Intense, soaring vocals and classical-inspired piano amalgamate to concoct dramatic indie rock with a misting of moody goth/doom folk.
Sexy funeral music. When a band’s style is difficult to classify, its interpretations and descriptors can vastly vary. This is just one of many conveyed of the difficult-to-pigeonhole Minor Birds’ (aka singer-songwriter/pianist Chelsea Wilde) sound.
A classically trained pianist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist (including guitar, accordion, and banjo), Wilde has been composing and performing music in different capacities since childhood. Rising from the dust of a creative dry spell brought on by a series of tragic events in her life in 2008, the band, moniker and concept of Minor Birds was hatched. Channeling deep-sea emotional depths, the project finds Wilde exploring life’s mysticism and darkness mixed with a healthy infusion of timeless tales of love - or lack thereof. Musically, Minor Birds weaves together striking mezzo-soprano vocals, ominous baroque-era classical piano, modern guitar work, stand-up bass, cello and various other instrumentation to deliver dramatic indie pop rock with notable elements of goth, doom-folk and grunge.
Over the near-decade since its inception, Wilde has been writing, performing and continuing to lay the sonic and visionary foundations of the project and experimenting with a variety of soundscapes (including electronica and folk rock). Pulling influences from everything encountered or experienced, she does not set out to copy or tweak any one sound, yet seeks to create truly original works that build and amplify the mood while spinning poetic tales, both otherworldly and familiar. And – that voice! Often oscillating between a silky coo and a guttural howl, Wilde possesses a rare instinctive gift with maneuvering her powerful – yet controlled - vocal mechanism to paint and elicit an emotional atmosphere or response.
At heart, Wilde’s musical gems take form as emotionally-receptive storytelling – evocative, solemn and dreamy. Her disciplined and culturally-astute academic background is apparent throughout. Yet, rather than remaining rigid and stubborn in structure and delivery, there’s an intuitive freeness and spontaneity to Wilde’s work, letting the music carry her adrift on its unpredictable paths - as it correspondingly does the same for the listener. Intrinsically poetic, Wilde’s music is about the journey, rather than a set destination.
Minor Birds’ most recent album, "Bestiary", was released in September of 2018.
Sexy funeral music. When a band’s style is difficult to classify, its interpretations and descriptors can vastly vary. This is just one of many conveyed of the difficult-to-pigeonhole Minor Birds’ (aka singer-songwriter/pianist Chelsea Wilde) sound.
A classically trained pianist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist (including guitar, accordion, and banjo), Wilde has been composing and performing music in different capacities since childhood. Rising from the dust of a creative dry spell brought on by a series of tragic events in her life in 2008, the band, moniker and concept of Minor Birds was hatched. Channeling deep-sea emotional depths, the project finds Wilde exploring life’s mysticism and darkness mixed with a healthy infusion of timeless tales of love - or lack thereof. Musically, Minor Birds weaves together striking mezzo-soprano vocals, ominous baroque-era classical piano, modern guitar work, stand-up bass, cello and various other instrumentation to deliver dramatic indie pop rock with notable elements of goth, doom-folk and grunge.
Over the near-decade since its inception, Wilde has been writing, performing and continuing to lay the sonic and visionary foundations of the project and experimenting with a variety of soundscapes (including electronica and folk rock). Pulling influences from everything encountered or experienced, she does not set out to copy or tweak any one sound, yet seeks to create truly original works that build and amplify the mood while spinning poetic tales, both otherworldly and familiar. And – that voice! Often oscillating between a silky coo and a guttural howl, Wilde possesses a rare instinctive gift with maneuvering her powerful – yet controlled - vocal mechanism to paint and elicit an emotional atmosphere or response.
At heart, Wilde’s musical gems take form as emotionally-receptive storytelling – evocative, solemn and dreamy. Her disciplined and culturally-astute academic background is apparent throughout. Yet, rather than remaining rigid and stubborn in structure and delivery, there’s an intuitive freeness and spontaneity to Wilde’s work, letting the music carry her adrift on its unpredictable paths - as it correspondingly does the same for the listener. Intrinsically poetic, Wilde’s music is about the journey, rather than a set destination.
Minor Birds’ most recent album, "Bestiary", was released in September of 2018.
- Nominated/Runner-up Oaktown Indie Music Award (2013)
- Nominated for Modesto Area Music Award (2015)
- Moniker Guitars Endorsed Artist
"CARNAL, NATURAL, WILDE… Chelsea Wilde’s Minor Birds build stories, characters and scenery in music..."
- Encore Magazine interview, 2019
- Encore Magazine interview, 2019
"The storytelling is rather exceptional. Chelsea Wilde’s voice is enchanting. Wilde pulls you in with that silky softness then latches on to your soul with powerful howling vocals. This is the type of album where every track just amazing. You can listen to it from start to finish and still want more."
- The Music Below
- The Music Below
"Minor Birds is the project of singer-songwriter/pianist Chelsea Wilde whose vocal is immediately entrancing... Wilde’s vivid storytelling combines fantasy and realism to create an emotive folklore narrative that puts the human condition and our intrinsic emotions under the microscope... ‘Bestiary’ is made up of 11 dramatic, genre-defying tracks which draws on indie, folk, electronica, piano-rock and some darker, doomier influences. Each track is connected through Minor Birds incredible bones as a singer-songwriter whose vocal range cries out from melancholic and moody to ethereal, wild wails, seeing ‘Bestiary’ constantly shifting sonic directions to keep its listener on their toes; guaranteeing each story is truly heard."
- Karla Harris, When the Horn Blows
- Karla Harris, When the Horn Blows
"Chelsea Wilde is MINOR BIRDS, and she’s a different kind of musical phenomenon. She’s that cougar in the wilderness jungle of south-east Asia, enigmatic and elusive in thought and lyrics. Mysteriously winding and haunting, in ‘Luna’ (1st single from the full length LP ‘Bestiary’) scrapes at your back with the nails of life’s caustic relations, then soothes with the keys of re-birth and larger path for the future to come. The journey has just begun."
- Come Here Floyd
- Come Here Floyd
"Wilde, who is a classically-trained pianist, shows just how skilled she is with the intro to the track [Luna]. Beautiful and haunting, the song evokes the likes of Tori Amos."
- Nü Sound
- Nü Sound
“Minor Birds is nothing but major. Eerie crystal clear vocals plus big beats coupled with layers of creativity. Only a few major artists mirror this sound; however, we will not mention them. This group is in a class by itself. This type of artistry is poised to be the backdrop of a 007 film. MB's seductive sound has earned a spot on our 360 Watch List.”
- 360 Magazine
- 360 Magazine
"There is nothing sweeter than the pure, honest music, that runs deep into your soul. When you have the pleasure of hearing The Minor Birds, a duo based in Oakland, the chaotic world around you melts away, if only for a few minutes."
- Our City Radio
- Our City Radio
“You NEED to check out Minor Birds, they're INCREDIBLE. Wonderfully solemn, haunting, reverb-laden female vocals with guitar looping, bowed upright bass, piano, and acoustic guitar as well. Another one of the best tours we've had hit 7th Circle to date. Check it out if you can!”
- Aaron Saye, 7th Circle Music Collective
- Aaron Saye, 7th Circle Music Collective
“It's not that Joel Wilde's groaning stand-up bass and Chelsea Wilde's guitar and keyboard riffs were hypnotic in their simplicity. It's more that, between the indigo melodies, the disquieting lyrics and Chelsea Wilde's swooning, somber wail, this set felt charged with a certain fraught intimacy. This was music for dark nights of the soul.”
- Here Comes the Dumptruck
- Here Comes the Dumptruck