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Keren Ann
I worry when my favorite chick musicians are unabashedly adored by (male) music critics. This leads to all kinds of uncomfortable questions I'd rather not ask and assumptions I'd rather not be forced into making. Witness The New York Times pop critic Kalefa Sanneh's crush on Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley last year. That was kinda creepy and bordering on kind of embarrassing! Now, I'd say the same thing about New Yorker pop critic Sasha Frere-Jones' adoration of Dutch by birth, French by choice chanteuse Keren Ann, save that well, SFJ's adulations for Keren Ann seem more couched in a genuine appreciation of her music and less in a schoolboy crush on her stage presence or other version of her public persona.
Normally, music like Keren Ann's bores me to tears -- namely girl + guitar + breathy, quavery, indistinct vocals -- but like the music of Mia Doi Todd or The Concretes, there's melodic heft and concrete lyrics buried in all that misleading airy-fairyness, so that it ends up not being airy-fairy in the slightest.
Keren Ann's lyrics are that kind of poetic storytelling that it seems only a non-native speaker of English can dream up (see also: Jens Lekman), so that the songs are interesting just based on the new and interesting things she does with phrasing, diction, and imagery. But then there's also the deep-focus sonic soundscapes and simple repetitive melodies that are delicately hypnotic and not at all tiresome. The end product is a luscious array of pop songs that are heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
Keren Ann - Chelsea Burns
Keren Ann - Right Now and Right Here
Keren Ann - La Forme et Le Fond
Keren Ann's offical website. Her first English-language album, Not Going Anywhere, is available on Amazon. Her latest French release, Nolita is available as an import from Amazon as well.
Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll at 02.23.05 at 1:39 AM
Comments
Hi
i'm french, and i like Keren Ann.
the first album (la biographie de Luka ....) is for me the best. It is a minimalist french pop based on lyrics.
i find the musical taste of this blog very good and that pleases to me that you talk about keren.
sorry for my english.
Bye
Posted by: Thom at 02.23.05 at 5:01 PM
Merci, Thom! I haven't heard La Biographie de Luka, but I'll be sure to check it out.
Posted by: little miss rock'n'roll at 02.25.05 at 11:51 AM
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