Monday 28 September 2009

Rykarda Parasol

The person who first introduced me to Rykarda Parasol's work described her as 'the bastard child of Nick Cave and Polly Harvey, raised by Tom Waits after they mysteriously perished in a freak carnival accident'. Actually, that's not far off the mark, although I'd imagine she probably gets tired of endless comparisons to the above. Songs like 'Drinking Song and 'One for Joy' have something of the Brecht/Weill about them; others are somehow reminiscent of Friedrich Hollaender's cabaret classics penned for the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Dorothy Lamour. Her beautifully evocative lyrics and smoky richness of her voice put me in mind of Lydia Lunch's 'Shotgun Wedding' era, echoes of gospel, small town horror and Southern guilt.

Anyway, I couldn't find a video for the track I can't stop listening to at the moment ('Arrival, a Rival'...'Lonesome Place' is also utterly captivating)) but I think this showcases her style pretty well, and also has an ice-skating grim reaper in it.

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