Although most of you know Abbe May for her new album cover where she's in a bra wearing a steer's skull (and looking pretty damn good at the same time... odd) she does excellent female led blues/in your face rock.
It's quite refreshing.
Normally whenever I hear of a female releasing an album under her own name, I just think it's going to be the normal singer-songwriter fare. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but it can take me a while to listen to it or even distinguish it from the rest. I wish I hadn't waited with Abbe May. Her rock and roll style is refreshing for a solo artists and her new album, Design Desire, is just bloody great.
I saw the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World over the weekend and I loved it for two reasons: it's nerdy video game references and it's music-dorky hipster music references. Sadcore? I lost it at that point. Over all, the music in it was such a highlight for me. When it wasn't using the Zelda theme, it had music by the made-up band Sex Bob-omb who played simple noise garage rock. The kind with 3 instruments, all distorted and played fast, and yelled and distorted vocals. I've always had a soft spot for that kind of music. You can download one of the tracks from the movie here: http://fusion45.com/scott-pilgrim-v-the-world/ to see what I am on about.
But as I was driving around the next day, listening to 4ZZZ, they played a song of the same genre that made me even more in love with the sound. The difference was, it was a female singer. The song The Message, by Brisbane locals the Grates is a great example of female-lead distorted noise-garage rock (or whatever the hell it is called).
Of course, these days they are slightly poppier. But this was the first song I heard by them and the one I still love the most.
The first song I ever heard in this style was from the first EP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song, Art Star was also the first I had ever heard from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I swooned. I've not been able to really get into them after hearing Karen O scream her heart out on that EP and then seeing how they changed their sound. Get it here.
I don't know much other bands in the genre, but it seems Australia has quite the talent for it. Another one of my favourite local bands is I Heart Hiroshima, who, although a bit more quiet and laid back, still like to rip into the raw sound a lot. They've got 3 vocalists, only one being a female, but you still get a lot of her singing. Neutron Pop Song, an earlier single, is a great example of it. You can get the track here.
My all time favourite band, that kept this sound going, is actually from Canberra and Melbourne. Young and Restless. I picked up their CD at the LifeLine bookfest a few years back (unfortunately after they broke up) and I was blown away. Don't let the little Indonesian lead singer fool you, she just blows you away with her almost-post-hardcore style. A great example from their only album is Police! Police!
I am going to look more into this type of music, because I just love it. And it makes the female lead singers absolutely beautiful in my eyes. If you know any other bands, please let me know.
