Midnight tangos with ghosts, journeys into the minds of suicidal insects, childhood memories set off-kilter by bad dreams: reality is sometimes elusive but always uniquely beautiful in the world of Johanna Kunin’s melodic meditations. She may sing you an infectious pop song, but not without twists of harmony and turns of phrase that set it refreshingly off the beaten track. She also possesses the kind of sadly angelic voice that compels you to follow on whatever journeys she has in mind, strange though they may be.

Although Johanna Kunin now makes her home in Seattle, it is her upbringing among the “10,000 lakes” and meteorological extremes of Minnesota that tends to appear in her lyrics. In particular, childhood summers spent in the Boundary Waters have left a strong impression on the 27-year-old; one from which she now draws both metaphor and insight as a songwriter. Her thoughtful, minimalist piano parts form the strong sonic backbone around which her melodies are built. She writes for the piano with a subtle complexity that calls to mind the music of Chopin or Erik Satie while still having a decidedly pop language all her own.

In August, 2006, Johanna Kunin self-released her debut full-length “Clouds Electric.” It was produced by Tucker Martine, who also took the helm on the latest from Laura Veirs, the Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, and Mudhoney. The highly-influential radio station KCRW selected “Fireflies,” a song from “Clouds Electric,” to be “Today’s Top Tune” for October 11th, 2006 – no small achievement for an independent artist. However, Johanna was already no stranger to radio success, as her previous record, the lo-fi “Sigh Lens,” went to #1 on Stanford University’s KZSU in April, 2006. In addition, Johanna’s live performances across the US have earned her high praise in the press, as well as a coveted slot at this year’s Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle.

Johanna Kunin will tour the west coast in early December, 2006, and the greater US in Spring, 2007. She will perform live on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt on December 8th, 2006.