Summary
Genre: ethereal dream-pop, faery-goth, medieval, baroque, ambient folk, Celtic fantasy with intercultural influences.
Frequent themes: faerylore, mythology, parallel lives, immortal poetry, ghosts, shamanism, magic-realism, Animism.
Leading Instrument: voice.
(Also plays mandolin, guitar, sansula, ocarina, keyboards, firesticks, chimes, with guest musicians accompanying her on such instruments as harp, charango, piano, clarinet, viola, dulcimer, oboe, bass, recorder, glissando, hurdy-gurdy, bouzouki, percussion, flute and others.)
Main Label: Prikosnovenie, France: www.prikosnovenie.com
Main Producer: Brett Taylor (Pilgrim Arts), Woodside, South Australia.
Other Australian Producers: Harry Williamson (Spring Studio), Jack Setton (Mad Cat Sound) and Nicholas Albanis (Crustacean Creations) of the duo Dandelion Wine.
Most recent release: Elderbrook: http://www.elderbrook.com.au
Concert Report: Louisa live at Faerieworlds festival, USA 2009. Review by Leaf at Technogypsie: http://www.technogypsie.com/reviews/?p=672
Live footage at Trolls et Legendes, Belgium, 2009:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtKfoqP6Y2Y&feature=related
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaT_ACiaTlU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2w22NB1uc4&feature=rellist&playnext=1&list=PLC7FE900060292389
Other You-Tube clips:
‘Muse’, directed by Toby & Brian Froud, to Louisa’s song ‘Which of these Worlds?’ from her album Apple Pentacle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahBe3Znj8lY
Some You-Tube presentations by listeners:
Discography, solo albums: (complete discography)
- Label in France: http://www.prikosnovenie.com
- Book-cd / audio-reading / chronicles: http://www.elderbrook.com.au
- Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/louisajohnkrol
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=750726667&ref=tn_tnmn
- Linkedin: http://au.linkedin.com/pub/louisa-john-krol/13/205/475
- Fairy Cat Djinn’s Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pantherlina
- Fairy Cat Dulcinea’s Blog: http://dulciesdalliance.blogspot.com
Selected Reviews in brief:
More reviews and specific album reviews in the discography section.
“spiritual pearls and sounds from fantasy land”
Khimaira magazine, Belgium
“A veritable joy for the unconditional dreamers that we are”
Elegy magazine, France
“enchanted reveries bewitch the listener… timeless faery music… vastly rewarding”
Highwire Daze magazine, America
“genre-bending musical style… a compelling artist”
Fiend magazine, Australia
“few female artists have impressed me so much since Nico or Kate Bush”
Oriflamme, England
“a beautiful arc of music… a gem for fans of Heavenly Voices…”
Tranceform, Germany
“as beautiful and varied as the country she evokes”
Cynfeirdd – Friendship Culture, France
“ethereal…unique…magnificent”
Vampiria magazine, Italy
“worthy of some Medieval epic”
Heathen Harvest, America
“Music for elves, dreamers, thinkers… truly amazing”
Gothtronic, The Netherlands
“a beautiful juice impressive and amazing… apocalyptic”
Feedback magazine, Portugal
“the voice of the Australian fairy takes a width and a depth close to the divine”
Infratunes, France
“ethereal elegant Pop music heavily influenced by… folklore and literature”
Pentacle magazine, England
“Australian queen of new-age and esotericism”
Side-Line magazine, Belgium
“eerie… dreamy… ethereal folk”
Rhythms magazine, Australia
“giddily beautiful…mandolin mad… untamed and lovely”
Ethereality & Ecto, America
“All borders broken and crossed. You’ll be under the spell of this music enchantress quickly”
The Penny Dreadful webzine, Germany
“a jewel in romantic pop-ethereal fairy music”
L’Ame Electrique magazine, Greece
“Lash yourselves to the mast”
FluxEuropa, England
Awards & Attainments in brief:
- Jessie Nott Memorial Prize for Music (Year 12, 1983, MCEGGS).
- Zatorski Prize for Creative Achievement, Ormond College.
- Bachelor of Arts & Diploma of Education, University of Melbourne.
- 6 solo CDs (as of 2012), mostly released on www.prikosnovenie.com in France, as many collaboration albums.
- Featured in Carnets Noirs – musiques, attitudes, cultures – Acte I – La Scene Internationale, a hardcover book published in France (Editions Espirit Livres). www.premonition.org/premor.php3?lien=actu/actu.php3X1Xactuid=213009&ta=10
- Inspired the story ‘Louisa’ published in the book Mon Dernier The by Alyz Tale in France.
- Won the Music Award at Trolls et Legendes festival, 2009, Belgium.
- CJ Dennis Literary Award for Poetry, 2010 for poem Twenty Ways to Greet a Tiger.
- Articles & short stories published in various journals & books, e.g. 2011 Award Winning Australian Writing (Melbourne Books); Dec 2015-2016 Fairy Tale edition of Victorian Writer; an essay & fairy tale in TEXT, Special Issues Series, #43 Oct 2017, ‘Into the bush: Australasian fairy tales’, a peer reviewed academic journal; and a fairy tale to be published in South of the Sun – Australian fairy tales for the 21st century (Serenity Press), due Spring 2020.
- Working as a fairy storyteller-singer (Royal Melbourne Show, Wonderwings Fairy Shop, Como House, Rippon Lea, Litfest, Royal Botanic Gardens, Victorian Arts Centre, etc).
- Earlier employment: teaching Humanities (12 years, mostly with new immigrants including refugees & asylum seekers); then admin, PR & editorial assistance at Monash University in environmental science / water ecology.