Plastic Oh-No Band
If there’s one genre that seems particularly male-dominated, it’s Electronic music; and I’m not sure why. After all, it’s not like there aren’t plenty of equal-opportunity tweakers out there to listen to it. Joke!
Actually, there is a fair amount of Electronic music on my playlist, and that’s because many of those male artists happen to use outstanding female vocalists. That’s fine, and I don’t wish to take anything away from those male artists; I’m just wondering, where are the female DJ’s?
I’m far from an expert on Electronica (for that, see my buddy DJ Tykx), but I can name a handful of top artists in the genre – and all of them are men. On the other hand, I can only think of one female DJ off the top of my head – Sandra Collins – and I don’t even play her music on the station (which is just a matter of personal taste; she’s a bit hardcore for me).
Therefore, I was particularly pleased to come across Arthur Loves Plastic, which is what composer/performer Bev Stanton has unfortunately decided to name her act. Yeah, I know. Opinions differ, of course, but there are those who think that it's one of the worst band names ever. Fortunately, it seems to be Ms Stanton's karmic fate to repay society by releasing really good music.
I'm basing that only upon hearing her latest CD, Pursuit of Happiness; but if you dig into her catalog, you'll discover that Ms Stanton is a prolific artist with many well-recieved albums under her belt (one of which is the brilliantly-titled Klondyke 5; why couldn't she have named the act that?). Pursuit can best be described as a "chillout" album, but there are some uptempo tracks, such as the album opener "Alone till the Day I Die", which features a Saint Etienne-like arrangement of Heather Heimbuch’s vocals.
Another track of note is "You May Think This is Love", which features a sample (from what sounds like an old educational film) of a stern woman admonishing us to "Not engage in frequent necking or petting". On the other hand, she may have been addressing the sapphic subjects of the album cover.
The title track is a solid vocal song reminiscent of great 80’s acts like Propaganda, and you know how much I loves me some 80’s music. "Pursuit of Happiness" leads into the very pretty "Just for the Night", and when you throw in the album closer "Play Misty", you’ve got my three favorite tracks on the album.
Like I said, I’m no expert on Electronic music; but Bev Stanton is, and she seems well aware that female artists must shout to be heard in this male-heavy genre. Here’s hoping that a wide audience hears her. Prove me right, and check out Bev Stanton's work at www.arthurlovesplastic.com.
Actually, there is a fair amount of Electronic music on my playlist, and that’s because many of those male artists happen to use outstanding female vocalists. That’s fine, and I don’t wish to take anything away from those male artists; I’m just wondering, where are the female DJ’s?
I’m far from an expert on Electronica (for that, see my buddy DJ Tykx), but I can name a handful of top artists in the genre – and all of them are men. On the other hand, I can only think of one female DJ off the top of my head – Sandra Collins – and I don’t even play her music on the station (which is just a matter of personal taste; she’s a bit hardcore for me).
Therefore, I was particularly pleased to come across Arthur Loves Plastic, which is what composer/performer Bev Stanton has unfortunately decided to name her act. Yeah, I know. Opinions differ, of course, but there are those who think that it's one of the worst band names ever. Fortunately, it seems to be Ms Stanton's karmic fate to repay society by releasing really good music.
I'm basing that only upon hearing her latest CD, Pursuit of Happiness; but if you dig into her catalog, you'll discover that Ms Stanton is a prolific artist with many well-recieved albums under her belt (one of which is the brilliantly-titled Klondyke 5; why couldn't she have named the act that?). Pursuit can best be described as a "chillout" album, but there are some uptempo tracks, such as the album opener "Alone till the Day I Die", which features a Saint Etienne-like arrangement of Heather Heimbuch’s vocals.Another track of note is "You May Think This is Love", which features a sample (from what sounds like an old educational film) of a stern woman admonishing us to "Not engage in frequent necking or petting". On the other hand, she may have been addressing the sapphic subjects of the album cover.
The title track is a solid vocal song reminiscent of great 80’s acts like Propaganda, and you know how much I loves me some 80’s music. "Pursuit of Happiness" leads into the very pretty "Just for the Night", and when you throw in the album closer "Play Misty", you’ve got my three favorite tracks on the album.
Like I said, I’m no expert on Electronic music; but Bev Stanton is, and she seems well aware that female artists must shout to be heard in this male-heavy genre. Here’s hoping that a wide audience hears her. Prove me right, and check out Bev Stanton's work at www.arthurlovesplastic.com.
Bev Stanton
posted by Arhythmius at
8:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home