Female hip hop stars are akin to major metropolitan areas in the central United States: they can be few and far between. In a male-dominated industry that some perceive as generally misogynistic, it takes a strong voice both literally and lyrically to stand apart and prove that hip-hop is more than a boys’ club. Nicki Minaj has proven her skills at the age of 25 by being signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label and putting out four mixtapes in the last four years that combine samples from other artists with Minaj’s original work.
Although Minaj has had to work through the same issues that have plagued many female emcees, namely sex appeal being valued over substance and public scrutiny of her sexual orientation, her work is picking up thousands of fans and showing the viability of different forms of expression for young females everywhere.
It’s 2010, and Cul de sac is back in session. We decided to kick it old school by starting off with our nouveau classique series, Musician Mondays. Marina Diamandis is a 24-year-old Greek-Welsh singer based in London who plugs into sounds ranging from ’80s new wave to modern pop, dance and synth-rock. Her surname literally translates as “Diamonds” and is used as a stage moniker to denote her fans, not her backing band. Marina and the Diamonds‘ debut album, The Family Jewels, will be released on February 22 in the US.
Marina’s voice recalls strong female alt-musicians from Kate Nash and Lily Allen to Kate Bush and Imogen Heap, and her lyrics touch on identity-formation, commercialization and female sexuality. She is currently touring her native UK, heading across the pond for a few dates in New York this March. The first single from the album, “Hollywood” is set to be officially released on February 1 (our editor-in-chief’s date of birth!), but you can watch the video below:
British indie-powerhouses The XX and Friendly Fires are touring together. They will be playing a sold-out show at Bottom Lounge in Chicago on Tuesday, December 1st. Although the two produce music that differs greatly from each other, the pairing is unsurprising. The XX debuted in August of this year and create music that shows influences of R&B and 80’s guitar. Deep bass complemented by well-tuned vocals drives their sound.
Friendly Fires have been on the scene since September of 2008. They create a sound that can be best described as Britpop dance-punk. It seems appropriate that The XX are opening for them, as they will get the mood started out right for the high energy that Friendly Fires will bring. Both artists are on the Beggars roster and are of equal caliber.
Although I will not be seeing this show, I have seen both of these acts separately. The members of Friendly Fires are true rock stars and will have everyone dancing to tracks like “Jump in the Pool” and “Photobooth.” The XX forces the audience to pay attention and become part of the music. With tracks like “Crystalize” and “Islands,” a melodic journey is sure to take place.
Friday night, I ventured over to the Metro to experience the Peaches concert. Amanda Blank opened, and I was a little underwhelmed with her performance, given all the hype around her. However, she was still enjoyable and made an appropriate opener for Peaches. Since this was my second time seeing Peaches, I knew what to expect from the performance.
I first saw Peaches at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Drag personality Sherry Vine was in the VIP section; it is very hard to compete with that, but Peaches still delivered an incredible show. What I enjoy most about her is that she truly is a performer. She wears the most ridiculous outfits, walks across the crowd, and brings a third dimension to her music.
As expected, the majority of the crowd was queer. With risqué songs like “Tent in Your Pants,” “I Feel Cream,” and of course, “Fuck the Pain Away,” it was pretty much like a Friday night at Berlin. Although her latest album,I Feel Cream, put out by XL Recordings, has been out for a while, it is still a must for any party mix.
Sweden keeps producing strong musical acts. Saturday night, I thoroughly enjoyed myself when experiencing the music of Little Dragon. They played a free show for the fifteenth anniversary of Double Door in Chicago. It was one of those concerts where the energy of the music was absorbed through the entire crowd, creating a surreal atmosphere.
Led by Japanese vocalist, Yukimi Nagano, the group pumped out electronic soul music that sounded retro yet modern at the same time. Nagano’s vocal skills were well complimented by beats created by Erik Bodin, Fredrik Wallin, and Hakan Wirenstrand. Although the group can be compared to acts such as Bjork, Miike Snow and Kate Bush, their experimental sound sets them apart. There are traces of 80s pop and jazz, all blended into one amazing package.
Newly signed XL artist, Holly Miranda, performed during this past weekend’s annual CMJ festival in New York, a showcase for new independent music artists. Born and raised outside of Detroit, Miranda left her life in the Midwest at 16 to jumpstart her music career in New York. After becoming part of the East Village’s music scene, her career began picking up fast. More recently, she has been hyped by the likes of celebrities such as Kanye West.
As an openly out lesbian, Miranda makes strides for burgeoning queer artists. She recently was a guest on the series finale of This Just Out with Liz Feldmanto sing and chat about what it would be like to make out with Scarlett Johansson. Exposure like this creates an influence that will bring to light the importance of queer musicians. She is able to show us that you don’t have to sing about queer-related content to be a queer artist.
The music she creates is a mix between Cat Power and CocoRosie. Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio produced her most recent CD, the “Sleep on Fire EP.” We can definitely feel Sitek’s influence with the way Ms. Miranda expresses her vocal skills. She is certainly teaming up with the right people and is well on her way to becoming an overnight success.
XL recordings, which gave us Vampire Weekend, M.I.A., Peaches, and Friendly Fires, will release Miranda’s debut album in early 2010. For now, you can purchase and download her EP through her website, where she is offering a free download of one of her songs, “Waves.”
