An Unauthorized Guide to the Human Anatomy
(2004)
About the Album:
WINNER of the 2004 Just Plain Folks International Independent
Music Awards for Best Female Singer/Songwriter Album
of the Year
This album will most likely appeal to fans of Aimee
Mann, Juliana Hatfield, and Ani
DiFranco. Kristy’s third disc, An Unauthorized
Guide to the Human Anatomy, is an elaborate concept
album, featuring Dave Pirner, frontman
of Soul Asylum on guitars, Tony
Nozero of Drums and Tuba, and Brad Houser
of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians.
Each of her thirteen original tracks represents a different
part of the human anatomy. Krüger’s jazz and
classical backgrounds give way to experimental keyboard
riffs and fluid vocal choruses that move like string arrangements,
creating clever pop. The album was mostly produced by Krüger,
and recorded with engineer Andrew "Goat"
Gilchrist, longtime live and studio engineer for
Ani DiFranco.
Picking up airplay on XM Satellite Radio, and select NPR
stations, Anatomy also received supportive press. The Times
Picayune noted Krüger’s “knack for memorable
lyrics and melodies, her careful evocative vocals and smart
contemporary arrangements." A little more on the pop-end
of alternative, this record will find a home with those
who don’t mind thick production and a catchy tune.
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About the Title:
Kristy explains…
The anatomy concept came after the whole record was done.
I spent a month listening to it, trying to figure out a
through line between the songs. All I could come up with
was that each song seemed like a little vignette of the
human experience. It’s almost as if each song is a
different character talking about their perspective. “Monsoon”
was about desire, “Vendetta” about envy, “Coming
‘Round the Mountain” about volition and perseverance.
And then the idea of pairing each song with a body part
came to mind, and everything matched up perfectly. I went
to a used bookstore and began searching through old medical
textbooks to gather ideas for the layout. I then chose An
Unauthorized Guide to the Human Anatomy to mock a dry textbook
title. Yes, I am a total dork. Thank you.
An excerpt from Kristy’s interview with Lori
Price of The Dallas Morning News:
Q: When people listen to your music, what
do want them to take away from it?
A: I do hope that listeners both male and
female can relate to the overlying themes of desire, perseverance,
pride and loss, which are all a part of the human experience,
regardless of gender.
About the Artwork:
Don’t judge a book by its cover! An Unauthorized Guide
to the Human Anatomy was a finalist in the Independent Music
Awards for Best Graphic Design out of thousands of entries.
Our basic maroon cover just represents the cloth covering
of a medical textbook. The real goods are inside.
The intricate packaging includes a full-color 24-page mock
medical "textbook," complete with lyrics, anatomical
sketches, a bibliography, textbook “graffiti,”
sarcastic footnotes, etc. Take a peek…
Press Quotes:
"Psychedelic Folk Pop."
-Mario Tarradell, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
“A genre crashing wonder, a multi-layered work of
aural art that holds up to and actually demands repeated
listens.”
-Steve Carter, Dallas Modern Luxury Magazine, Dallas,
Texas
"The real heart of ‘Anatomy’ lies in Krüger's
knack for memorable lyrics and melodies, her careful evocative
vocals and smart contemporary arrangements."
-Keith Spera, The Times Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana
"Kristy Krüger is cool...She sings 'I Got My
Back' with the quiet confidence of someone who actually
does."
-Alex Rawls, The Gambit, Alternative Weekly Press, New
Orleans, Louisiana
“Lyrically mature without losing any of the positive
quirkiness that marked her first two recordings, and musically
sophisticated without bleeding over into excess.”
-Tom Geddie, Buddy Magazine, The Original Texas Music
Magazine, Dallas, Texas
Testimonials:
“Kristy Krüger has confidence and an artistic
sensibility that reflects a caring, sensitive soul.”
-Edie Brickell
“I bought An Unauthorized Guide to the Human Anatomy
(and the shipping from CD Baby was lightening fast I may
add) and I was not at all disappointed. This CD is wonderful,
the music is a jazzy-folk sound filled with emotion that
I can never tire of.”
-Hope Lattanzi,fan, Alexandria, Virginia
“If you've been looking for a songwriter with brains,
guts and heart, you'll find it in this Unauthorized Anatomy.”
-Mary Brancaccio, Maplewood, New Jersey
“Haunting...that's the only word that comes to mind
when describing Kristy Krüger's voice. There's something
about the way she delivers her lyrics that just leaves you
breathless. The lyrics in her CD An Unauthorized Guide to
the Human Anatomy are so engrossing and thought-provoking
that you just have to listen to it over and over and over
again. The best part is that this CD is so well done that
you won’t mind one bit.”
-Mariana Bosch, fan, Nogales, Arizona
Other things to know about An Unauthorized Guide
to the Human Anatomy:
· Selected as a finalist in the Independent Music
Awards sponsored by Border's Books and Music in the category
of Artwork. Krüger conceived the anatomy "textbook"
concept and led the creative direction while graphic designers
Damon Bakun and Jerod Bowers designed the layout
· Editor’s Pick in the genre of Folk/Rock
at CD Baby (the largest independent music retailer on the
web)
· Her song “Coming ‘Round the Mountain,”
paired with the spine, took 2nd place for Best Female Singer/Songwriter
Song of the Year at the Just Plain Folks 2004 Independent
Music Awards in Los Angeles
· Her song “Pride,” was chosen as a
feature track on All Songs Considered, (on-line music show
for NPR’s All Things Considered)
Instrumentation and Liner Notes:
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Electronic
Loops, Rhodes, Banjo, Mandolin, Lead and Background Vocals:
Kristy Krüger
Electric Guitars: Dave Pirner (frontman of Soul Asylum)
Bass: Brad Houser (of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians,
and Critters Buggin’)
Drums: Tony Nozero (of Drums and Tuba, on Ani DiFranco’s
label)
Production: Kristy Krüger and Andrew “Goat”
Gilchrist
Recording Engineer: Andrew “Goat” Gilchrist
Mixing: Mark Bingham and Drew Vonderhaar
Mastering: Jon Fishbach
Graphic Design for Booklet: Jerod Bowers and Damon Bakun
Graphic Design for this Web site: Angela Faz
Photography: Jorge A. Quinonez
Recorded at Piety Street Studios and The Truck Farm, New
Orleans, Louisiana
Click HERE to order “An
Unauthorized Guide to the Human Anatomy”
