I think I’d make a horrible juror. Lawyers can be so sneaky, using their wiles to trap you into thinking whatever their client is hoping, and I tend to fall for the same old tricks. Take for instance my appreciation for singers with imperfect voices: I’m always convinced that the reason those who screech their way through songs are better is that they must actually feel the words stumbling out of their mouths. It’s such a clever ploy, and I’ve found another sneaky band to add to my list of favorites: the Archie Bronson Outfit. Read More
I‘d never consciously listened to Juana Molina until Domino kindly sent us a copy of her recent album Son. KCRW talks about her all the time, to the point that my initial excitement about getting CDs from one of my favorite labels almost disappeared when I saw what the package contained. However, I’m now ecstatic to report that this is a phenomenal album, the kind that goes best with a private pair of headphones or a drive down tree-lined avenues at night.
The instrumentation is somewhat trancey, like what you might hear while getting a deep-tissue massage, but the occasional backwards guitar and sampled vocal beats keep the music from sounding anything like new age. Juana’s voice meanwhile is like a will-o-the-wisp: with every listen it draws me further into the jungle. Why the jungle? I don’t know. Either it’s the distorted sorta wild cat sounds in “La Verdad”, or the omnipresent crickets, or maybe it’s just because saying “Juana” reminds me of the word “iguana”. Who knows. All I know is that I thought listening to Srta Molina would lead me to certain doom, but instead I found an aural paradise. Care for a taste?
Like Leonard Cohen or Peter Murphy or Nick Cave, Stuart A. Staples has a deep voice that holds onto notes long enough for each to resonate in that dolorous section of the brain. Add a little slow organ underneath, to increase the sadness, and as the story progresses let the songs build. With a pair of headphones turned up loud enough, you’ll lose yourself in the melancholy. Between the organ and the slide guitar, you’ll wonder, though only momentarily, if this is gospel or country music. If you’re a fan of any of the above singers, you’ll understand how something this tonally low and this thematically sad could be this totally beautiful.
- Listen to Old Friends
- Listen to Which Way the Wind
- Listen to One More Time
Buy Leaving Songs from Insound
Is Lily Allen the English Nellie McKay? I don’t know, but I do know that she’s impossibly cute with an appealing slangy English accent. She plays a lot of ska/island beats, which don’t normally grab me but do seem to have lasting appeal on English folks. Lily sounds sweet when she sings and her songs are sunny-sounding and fun, perfect for summer. However, she’s got a fair amount of pixie in her. She’ll trick ya with her cuteness and then hit you with lyrics about pimps, thieves, annoying dance clubs, and how great it makes her feel when she discovers her ex-boyfriend’s misfortunes. This is bouncy, bright music for those who prefer the dark; like a guilty pleasure until you hear the lyrics and realize you have nothing to feel guilty about.
- Check out her MySpace page for more
Though her debut album Alright Still isn’t yet available in the States, Shop.com is currently selling the CD for $15.95.
Update
Alright, Still is now for sale in the US from Insound.
Ha ha ha! Good stuff, Seamus. I do disagree with you, as you guessed since I raved about The Fiery Furnaces when Bitter Tea came out, but I understand your position. I even appreciate it. The Friedbergers definitely won’t appeal to most people, and that’s a good thing; at least to me. I find it hard to get any personal feelings for art that does have mass appeal.
When I was a kid, I didn’t listen to pop or rock. I didn’t even really listen to the radio. Sometimes I’d tune into the oldies station, but mostly I played those goofy Dr. Demento tapes we got from the Daniel Boone library, or the gooey sweet Weird Al albums we bought at Peaches Records. Read More