Song of the Week

Band of Horses new album hits shelves this September.  Check out "Knock Knock" from Mirage Rock.  The band recently played a fun set in Pioneer Park.  And, of course, they finished it off for the locals with "The Great Salt Lake."

Chicks, Man

(Victoria Legrand from Beach House)

The D Man is covered in Beach House's Bloom.  Splendid stuff.  The Baltimore band played a nice set in Pioneer Park, delivering the perfect vibe for a beautifully overcast summer night.  I recently told Mrs. D Man that I have a major musical crush on Victoria Legrand.  I note this because, in the past, she has accused me of going a little light on the ladies.  In other words, she thinks I listen to way too many dudes.

But I believe my love for women is not so skin deep.  Not surprisingly, The D Man has little time for female singers like this and this.  I am easily uninspired by Mariah vocal theatrics or over-the-top schmaltz.  Sure, some ladies like Carrie Underwood have a pleasant voice and can sing quite nice in a traditional sort of way, but their collective aesthetic is ultimately uninteresting.  Nothwithstanding such gripes, there are many talented female artists that I have loved and listened to throughout my life.  After enjoying Legrand's strong vocal presence perched behind her signature organ, I figured it was worthwhile to reminisce.

As I look back at the female artists that I have admired, a descriptive pattern emerges.  First, their voices are often striking in ways that conflict with mainstream radio.  Second, their songcraft is strong, establishing an identity distinct from prevailing trends.  Third, and perhaps most importantly, their aesthetic self is unique, inhabitating a realm unlike others.  Little wonder I enjoy Beach House so much, as Legrand easily embodies all of these noteworthy traits.

• Kate Bush.  Yeah, she gets name-dropped plenty as an influence for arty indie types everywhere.  But that does not mean her voice hasn't served as the expressive archetype for an entire generation of hip female singers.  Plus, her duet with Peter Gabriel beats anything between Tim and Faith.
• Cocteau Twins.  Nobody like Elizabeth Fraser.  No band like Cocteau Twins.
• Sinead O'Connor.  Before she went crazy, she was stunning.  And I loved this song.  Something mystical about her musical choices and vocal delivery, something that seemed to be welling deep at the edges of human emotion.  No one can argue that "Nothing Compares 2 U" is not one of the great female vocal performances of the past 25 years.
• Frente!  This Australian group with singer Angie Hart at the helm gave us one nice record, Marvin the Album.  During the early-90s alt days, Hart provided an acceptable foil to harder chicks like Kim Deal and Courtney Love.  The band's cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" is a gem, and there were many summer nights when Rizzo and The D Man played it unashamed, in the Jeep Wrangler, with the top down.
• The Sundays.  The other day I heard "Here's Where The Story Ends" on satellite radio. I love everything about Harriet Wheeler's voice.  The fragility.  The restraint and then the reaching.  The fact that you instantly know she is cute.  For me, she will always be one of the sounds of summer.  Static & Silence tagged along with me and future Mrs. D Man for seemingly endless sunny months.
• The Innocence Mission.  Husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Don and Keren Paris have created spare but beautiful folk scenes, with deft Christian undertones that put them in a small category of faithful yet aesthetically pleasing artists.  The group's 1999 album Birds of My Neighborhood is my particular favorite.  "Lakes of Canada" is as good as traditional songwriting gets.  Just brilliant.
• More. In the past few years, The D Man has been pleased with the women throughout indiedom.  Romy Madley Croft lit up the dark nights and took home a Mercury Prize with The xx.  Alison Mosshart slinked around the stage with Jack White and held her own.  Natasha Kahn (aka Bat for Lashes) glowed under the embers of Two Suns.  Tracyanne Cambell made life sweeter on My Maudlin Career.  And Neko Case deserved constant airplay thanks to Mrs. D Man's absolute love for this ditty from the excellent Middle Cyclone.

Thanks to Beach House and others, 2012 could prove to be a banner year.