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Some of my reservations about posting on the Music forum are that I see it as quite specialised, if not wilfully esoteric, in the artists it discusses, and I’m sufficiently aware that the energies I might use in expanding my musical knowledge are usually directed elsewhere. I do sympathise with some of the reservations about this topic having a vague abstract, and certainly it runs the danger of exoticising music by female artists as just another category of music like metal or folk-punk, as opposed to music by artists that happen to be female. At the same time, I’d not like to see it disappear immediately, as I’d quite like for there to be a space to gauge the interest of Barbeloids in some of the more commercial or visible artists, possibly as precursors for threads of their own, as well as finding some of the points already raised interesting. I’d hate to think that the reservations expressed were in part a coded attack on the critically appropriated / populist nature of the artists already mentioned.
Anyway, an example, in that I’d being mulling over starting a P J Harvey thread (which I almost certainly won’t now), though I was hesitant because, despite liking her music a great deal and being excited about the release of her first official live performance dvd, she’s: 1) already quite well known, and most people will have made up their mind to like her or not, or have her filed as a phase they went through, and I’m not sure how much demand there is for further discussion of her work 2) she’s considered, as evidenced by this thread, as an established commercial artist, to the point where that almost needs to be an apology, and frankly I was wary of being burned by a better informed poster telling me that X number of artists had done what old Polly Harvey done better, edgier, earlier, outside the limited concerns of the UK scene, or otherwise in a more critically worthy fashion. Which might well be paranoia on my part, I admit, but still.
Well sod it. She’s white, female, from Dorset, and she rocks my world! I don’t know that it’s her femininity that I admire, more of an identification with her commitment (I daren’t use the word intensity), her lyrical pre-occupations which do include themes of motherhood for example, her interest in her onstage image, and a bass-heavy, primal sound that has itself evolved with her. I think sometimes dismissed as her commercial album that it’s ok for “normal people” to like, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is probably my favourite if I had to pick. It’s a great big soaring, beautiful record, where the “happiness” (overplayed in the album’s promotion) is informed by a certain knowing, an awareness of darkness and trauma that provides contrast to her evident joy. What I like particularly is that as an artist I feel with every record she’s expanded her range, taken a different direction, challenged herself rather than sought to make her sound more attractive or accessible, or by the opposite tack, what I like about Stories is that her desire to create a record that just shines isn’t constrained by expectations laid upon her to be dark or difficult; when she chooses to complicate her next project I felt that it was her choice. Her collaborative work in particular contains a greater degree of her sense of humour. I do think she’s attractive. Possibly because she’s able to portray herself as a confident, glamorous artist caught up in her own music and then come across as shy, funny “normal” individual in rare moments of intimacy. I find both aspects compelling, although I’m not really sure how either are supposed to relate to my appreciation of her music, certainly the latter is more of a suggestion of what lies outside the performance, other than in how I use that “superfluous” information in conceptualising my idea of the performer.
Haus’ comments on sexual objectification are interesting. I certainly find it more difficult to separate a musical artist’s whole performance or persona from their (strictly musical) product than I do to separate an author from their novel or their characters. You only fall into the problems that Haus mentions if you do try to rigorously apply that separation, and there’s nothing to say that, for the purposes of this thread at least, a female musician can’t be “admired” for her overall performance or how she interacts with those expectations of spectacle and sexuality.
To give an example, one of the qualities that I admire about P J Harvey is her insistence on privacy, her own understanding of the distinction between a persona and a person, and in interviews / promotional images, to employ ambiguity towards the end of confronting the critic with their own interest in her non-musical attributes (whilst not denying their existence herself), which would seem particularly relevant in the case of female musicians. Obviously my admiration for her views of public identity, or any similar identification I could make with her politics, for example, would be far less significant if I didn’t feel an emotional connection with her music, but I do see it as reinforcing and to a limited degree integrated with my admiration for her as an artist.
I’d probably add to PJ: Ani DiFranco, Kristin Hersh, Mazzy Star, Tori Amos, Kathryn Williams, Peaches, Karen O, Patti Smith, but if I tried to individualise why I’d be here forever. I would personally feel far less confident in commenting on the musicianship of female artists in relation to their sex, as I would on expressing an appreciation for their vocals or lyrical themes, though most if not all of the above are instrument playing musicians as well, and that certainly adds a component to my admiration of them. Adding Kim Deal, Mo Tucker and Tina Weymouth primarily as “musicians” would probably call for a more specific thread.
I originally got a bit fumed up at what I (mis)read as Flyboy as saying that an unrepresentative number of the artists mentioned in this thread were white, where he was, of course, referring to own choices. But to rephrase what I might have originally posted in confusion: do you think that there is a greater pressure on female artists to fit into commercial musical genres on the basis of their colour? More than male artists? Which is to say that expressing an admiration for artists of a certain style or styles of music, one is more likely to make (possibly unconscious) choices along racial lines because it is more common for a white female artist to be seen as an acoustic songstress / pop starlet or a black female artist as a hip-hop / R & B vocalist - and to consequently enter the mainstream. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t white female rap artists or black singer–songwriters, but that there are cultural expectations upon those artists that make it more difficult for them to succeed in those roles, and that when they do the singularity of their “unconventional” approach becomes their defining commercial feature.
I mean, Flyboy particularly if this is an issue you’re close to, if I’m off-base or being overly simplistic do say, these were just initial thoughts on why lists were being produced with tightly defined cultural parameters. Obviously there are plenty of examples that could be used to beat this hypothesis to death with, but I was more referring to more typical or commercial trends within the UK/US music industry.
And finally, Stoats: Diamanda Galas. I’ve been listening to Masque of the Red Death recently, and am similarly just amazed by her voice, it really puts into perspective what a weapon her voice is compared to other artists. I had quite a similar reaction to Bjork’s latest album Medulla, very different in character but again that focus on the voice as an instrument, put to astounding use, and again absolutely pointless to attempt to listen to while doing anything else: it demands your attention in its range and intricacy. I was finding Masque a bit impenetrable though, so would you recommend any more accessible albums? Jarboe sound interesting, and I’ve also heard good things about Queen Adreena, any further thoughts? |
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