"Nobody out there sounds quite like Russ Jeanes. Pure pastoral nectar from the heart of Northern England – accept no substitute
Tom Robinson - BBC Radio

"Gorgeous. Songs About Sleeping Leaves, Breathing Trees & Drunken Bees - think I'd like that on my gravestone
Cerys Matthews - BBC Radio

"Absolutely mesmerising - beautiful
Robert Macfarlane - (Author of 'The Lost Words')

The delicate, pure folk from the mysterious Russell Jeanes is spellbinding,
bewitching, beguiling and breathtakingly beautiful”
The Devil has the Best Tuna

"Imagine walking through the woods,
taking a trip back to the 1960s with Andy Warhol & Velvet Underground

Jericho Keys - BBC Radio

"Innocence and beauty finds its voice
Johnno Casson

"Songs that seem to hail from a different time
James Sanger - brit & grammy award winning artist developer

Supported with radioplay from Tom Robinson, Cerys Matthews, Jericho Keys, WFMU & BBC Introducing.
About the 'Sleeping Leaves' ep


Inspiration behind the songs

Sleeping Leaves EP
The songs on this debut EP started their lives over 30 years ago as poems and snippets of recordings on old four tracks tapes. When Russ moved with his family to a cottage in the Yorkshire Woods he found one of his old books with notes scribbled on the opening leaves. The songs have now been recorded in homes, gardens & summer fields across Europe & America by an enchanting collective of female DIY artists, each lovingly chosen for their beautifully unique voices.

Simple Jayne
Inspired by an article by Ian Macdonald about Nick Drake which said 'sensitive young people often have a horror of being understood for fear of losing their uniqueness, and in the process finding that they are not as unique as they like to think. The vocal was recorded in Catherine Hershey's Parisian home, and captured some wonderful notes of bird song coming through the open windows which Russ added to morning blackbird recordings of his own.

Barley Hops and Yeast
Valerian Hops has a hypnotic sleep inducing affect, and can induce calm, loosen inhibition & free the tongue, yet too much has disastrous consequences.
This song details a search for love through alcohol induced delirium, which often resulted in waking outside, in fields, by water, under the stars. Musically the song is influenced by Paul Giovanni's Wicker Man soundtrack, and has roots in English folk.

Smiles with her eyes
Written after reading a quote from Roald Dahl about eye smilers, and photographs called 'Heavenly Creatures' by Benjamin Alexander Huseby of Behati Prinsloo, Felicity Gilbert and Romina Lanaro, showing two girls asleep, entwined in a summer field. Emily Grace Zornado recorded her beautiful layered harmonies and vocals at the height of summer, near a small national park in Danielson Connecticut.

Trees Hug Bees
Two of Russell's favourite books are called 'the secret life of plants' by Peter Tompkins, and the secret life of trees by Peter Wohlleben which explain the science surrounding plants and trees, and how they communicate, nurture their young, count and are self aware. The song is about an early morning walk, as the first rays of sun rise, the rustle of the leaves, as trees sway, breathe and call for the bees to come and pollinate them. The music strives to capture the mood of Linda Perhacs Parallelogram's particularly her beautiful Chimacum Rain. The song has been paired with English classical strings, arranged by Russ and Tom Sidebottom.
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