Just as I’m furiously attempting to catch up on all the best films of 2010 before my personal Super Bowl (The Academy Awards) takes place on February 27, I am furiously trying to catch myself up on all the best ladies in music of 2010. It’s usually at the end of everything that I find the gems, and I hope I’m offering up some new-to-you lady geniuses from 2010. If not, perhaps these words can serve as a reminder of what you meant to get. Here we look at what I hope will become a new genre—Warrior Princesses following in the vein (of my musical categorical repository) of Bjork and Kate Bush. Soon to follow we’ll discover the mind-bending amazingness of artists both long-renowned like Laurie Anderson and newly minted like Janelle Monae; as well as those sisters who do the hard and necessary work of breaking our hearts apart with serious, irrevocable and truly holy Soul, not to mention singer-songwriters, country firecrackers, surprising recordings from seasoned artists, as well as those we lost in 2010.
I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass and You Will Like It: Warrior Princesses
From Kate Bush and Patti Smith to Bjork and Bat for Lashes, warrior princesses have a long and powerful musical tradition. Whether it’s the gorgeous howl of voices just this side of bursting into flames, the slow build from tenderness to ferocity and back again, the declarations both of love and of warning, the soft roll of sweetness followed by breaking crashes of implacable sound and fury all roiling up into a startling, consuming power created, in seems, to be purposefully unexpected—these are the rallying cries of my warrior princesses. Invocations. Battle cries. True strength is delicate; true beauty terrifying. The ladies noted below lead us through the wilderness, cut through the foolishness and bring us to a place both mysterious and mystical—a somewhere-far-away place, the place we return to wage a war the same way these amazing princesses do—tenderly, fiercely. Below are my favorite Warrior Princess albums of 2010.
Warpaint, The Fool (Rough Trade)—With their first record, the all-woman quartet known as Warpaint (Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman, Jenny Lee Lindberg and Stella Mozgawa) have inspired an entire genre—a genre of my own imagination, of course, but a now it’s in print, so who knows, it could take off. But I digress. Let’s get down to this incredible debut, The Fool. The opening track, “Set Your Arms Down,” sounds like the most mesmerizing call to war ever voiced. “You want to fight me,” Wayman sings, “You want to fight.” She’s not screaming. Her voice is rich and sweet and pitch-perfect and full of love. “And in the backyard/Into the night/We walk through the fire/My love is your flashlight.” The whole album (“Set Your Arms Down,” “Warpaint” and “Undertow” being my top picks) is a gorgeous psychedelic, harmonious incantation; these women sound like adelines—with a warning. To wit, in the same opening track, “Walk through the fire/Walk till it gets light/There is no hiding/To save your life…Set your arms down.” Listening to this song, you’ll definitely find yourself beholden to heed the cryptic requests of these angelic warriors. But missing this album would really be your biggest mistake. This is another world—and no matter how frightful—it’s a place you’ll want to visit again and again.
Glasser, Ring (True Panther)—Beloved by critics and commoners alike, Glasser (aka Cameron Mesirow) creates dance-able, rhythm-driven gems that instantly invoke the body to move accordingly—right before her incredible, glass-shattering voice begins to tell you to march forward and follow her you won’t know quite where. Slow-moving but powerful and deep, Ring is both arty and accessible, rich with surprises, and fills every listener with a most inappropriate sense of power and hope, leaving room for absolutely nothing else in your sound-drenched head. Personally, I predict Ringer to become a long-standing classic. (I think these warrior princesses are making me think I can see the future). Stand out, infectiously listenable tracks include “Mirrorage,” “Apply,” and “Home.” Think St. Vincent and Bat for Lashes and you’re getting close. Plus, strangely, you can even dance to it.
White Hinterland, Kairos (Dead Oceans)—When all is covered in snow, the world you know is transformed into something utterly stark and lovely. Quietly catchy, with sweet and haunting refrain, the first track sets the tone for what is to come—rich and whispering vocals, lyrics asking questions that within themselves lie the answers, feedback and electronic samples ruled by a voice that keeps you from wanting or needing to ask, just like my favorite poetic anti-hero Prufrock, “what is it?” and to simply follow his next suggestion to “let us go and make our visit.” He didn’t know the answer, just an overwhelming question—“Do I dare disturb the universe?” On Kairos, White Hinterland not only dares but succeeds as ephemerally and powerfully as a good poem; making cool sounds pitch-perfect for the kind of tundra that quiets the mind and just leaves you open, transfixed, overwhelmed—and soothed, somehow—just like the bright sunlight shining on untouched snow that almost blinds you when you look at it. White Hinterland is songstress Casey Daniel and band-mate Shawn Creedon.
Tamaryn, The Waves (Mexican Summer)—If White Hinterland is snow, Tamaryn is the sun and (forgive me) the waves above a deep coolocean upon which that bright light shines. Hypnotic and heavy with a reverb-rich rhythm of guitar, bass and drum, Waves is rolling walls of sound, with Tamaryn’s hypnotic voice just this side of breaking it. “Wait for the water to claim you…into the waves,” she sings. Her siren call is mesmerizing, vast, dreamy, and unsettling. But, as is the case with all these warrior princesses, the journey into the darkness is always belied by the sweetest of voices, imploring your ears and your mind to follow without question, will or guile into an empty place—quiet noise, white noise, peace.
Riposte, Buke and Gass (Brassland) —There’s too much to say, and I’m not a musician or skilled enough musical translator to put the power of Buke and Gass (which stands for the instruments used on the album: bass and ukulele hybrid plus guitar and bass hybrid, respectively) into any reasonable words. So, shall I just write about the possible meaning of this amazing band’s name, Riposte (one part Arone Dyer and one part Aron Sanchez) in an effort get a feel for what these talented folks evoke? Yes. I think so, too. Let’s place a French lesson and a metaphorical summation in one simple formula and I think we may get close to hitting the nail on the head. A (the act of “riposte” in the sport of fencing, “an offensive action with the intent of hitting one’s opponent made by the fencer who just parried an attack”) + B (“riposte,” synonymous with a retort and describes a quick and witty reply to an argument or insult) = the sweet, soaring, ravaging, jagged and unforgettable sounds of Riposte and this amazing album—a serious shock to the heart you definitely need to listen to at least once a week.
When next we meet in this almost-endless epic exploration of Women Who Ruled the Tower of Song in 2010, we’ll talk about Across the (Genre) Universe artists and Soul Sisters. We’re almost there.
Warpaint – Set Your Arms Down
Tamaryn – Love Fade
Don’t miss Part 1 and Part 2 of Ama’s ever-growing epic!
