Having said that, one of the more pleasing aspects of the gradual
decline of the major record companies has been the seemingly increasing number
of female or mixed gender acts. As
recently as 20 years ago the presence of any woman in a band, especially here
in Australia, always featured in any article about an act. No doubt some of this was due to general
media ignorance; Dave Graney, for starters, was always bemused by reporters
asking him about his motives for having a female drummer given that Claire
Moore is his wife. But the sheer number
of all female or mixed gender acts today is so common place that it is generally
unremarked save for the laziest of journalists.
This is what also binds together todays listening – female voices
that have emerged in recent years – for comment by your lazy blogger;
(# 378) Cat Power –
Sun (2012)
Chan Marshall’s most recent album is a lovely warm sounding
album in which, for arguably the first time, her voice and music are accorded equal
billing. It marks a definite change from
most of her previous albums which received fairly sparse musical
arrangements. But I see this as a sesnsible development rather than implying some form of improvement; I
suspect that future albums will probably contain a mixture of or alternate between the
sparse and fuller sounds in much the same way someone like Springsteen does
these days. The opening volley of
tracks Cherokee, Sun and Ruin are special as is the near 11 minute Nothin’ But
Time.
(# 379) Bat For
Lashes – The Haunted Man (2012)
Natasha Khan’s third album is easily her best. On this you can start to hear her undoubted
talent begin to match the height of her ambition. Some of the tracks presented here, especially
the ballad Laura and the penultimate track Rest Your Head, show he aspiring to
be a modern day Kate Bush. (The later
track even employs classic Bush lyrical concept of running uphill.) Other highlights include Horses Of the Sun
and Oh Yeah which incorporate interesting beats indicative of her Muslim and part
Pakistani heritage.
(# 380) Sharon Van
Etten – Tramp (2012)
This is Van Etten’s third album but the first I’ve had the
pleasure of hearing. Withinin a minute
of the start of the opening track, Warsaw, you could be easily think you’re
listening to an unreleased P.J. Harvey track from circa Stories From The City
Stories From The Sea. Whilst the musical
backing tends to remaining broadly similar throughout' by the time the album has
reached tracks such as All I Can and Magic Chords, her voice seems to magically
deepen into something that is unmistakably hers but with echoes of Adele. It is an intriguing mix.
(# 381) Clare
Blowditch – The Winter I Chose Happiness (2012)
Clare is a singer songwriter from Melbourne and this is her
fifth album with all the songs pertaining to the theme of happiness. Not really pop, not really rock, this is an
album pitched squarely at an adult audience.
Jazz influenced numbers such as Let’s Be Happy Together and Cocky Lady
sit alongside ballads such as Thin Skin and Amazing Life and up tempo numbers such
as the rockier You Make Me Happy to good effect. (# 382) Owl Eyes – Nightswim (2013)
This is the debut album for Brooke Addamo, another Melbourne
singer. The first track is an
instrumental that appears to mash up elements of the X-Files and Law &
Order theme music. The remaining tracks
place her voice against a number of acceptable electronic pop which is probably
a tad too commercial for my taste.
Golden Lies and Open Up clearly take inspiration from Kylie Minogue.
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