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 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!