Austra: Dark wave electro pop out of Toronto

I just discovered Austra this week. There was an article about the band in OUT magazine of all places. Austra is led by lead singer Katie Stelmanis and based in Toronto. The band is somewhere between music by The Knife and some vocal similarity to Nika Roza of Zola Jesus. The beats and vocals are pretty infectious. I am just digging into their new album Feel It Break. So far, I'm loving it. Here is a sample:

Lost classic: Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry is my favorite new "old" country artist. She had a number one single in the 1970's with Ode to Billie Joe. She had a couple more albums that did not quite live up to that first single, or so the critics said. I had a hard time finding one of her records(I think I'm not the only one rediscovering her right now), but once I did, I feel like she is just as good if not better than some of her contemporaries. She has the smoky sound of Dusty Springfield but with a bit more soul.
re soul.

Intrigued by EMA

EMA is a concept by Erika Anderson, formerly of a band called Gowns. Erika brings to the table influences as broad as Catpower and a touch of Patti Smith. But really, the rawness and imagery of the lyrics and vocal style bring an early Courtney Love crossed with Kim Gordon to mind. I'm kind of in love with this track called "Milkman".

The Ladies of Prince

As a child of the 1980's I was a huge Prince fan, I mean, who wasn't? Along with Prince, came the female versions of himself that he dated, created and produced. The best of these were Sheila E, Vanity, and Vanity's replacement Apollonia, and of coarse his band mates Wendy and Lisa. The Glamorous Life by Sheila E, I would argue, stands up against any of Princes greatest hits and well..... Vanity 6 and their debut single Nasty Girl is just as dirty as anything Prince himself would have created. Here are a few favorites from the ladies of Prince.

1960's Girl Groups, my new obsession

Recently, I have begun to be quite infatuated with the girl groups of the 1960's. It all started with picking up a re-issue of The Shangri-la's. Then I happened upon an old Shirelles record. Listening to Best Coast last summer is what triggered me to look backward to these amazing artists. I am now moving on to the classic Phil Spector groups of The Ronnettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love and all the rest. If your a Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls or Ravenettes fan, go back to the source, nothing beats the originals. Here are a few for your listening pleasure.

The Kills new song, "Baby Says"-I'm loving this one

Anyone that knows me or reads this blog, knows I'm a a fan of The Kills. Below is a video of s SXSW performance of one of The Kills new songs from their forthcoming album Blood Pressures to be released April 5th in the US. Baby Says is the 3rd song from the album that they have put out there(following DNA and Satellite). I have high hopes for this album and by the sound of this song, I have good reason to. The Kills are currently on tour, so check out the dates. They are hitting Detroit on Tuesday May 3rd. This will be the 4th or 5th time I've seen this band. Take my advice, get tickets! By far one of my favorite live bands, ever.

Info on "New" Kate Bush album Directors Cut

One of my favorite musical artist's is about to re-imagine some of her previous work. Kate Bush is getting ready to release Directors Cut in May. This will be a re-working of her albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. I am especially interested in this project because I took the name of my blog from the song Love and Anger from the album The Sensual World. Kate is working on new material as well, but this will tide us over till that happens. Here is the info from the official press release on her Facebook page:

Kate Bush releases an unusual new album “Director’s Cut” on May 16 on her own label Fish People, in conjunction with EMI.

On “Directors Cut” Kate revisits a selection of tracks from her albums “The Sensual World” and “The Red Shoes”, a process that presents a fascinating portrait of an artist in a constant state of evolution. She has re-recorded some elements whilst keeping the best musical performances of each song – making it something of a director’s cut but in sound, not vision.

A new version of “Deeper Understanding” will be released as a single in April. Although written some twenty years ago, the song may be more relevant today than ever…

Kate is currently working on new material although no release date has been set for this.

“Director’s Cut” will be released in the following formats:

Digital Album, Standard CD in a case-bound book, Deluxe CD (three disc package, including Director’s Cut, The Sensual Word and re-mastered The Red Shoes) in a case-bound book and two-disc vinyl.

Other digital and vinyl formats will be made available on katebush.com. Details will be published shortly.