Markie Listening Notes 5: Lida Husik

This singer reminds me how many amazingly great "alternative" women singer/songwriters and woman-headed bands have flown under the radar since the 80s. For every Liz Phair or Tori Amos or, God help us, Alanis Morissette that's relatively well known (at least to music geeks--and teenage girls who like the commercials that use songs from Liz's last album), there's a Barbara Manning, a Penelope Houston, Kristin Hersh, Mary Timony, here in Seattle Capping Day, Juned, the Visible Targets, Amy Denio, the Fastbacks, Visqueen. Lida is another who drifted from lo-fi guitar/psych-based songs to downtempo electro, plying her nicely expressive alto and pretty good hooks. So far the one I'm feeling is the second she made at Shimmy-Disc, The Return of Red Emma. It's much better produced than her first, and with songs that would sound right at home on Surrealistic Pillow. About the electro songs, I'll have to hear.

Update: Okay, first two songs on Your Bag are beautiful, as well. I could see listening to this along with the Magnetic Fields.