Published by
Sam C. on
September 25, 2009 in
Artist Feature.
Tags: Angie T, Apparat, Baxandall IP, Cat Power, CMJ Relay, Ellen Allien, Jefferson Airplane, Kraftwerk, Metric, Placebo, Radiohead, She Keeps Bees, Tangemeenie, The Stars Misplaced.
Welcome to our eleventh installment featuring CMJ’s OurStage Staff Picks from the CMJ Relay Blog. CMJ is well known for their industry leading New Music Report magazine, which contains music reviews, artist news and interviews with the best artists being played on college radio.
“Nothing”
Indie-Pop Channel
The San Jose based trio is fronted by guitarist Angie T, who sings softly over pulsing guitar chords and heightening drum lines on “Nothing,” giving Grace Slick a solid run for her money.
RIYL: Jefferson Airplane, She Keeps Bees, Cat Power
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/thestarsmisplaced
“The Gilded Cage”
Electronic Channel
As they take turns on the mic, the husband and wife duo makes music that teeters between atmospheric, moody art rock, and infectious dancey rock ’n’ roll.
RIYL: Placebo, Radiohead, Metric
WEB: http://www.tangemeenie.com/
Baxandall IP
“Mellow Deep”
Experimental Channel
These minimalistic technoids hail from Poland with just the right amount of abstract groove and beat.
RIYL: Ellen Allien, Kraftwerk, Apparat
WEB: http://www.myspace.com/baxandallip
Just because a girl has an acoustic guitar and a nice voice doesn’t mean her music is already wrote. When Janis Ian and Joan Baez all but cornered the market on female songwriters/politicos, along came Ani DiFranco with a fiercely original take on musical protest. And although Chan Marshall and Leslie Feist are some of the reigning indie-folk songstresses breaking hearts with their guitars, there’s still room for a few more ingénues. With that in mind, we’d like direct your attention to a girl from Ann Arbor named Jetty Rae. Vocally, Rae is a combination of ether and soul—singing whimsical songs that pack an emotional punch. As she weaves violins and keyboards into her arrangements, keeping her melodies light, sweet and unpredictable—see the undulating refrains of “I Love You”— she proves she’s got meat on her acoustic bones. Rae is in the midst of recording her new album Nobody. With a knack for sophisticated song craft and a comely set of pipes, this is one nobody who’s poised to make a lasting impression.
After an exhausting, rain-soaked, yet exhilarating day at the Newport Folk Festival, I packed the car and headed north to Montreal for the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival. It looks like Chan Marshall (Cat Power) made the same journey because she plays here tonight. I doubt, however, she made the trek in a 1999 Mercury Mystique.
But I’m certainly not complaining. Not with a bill containing MGMT, DeVotchKa, Iggy and the Stooges, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and CSS (among many more).
Unfortunately for Montreal, it looks like I brought the rain with me. That didn’t stop poppy rockers Louis XIV from kicking things off with an energetic set. They weren’t life changing (watered down Strokes?) but they were fun and easy on the ears. More coming soon…
P.S. Highlight of yesterday at Newport? Well, aside from the Young @ Heart Chorus, meeting Bob Boilen whose weekly show, All Songs Considered, is a must listen for me every week. If you don’t subscribe to the ASC podcast, do so.
A few years ago, Chan Marshall’s reputation as the most frightened stage performer in indie music was legendary. Stories of drinking, drug abuse and bizarre stage antics circulated through the blogosphere like wildfire. With dozens of show cancellations, buying Cat Power tickets had turned into a twisted game of Ticketmaster Roulette.
Would she show up? And if she did, would she stay? And if she stayed, would she behave?
Well, today at the Newport Folk Festival, it became clear that this Cat has come full circle. With confident poise, Chan absolutely crushed. She waved to children in the audience, sang with confidence and even walked through the crowd after jumping off stage.
Congrats Chan. You have truly come full circle!
