Till Another Time: 1988-1996

Description

When Linda Smith bought a 4-track tape recorder in the mid-1980s, she had no intention of using it to launch her solo career. At the time, she was playing guitar in a band called The Woods and thought it would be useful for sharing demos with her bandmates. Linda began crafting her own songs. This new hobby followed her from New York to her hometown of Baltimore, and over the next decade, she released several solo albums of delicate and enchanting music on cassette. Till Another Time: 1988-1996 is the first retrospective collection of Linda Smith's charming lo-fi music, a pioneer in the home studio recording boom that still persists today. Sparse and sweet, Linda's music is tinged with a romantic melancholy. She juggles different styles, sometimes 60s pop ("A Crumb Of Your Affection"), sometimes post-punk ("I See Your Face"). A blend that simultaneously immerses us in the yé-yé era and the early releases of Cherry Red Records. This sense of timelessness is reinforced by Linda's pragmatic approach to recording. A certain creative freedom accompanied tape recording, allowing her to bring her ideas to life without anyone's help. This idea took root in the minds of many musicians of the time; however, this technique prevented reaching a wider audience at a time when the Internet was non-existent or in its infancy. Communities were insular, relying on niche publications, tape exchanges, and word of mouth. Even though Linda Smith released a few 45s on labels like Slumberland and Harriet, her fame remained relatively local. Today, her productions transcend time to reach a wider audience.