Releases

Troy, New York

Members

Michael LeJeune – Voice, Guitars, Bass, Percussion, Keys, Organ, Harp, Mandolin, Banjo, Accordion
Jenn Barnett – Guest Vocals (self-titled album)

[ alt-rock // world music // folk rock ]

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Bio

An ethereal addition to the folk/worldmusic realm. Orphic Elegy tugs at the strings that tie us to our dreams, and weaves a potent spell in the space between.

Born of the frustrations involved in working with other musicians and resource outlay associated with recording in third party studios, in 2010 multi-instrumentalist Michael Lejeune set out to create an album with little or no outside influence, using only a battery operated handheld recorder and a simple audio file editor on a desktop computer. The result was the first Orphic Elegy album, circulated among friends and family. The only outside contribution to the record was in the form of some spoken word vocals that can be heard in “Scratches”, and the barks of Blake the dog on “Blake’s Song”. In 2016, an extensive remix and master of the original material led to a wider release.

From 2018 to 2020, Lejeune recorded After Sunset, a record intended to have only a single instrument and vocal on every song. The minimalist feel creates intimacy that lends an edge of honesty to the pieces, readily observed in painfully introspective songs like “The Perfect Sunrise” and “Heartshake”. Contemptuous disdain for religion is at the heart of “Beloved Bones”, a parable in spoken word. The lonely vocal in “Unspeakable” calls out willful ignorance, especially in politics.