Sometime ago, I was prompted to make a list of my top 20 favorite music artists. As most of you could probably guess, Pearl Jam was atop the list, and Death Cab, u2, Neil Young, and Drive-By Truckers rounded off the top five. Without going through whole list, I did find one unexpected finding: my list was lacking female artists! With the exception of Regina Spektor, my list was woman-less.
Don't get me wrong-- I love artists like The Pretenders, 10,000 Maniacs, and Tracy Chapman, but none of them could break into my top 20. As a result (be it guilt or whatever), I have decided to blog about some recently discovered bands with front[wo]men. Enjoy!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: They are enjoying big-name success these days, but I have only found them in the last few months. Karen O heads the band as vocalist and pianist. She can rock. Check out the songs "Gold Lion", "Cheated Hearts", and "Heads Will Roll."
Florence + the Machine: I found her on Pandora, and the vocals in this band are epic. They also have a harp. My favorite songs include "Cosmic Love", "You've Got the Love", and "My Boy Builds Coffins."
Lisa Hannigan: You have probably heard her singing on a Damien Rice album (e.g., "9 Crimes"), but she is solo now. I had a chance to see her open for David Gray, and I was impressed! Her latest album, Sea Sew, is excellent top to bottom.
Crooked Still: Labeled as neo-bluegrass, this band reminds me a lot of Nickel Creek (who also has a prominent female). I also found this band on Pandora. My favorite song is "Did you sleep well?"
So, there you go. In an attempt to rectify my male-bias in music, I hope I have shared with you your next favorite band. If you've recently fallen for a great musician, regardless of gender, shoot me a note. I'm always looking, and my top 20 is never solidified!
3 comments:
I love that you are blogging regularly!
I will always enjoy Ani Difranco, The Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, and Patty Griffin. Lately I've been into Brandi Carlile and Missy Higgins.
Feist is incredible! Lauren and I saw her at the Greek last year—one of the most amazing live performances. There will be lots of her music on our forthcoming wedding mix.
Some solid ladies for you to check out:
Missy Higgins definitely (though I think her first album surpasses her most recent). If you like Lisa Hannigan, check out Dawn Mitschele. Learned of her through Jason Mraz. Adele and Ingrid Michaelson are also terrific for Hannigan fans.
There's also a GA local, now calling Asheville home, that I love (she went to high school with Maya from our rowing days) - Lyndsay Wojcik.
And finally... this girl can rip a mandolin for real... check out Sarah Jarosz for some solid bluegrass.
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