What I've been listening to lately...

I've had Ida Maria's Fortress Round My Heart on heavy rotation at my house for a number of weeks now. Fortress Round My Heart is the debut album from the Norwegian singer/songwriter/guitarist and although it was released in 2008, it's one of those albums that I revisit on and off over the years for weeks at a time.

I think the thing I love most about this album is just how damn charming it is. Ida Maria sings with a throaty, Norwegian accent that I find adorably imperfect. Her songs are all so unapologetically raw and emotional and I feel like she is baring her soul here with reoccurring themes of loneliness and complicated love. Don't get me wrong though, there is nothing depressing about this album. There is a youthful exuberance about it that reminds me of my twenty something self; emotionally mixed up, awkward and unsure yet determined to have a good time anyway. It's high-energy, good fun rock and roll, and if you've got a hairbrush handy, I highly recommend cranking up the volume, dancing around the living room and singing into it along with Ida.

My favourite track on the album would have to be the single, 'I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked', with lyrics that talk about being hopelessly tongue-tied and awkward around somebody you find so incredibly attractive. I mean, who in the world can't relate to that?

Women I love: Part three

Billie Holiday

I think I'm pretty lucky. Growing up, my house was always full of music. Sunday mornings I'd wake up to the symphonies of Tchaikovsky or the crooning of Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole. After school we might listen to Glenn Miller or Louis Armstrong, and Carole King was always good for a Saturday afternoon. If my mum ever got to the stereo first, it would usually be a musical, maybe Cats or Oklahoma, and my dad has always been a big jazz fan. I always got to pick what we would listen to at dinner, and more often than not it was Billie Holiday. 

Billie had a truly unique and moving voice. She sang with such emotion, you can't help but hear the pain and sadness in her voice. It's a singing voice tinged with sweetness and vulnerability. And it is powerfully honest. Listening to her as a kid stirred a lot of feelings in me that I didn't quite understand. She made me feel happy and sad all at the same time. When I got a little older I felt bad for her, but I also felt her strength and I found that empowering. The first time I had my heart broken, I listened to Billie all day and night and cried. After a while I felt better, stronger and I knew that I wasn't going to die. That's the first time I think I really understood how her voice made me feel.

Billie was truly a gifted vocalist in the way that she could inspire such powerful empathy. I think she was amazing and is definitely one of my biggest influences (what? You can't hear that in my music?!)  

Women I love: Part two

Karen O

Karen O is the frontwoman for New York band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and is the vocalist and pianist. The band formed in 2000 and has released four studio albums. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have often been described as an 'arty punk rock band' and are one of those bands that is constantly re-inventing itself, with each album differing significantly from the last.

Not only does Karen play with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, she has also collaborated with artists such as The Flaming Lips, Santigold and James Iha (one time guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins). She also wrote the soundtrack for the film 'Where the Wild Things Are' and contributed to the soundtrack of the English-language version of the film 'Girl With A Dragon Tattoo', working with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Karen O has a powerful, distinctive voice, which together with her striking, offbeat style and outlandish on stage antics make her incredibly appealing. Not only is Karen O talented, she's edgy and opinionated with attitude. In an article for the New York Times, Lizzy Goodman describes her 'as the first post feminist rock star, a descendant of David Bowie and Freddie Mercury who also happened to be a girl'.

I am such a huge fan of Yeah Yeah Yeah's and also admire the way that Karen O works with other artists and in different genres, always pushing the boundaries and delivering the unexpected  One thing is for sure, she can't be pigeon-holed. I love her non conformist style and her seeming unselfconsciousness. She rocks!

Women I love: Part one

I love women who make music. Being a woman musician myself (can I even call myself that?) nothing inspires me more than seeing other women producing, performing and being passionate about music. When I listen to my favourite female artists I feel reassured. I feel like I can identify with these women, even if we are worlds apart. I admire their work and take their songs to heart. Billie Holiday's soulful renditions can move me to tears. When PJ Harvey's heart breaks, so does mine. I can listen to my favourite Magic Dirt album on repeat and scream out the words to each song, deep down from the pit of my stomach, over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I have feelings that are just as strong about music made by men. Oh man, how I feel like I've lived through many a Dinosaur Jnr song! But it's the women that get me off my arse and really make me try.

Grimes

Clare Boucher is a young Canadian woman who makes music under the name Grimes. I have recently discovered Grimes, but I only had to listen to 'Infinite ♡ Without Fulfillment',  the  first track on Grimes' latest album 'Visions', to know that I was in love. Grimes employs a variety of elements in her work but I would probably best describe it as experimental electronic. What I love about it is the catchy beats, textured compositions and her unusual arrangements of gorgeously girlish pop like vocals. She has a beautiful voice reminiscent of Julee Cruise. Her music smacks of intelligence and thoughtfulness. It is complex and pretty. I love her!