They’re fierce, they rock, they rap,
they’re retro, they are the diverse women of
Indie Rock!
From the poppish Pipettes, to the rapping
M.I.A, to the rocking Peaches, I bring you a
list of the fierce and divers ladies of
contemporary Indie rock. Though each act has
her unique style and statement, I can’t help
but reminisce of the days of 1980’s Blondie,
who seems to be the spiritual mother to many
of these ladies of Indie.
Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Blondie
2000
If Blondie would have formed in the year
2000, they would have looked like the Yeah
Yeah Yeahs. A rock sound, with a few soft
turns, but with that contemporary finish.
Alluring and quirky, Karen O is the epitome
of the Blondie legacy. Crazy fashions and
bangs that hide the eyes, all that’s missing
is the blonde.
The Pipettes - 1950’s Bubblegum meets
21st Century 1980’s Retro
For all you lovers of the sweet pop of
yesteryear, the Pipettes is the updated
version. Postmodern pop is their specialty.
With songs befitting the Supremes, heavy
British accents and a typically
21st
century mishmash of 1950’s and 1980’s retro
styling, they are the result of teeny bopper
culture and globalization. It’s a little too
much sugar for me, but an interesting
cultural experiment, nevertheless.
M.I.A. - Fierce Diversity with Fashion
Awareness
M.I.A. is a london born artist, of Sri Lankan
Tamil descent. She’s a sexy lady with obvious
fashion awareness, but more than that, she’s
proud of her roots and a sharp political
artist:
"Nobody wants to be dancing to political
songs. Every bit of music out there that’s
making it into the mainstream is really about
nothing. I wanted to see if I could write
songs about something important and make it
sound like nothing. And it kind of worked."
Whether its the1980’s retro fashions, the
bustin’ beats, or the kick-ass lyrics, this
girl is fierce!
Regina Spektor - Classic
Cool
Cooling it down with Soviet-born American
singer-songwriter and pianist, Regina
Spektor. With Spektor’s classic looks, her
high-pitched, highly mastered voice comes as
a surprise. Playing with both visual and
sound, Spektor reaches stylistic hights in
Fidelity (to your left), and touches on our
favorite retro styles.
Amy Winehouse - Post Modern
Soul
Amy Winehouse isn’t Indie Rock per se, but
she definitely stands out in the soul crowd.
And since we had bubblegum pop on this list,
we can have some soul, too. Winehouse also
has that post modern blend of style; From the
heavy beehive hair, to the heavy eye-liner,
to the heavy tattoos, it’s always a lot of
everything, with Winehouse. Just like her
sound simultaneously transports you to
different places and times, so does her
mishmash style.
Peaches - Crossing the Gender
Boundaries
The video to your left didn’t happen in the
1980’s. This is glam-shock queen, Peaches.
Crossing gender boundaries and shattering
sexual taboos, and doing it all in glittery
fetish-wear. Recapturing the gaudy 80’s, with
a touch of the grotesque, it’s not for
everyone, but it’s definitely original.
Juliette Lewis and The Licks- Spandex and
Pinup Boys
They just disbanded, but Juliette and The
Licks left behind some wild videos and live
performances. Lewis, who rather reminds me of
Iggy Pop, sported some very colorful spandex
suits and a headband, reminiscent of Olivia
Newton John with a fetishistic twist. If that
doesn’t sound appealing enough, The Licks
were a band of fine looking young men, who
did the rock thang and lost the shirts mid
sweaty-concert, or- as in the case to the
left- went for the matching pinup boy look.
Kate Jackson and The Long Blondes - The
New Chrissie Hynde
Kate Jackson bears a stunning resemblance to
another 1980’s legend, Chrissie Hynde.
Hynde’s attitude and voice echo through
Jackson and the comparison is inevitable.
Aside from the energetic post-punk, Jackson
is gorgeous and goes for a colorful retro
Bonnie Parker look. Jackson’s retro
tendencies take me back to Chrissie Hynde’s:
Rockin’ it,
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