Smith veering from Lilithian expectations. With “Fools For Love” bringing “vo-de-oh-doe” to modern times, “Dulcinea” dripping in dreamy lust, and shards of guitar scratching the melody of “First Move,” the album gets a little close to the edge of too-weird.

But the stunning, ready-for-radio “Losing the Magic,” the most singer-songwriterly song on the album, ties all the loose ends together.

With the slow-strumming “Precious Jesus” and LP closer “Shores of Gold” other highlights, Bobruk’s at her best when she’s like everyone else, only more open and with an atmospheric voice made for both cello and feedback. "— Michael Corcoran

Link to this review at:
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2008/02/28/cd_reviews_aimee_bobruk_bob_sc.html - The Austin American Statesman--Michale Corcoran

There are several ways to approach making an album. You can just hit the record button, play the music and hope to capture the energy. You can put in certain instruments and try to emulate the sound of a genre. You can also focus on textures and soundscapes, in an attempt to create something more like film. The latter of these is the goal of The Safety Match Journal, and this Darwin Smith produced album has many elements of a well-crafted film score.

I often cringe when vocals and songwriting take a backseat to production, as it often attempts to cover up lackluster abilities. In this case however, Ms. Bobruk brought in solid material to the project, as well as a strong yet graceful voice.

A luscious blend of melody and sound, the CD avoids being tossed into the traditional singer/songwriter bin. Considering this is her first full-length album, it is indeed remarkable.

I don’t personally swear by any one recording philosophy as being the best. I think it really depends on the artist and his or her objective. In this case, I think Ms. Bobruk was successful in setting out what she attempted to do, and that always makes a superb record to my ears.

9 Daisy Stars

Daisy’s Favorite Lyric: “I know it won’t be easy with the things you say changing everyday.”
- Austin Daze

"Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk's new album, The Safety Match Journal, is a collection of folk songs dressed up in a sparkling pop package."

For years, Aimee Bobruk has been somewhat of a satellite orbiting Austin's dense singer-songwriter community. With her recently released debut L.P., The Safety Match Journal, she aims to move toward the center of that universe. The album is a tightly-focused collection of folk-pop songs bolstered by a quirky production ethic and anchored by Bobruk's crystalline singing.

From the opening swells of a pedal steel on "Liverpool," it's apparent that the years of dues-paying Bobruk has spent on the Austin scene have paid off. "Last night I got tangled in the arms of Liverpool / I fell in love all over, head crying on the pillow / Now I know it won't be easy with the state I'm in / I could do something very strange," Bobruk sings.

It's a song that easily could drift into formulaic roots-rock, yet thankfully avoids that road by smartly building up instruments--percussion, electric guitar, banjo, and even a horn section--and employing simple yet elegant rhymes.

Safety Match Musicians, Production Excellent

Meanwhile, "Fools for Love" is a bouncy depiction of a woman who more than lives up to the title, as Bobruk sings, "Heartbreak from hell hot on her trail / It could take a lifetime to escape / Like a patchwork doll tattered from taking the fall / She wouldn't change her ways if it meant losing passion." It's dark stuff of the best kind, elevated by an eclectic arrangement that expertly mixes saxophones, flute, and organ. Fans of Over the Rhine will find a certain kinship here.

Much of The Safety Match Journal's value can be attributed to the tasteful contributions of some of Austin's brightest musicians (Kullen Fuchs, Ana Egge, and Will Sexton, to name a few). However, it is the intuitive production of Darwin Smith, who also contributes the bulk of the electric guitar, that keeps these songs on course.

On what could have been a derivative salsa number, Smith skillfully keeps "Yo Los Veo" from traveling that road, instead relying on the quirky interplay of horns, percussion and a staccato electric guitar. The approach works, allowing Bobruk's tale of a poor neighborhood to breathe without collapsing into triteness.

In the End, Bobruk's Voice Shines Through

Taking a cue from Renaissance music, "Dulcinea" waxes poetic against a backdrop of violins and cellos. "You make love to fantasy, her illusions sweat of your brow," Bobruk sings, "Devouring kisses from chapped lips / You heave and thrust ephemeral lust."

It is perhaps the most unusual track on the album, considering it comes right before the spacey rock of "First Move." Together, the songs show Bobruk's versatility as a songwriter as well as Smith's breadth as a producer.

By the end of The Safety Match Journal, "Shores of Gold" finds Bobruk right back where she started, plucking an acoustic guitar and letting her voice carry the weight of the song. Even with the layered instrumentation that flows throughout these 12 tracks, the production is unobtrusive, allowing Bobruk's vocal and lyrical assets to shine through.

By Lee Simmons (9/4/2008)
View online at:
http://indiemusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/aimee_bobruk_releases_new_album - Lee Simmons

In a town full of earnest singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars it's easy to get sucked in the undertow by a wave of competition.
What makes Aimee Bobruk stay afloat is the way she wraps her delicate voice around soothing, atmospheric melodis and experiments with effects, sounds and phrasing. She flirts with folk, pop and Enya-world, without quite fitting the parameters of any one genre.

The Huntsville native, who swims about four miles a week at Deep Eddy pool and learned to finger-pick while lifegaurding at a summer camp by practicing on her knee, confesses she's drawn to water. So it's no wonder she navigates Austin's crowded musical scene so deftly. One of her more interesting upcoming endeavors is a donation-based song subscription service, in which she plans to deliver songs online whit story-behind-the-song tidbits, then follow them up with the studio-recorded versions financed by fans. One of 10 regional finalists in the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, she also surrounds herself with some of the city's top talent, like Cowboy Junkies pdeal steel player Kim Deschamps. In fact, bobruk's vocals have earned comparisons to Junkies singer Margo Timmins.

She manages to avoid taking herself too seriously, however. When she writes, she often wears a pair of vintage glasses she picked up in Nashville. "They have no lenses," she says, "but they make me feel good." her video for "Fools for Love" invloved strolling through downtown Austin in a dunce cap, handing out big red hearts to strangers. And, no doubt, stealing stealing a few as well."
By Lynn Margolis, Austin Monthly - Austin Monthly