My Incredibly Biased Top 5 Female Vocal Artists (in bands or otherwise)
Dan Meyer (Program Director)
I strive to find ever unique voices when I listen to music. For some reason, the weirder the sound of the voice and more obscure the lyrics, the more likely I am to say “this song is pretty decent.” In this post I will be focusing on the wonderfully weird voices of my top 5 favorite female artists. Feel free to take this post with a grain of salt, as my opinions aren’t ultimately universal despite what I try to convince everyone.
My Incredibly Biased Top 5 Female Vocal Artists (in bands or otherwise)
5. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
Formed in 2000, this American indie rock band features the brassy, sassy Karen O as the lead vocalist. Famous for their songs Maps, Gold Lion, Heads Will Roll, as well as others, the band has a post-punk dance feel that really gets a person going.
4. Phantogram
The electronic rock duo formed in New York in 2007 consists of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel. Interestingly enough, they used to be known as Charlie Everywhere. Eyelid Movies, their debut album has produced my favorite song by them: Mouthful of Diamonds.
3. Rubblebucket
A personal favorite of mine for years, Rubblebucket is an indie-dance band from Brooklyn, NY. Rubblebucket features lead vocalist and sax player Kalmia Traver. They released their debut album Rose’s Dream in March 2008 and have created a quiet buzz since. I first became hooked when I heard their wonderfully catchy and quirky song “Came Out of a Lady” back in 2012, and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing them at Treefort Music Festival 2015!
2. FKA twigs
Shooting up to the number two spot is a gal who somewhat came out of nowhere for me. FKA twigs released her debut album last year to very high critical acclaim. She quickly became one of my favorite new artists along with my current favorite band Glass Animals. With a unique voice and style that is all her own, I can’t help but give this girl some serious credit. As a disclaimer: all of her videos are suuuuuuper duper weird, so just keep that in mind.
1. Santigold
American singer and producer Santigold has for a long time defied a genre, with critics struggling to label her as electronic, rap, R&B or something in between. Her debut album Santogold really got me hooked, but I love her second album Master of my Make Believe is just as wonderful, and I was delighted to discover the vinyl in station the other day. I first discovered Santigold 6 years ago in high school and still constantly go back to her when I’m having a bad day. Hope you enjoy her as much as I do!
On the subject of female vocalists, I did a whole show on them the other week! Here is my playlist from that show so you can get a feel for some of my favorite ladies in the business!.