After a busy and melancholy morning and afternoon yesterday, I suddenly realized that, come five o’clock, I hadn’t eaten anything. So I called Ian to see if he wanted to drive down to Burrito Royale for dirty, roadside burritos at low, low prices. He agreed and off we went to the small adobe shack where customers are basically eating in a room the size of someone’s kitchen. Nothing beats the Burrito Royale “three medium-sized burritos for $4.75” deal. I picked up a bottle of Tapatio sauce too, because hot sauce has always been a real hero of mine. It was the best part of the evening.
It’s Friday Top Ten, so let’s quit talking about guitar rock, (or “Evan Rock,” as Ilya refers to pretty much any band from Chicago, Louisville or DC) and focus on the ladies, for a change. Next week, Jazz? I’m trying to expand my boundaries here, so bear with me.
Top Ten Modern Female Songwriters
10) Zoe Bonham – Yeah, she’s John’s daughter. I don’t even know if she’s recorded a proper studio album yet, but I saw her at a rare US appearance a few years ago and the power of her voice blew me away. A friend recorded her set and I listen to it with some frequency, way more often than I listen to the act she supported that night. It’s poppy, but brooding enough to keep your attention. And she looks good doing it.
9) Rachel Goswell – She played backup to Neil in Slowdive and Mojave 3, so I can’t really give her many accolades other than her voice sounded nice. Then I downloaded a track off her solo album and I was like, “hey, she’s pretty good.” Only problem is, there was way too much reverb on her voice on said solo album. She already sounds airy enough without any added effects. Supposedly my friend Mike “knows her,” but I can’t attest to the validity of that statement. I think he reads this website so maybe he’ll want to comment. HINT HINT.
8) Mary Timony – Does every “indie” (cringe) dude go through an Ash Bowie stage? Or, is it just me? In my attempt to find every skronky de-tuned guitar riff he’s ever committed to tape, I came across Mary Timony and Helium. Later into her career she got kinda goofy with her lyrics, but for a while there in the mid-’90s she had it goin’ on. I like that Helium album The Dirt of Luck quite a bit. Also, I just read she was in a “supergroup” with that guy from Shudder to Think. How about that?
7) Elizabeth Anka Vajagic – Elizabeth (or “Liz,” as I just decided to start referring to her as) is the female songwriter on Constellation Records who has a voice that sounds way too deep to be a girl. Her songs usually are drawn out compositions that traverse demure melodies and chaotic messes fueled by varied instrumentation. Whoa, what am I, writing for Pitchfork? I hate that last sentence. I do, though, love her album Stand With the Stillness of This Day. Here, listen to “Where You Wonder.”
6) Chan Marshall – You know, Cat Power? Wow. How about Moon Pix, huh? It’s sparse and dirgy, which is just how I like my singer/songwriters. The double-tracked vocals on tracks like “Say” and “Metal Heart” are like listening to Elliott Smith if he had a vagina. It’s pretty depressing how some people pay to see her live show solely because they hope to witness an outburst. Although, when I was talking to Tyson at the Serena Maneesh show in Brooklyn a few months ago, he mentioned how he was at her legendary Sydney, Australia show and it sounded like quite an experience.
5) Tara Jane O’Neil – She joined Rodan when she was 20 years old, then went on to form Retsin and The Sonora Pine before focusing on her solo career. Jesus, talk about an impressive resume. I’m more likely to pop in an album from one of her earlier bands than her solo work, but Peregrine is a great record that is nice to listen to late at night. See for yourself, listen to “Sunday Song.”
4) Shannon Wright – I didn’t know exactly who she was until Jeff Mueller recommended listening to her records when I was in Chicago over the summer. So I found a copy of Flightsafety and holy shit is it good. It’s much lighter than Dyed in the Wool, which is really brutal and intense. Of course, this just exemplifies her range as a songwriter. I haven’t heard her most recent album but it’s on my list. Oh yeah, and that chick from Swirlies (and who also played with Mary Timony. Whoaaaa!) performs with Shannon. Here, listen to “Black Little Stray” from the new album, or “Captain of Quarantine” from Flightsafety.
3) Emma Louise “Scout” Niblett – So good! She came at the recommendation of Jason Molina, who was, for a while (until she moved on), a labelmate of hers on Secretly Canadian. Man, has she got talent. She can also step away from the guitar and play some other instruments, too. On the first album she adds some additional percussion and double bass parts. And she can rock hard, too. And she’s super cute. Check out “Drummer Boy” from I Am or “So Much Love to Do” from Sweet Heart Fever.
2) Mirah – From the opening strains of “Cold, Cold Water” I was a fan of Mirah’s. She’s got an incredible voice, and the lo-fi production of her songs fits perfectly with that girlish but strong voice. Another fun game you can play is, listen to Microphones/Mt. Eerie albums and try to pick her voice out of a crowd. It’s not hard, she usually rises above the fray. She can write sparse acoustic tunes or grandiose orchestral tunes. Sometimes, like on the aforementioned track, she can cover both terrains in the span of four minutes. Check it out for yourself and see. Listen to “Cold, Cold Water.”
1) Nina Nastasia – I can’t sing her praises enough. And also, I can’t get enough of her singing. Her voice is from another world. I think what separates her from the rest of the ladies on this list is the musicians she records and performs with. They (Dylan Willemsa (viola), Jay Bellerose (drums), Steven Beck (piano) and Jim White (drums)) fall into that rare category of talented musicians who know when not to play. So sparse and so moving, every note hangs in the air and then Nina’s voice sends them all crashing to the ground. It’s a shame she doesn’t perform much (although she should play a few dates in September when her new album is released). Each time I’ve seen her perform I’ve been awed by her and whoever is on stage with her. I guess this could be said for many of the songwriters on this list, but her songs are the epitome of egoless. They manage to affect listeners without coming from a place of hopelessness or sorrow. Listen to “Roadkill,” “Ugly Face,” and “On Teasing.”
..aaaaaand I’m out of EZarchive space for the week.
