As I started this post, I was under the assumption that SOPHE LUX was the name of the woman who sings the songs on the album WAKING THE MYSTICS.Bad assumption. Turns out, Sophe Lux is a band. Turns out, the woman who sings the songs is the band's primary tunesmith GWYNNETH HAYNES (sister of queercore filmmaker TODD HAYNES).
Like her brother, Ms. Lux... er... HAYNES has an affinity for the old-fashioned-theatrical. Call it kooky cabaret. Think: THE DRESDEN DOLLS. REGINA SPEKTOR. Or, in terms of pure vocal comparison: HEATHER NOVA. MILLA.
Milla is MILLA JOVOVICH -- model, actor, and, in 1994, the woman who sang the songs on the album THE DIVINE COMEDY.
(Note: The two Gwynneth Haynes... er... SOPHE LUX songs I've chosen here for your consumption are the two that LEAST sound like Milla, Regina Spektor, or the Dresden Dolls. They are the least kooky; the least cabaret. Methinks them also the two best tunes on the record.)
SOPHE LUX on MySPACE.
SOPHE LUX hither, thither, and yon >>>
Apr 27 2007 8:00P/McDonald Theatre - U of O, Eugene/Out Loud Music Festival/Eugene, Oregon
May 12 2007 8:00P/Someday Lounge: A Benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma/Portland, Oregon
May 23 2007 9:00P/Doug Fir Lounge w/Dahlia!!!/Portland, Oregon
Jun 16 2007 1:00P/Portland Waterfront Park/Gay Pride/Portland, Oregon
[MP3] "Little Soldier of Time"
[MP3] "Lou Salome"
SOPHE LUX on MySPACE.
SOPHE LUX hither, thither, and yon >>>
Apr 27 2007 8:00P/McDonald Theatre - U of O, Eugene/Out Loud Music Festival/Eugene, Oregon
May 12 2007 8:00P/Someday Lounge: A Benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma/Portland, Oregon
May 23 2007 9:00P/Doug Fir Lounge w/Dahlia!!!/Portland, Oregon
Jun 16 2007 1:00P/Portland Waterfront Park/Gay Pride/Portland, Oregon
[MP3] "Little Soldier of Time"
[MP3] "Lou Salome"
BONUS TRACKS >>>[MP3] MILLA/"It's Your Life"
[MP3] MILLA/"Gentleman Who Fell"
[MP3] MILLA/"In a Glade"
Hmmm. Kate Bush should sue for stolen identity on "Target Market" on Sophe Lux's myspace page! BUT if you're going to mimic someone, a young Kate Bush is a fine choice.
ReplyDeleteThe Kate Bush influence is obvious and totally irresistable. And I must say the homage seems deeply heart-felt. I had the pleasure to see the band perform at Joe's Pub in NYC last month. I found them utterly charming. I see so many bands in NYC, and honestly this group helped me feel more positive about the future of music. It was a rare pleasure to see such gifted artists performing such unique and well crafted material.
ReplyDeleteThis band changed my feelings about theatrical music. I really like it!!! Their wit and tongue-in-cheek humor recalls early Eno,Bowie, and Roxy Music. Good band. "Waking The Mystics" is musically dense and at first hard to absorb in one listening. After a couple of listens the fun really begins as you feel privileged to have entered into this band's own private world of unique and satisfying artistry.
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