Jo Schornikow – What Could Have Been

by Alex on 25 June, 2012

Jo Schornikow has an incredibly warm voice that carries such an emotional punch…combined with poignant lyrics, beautiful minor chords and lo-fi tape hiss she conjures up a very moving and intimate exposure of the bedroom heart.

Her lyrical prowess is clear from the basic five line opener ‘When you Come Around‘ to the cleverly crafted ‘Plaster‘:

violent is your method
i choose romance as my weapon
love is good and kind
leaves a stain behind
that no cop can ever find
<a href="http://joschornikow.bandcamp.com/track/plaster">Plaster by Jo Schornikow</a>

Her ability to transfer love and pain into songs feels like second nature, she knows how to tug at the emotions of an audience, a queen of the melancholy. All these songs are raw and real leaving no space for mercy or forgiveness. You’ll have them on replay, despite the sad laments there is underlying beauty that is both strong and delicate…threaded together observations and experiences…they don’t get more intimate than this.

When night comes, knocking, in
when springtime breezes beckoning
when my mind goes tumbling
down what could have been, what could have been

When i hear my lover sing,
when winter, museum visiting
when bones & breath are trembling
with what could have been, what could have been

I’m seeing things, i’m seeing things again
seeing messages that don’t exist
seeing signs in stars, in subways, in a clue
see what could have been, what i could have been to you

<a href="http://joschornikow.bandcamp.com/track/when-you-come-around">When You Come Around by Jo Schornikow</a>

What Could have Been

What Could Have Been is released on 1st July to tie-in with her UK tour which includes an appearance at the intimate Imploding Inevitable Festival held in Fell Foot Wood in the Lake District as well as Fence Records Away Game Festival July 21-23. Jo has also recorded a session for Simple Folk Radio which will be broadcast soon on Folk Radio UK.