Le Diamant Brut: Carissa's Wierd & Emily Shirley
What’s the Deal: Until the group announced the release of their “best of” album, They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996 - 2003, the majority of Carissa’s Wierd fans were likely to be found close to their pacific northwest home or on Band of Horses fan sites. The group was formed in 1995 by “punk kids grown up and gone sad” Seattle musicians (then living in Tucson, AZ) Mat Brooke (of Grand Archives) and Jenn Ghetto. Among the players they picked up along the way was future Band of Horses frontman, Ben Bridwell. Then, after a handful of releases, they called it quits in 2003.
Carissa’s Wierd played their hushed alt-folk sounds heavy on the male/female harmonies and graceful violin over acoustic chords one final time at a reunion show last month in Seattle. They began the one-night-only gig with “Low Budget Slow Motion Soundtrack Song from the Leaving Scene” with a soft and somber vibe promoted by the low hum of the violin, slowly trickling piano and whispered harmonies. One of the songs left out of the lineup was “The Color that your Eyes Changed with the Color of Your Hair,” a tune that luckily made it on the compilation.
Something Interesting: Their first tour was a west coast supporting trip alongside the rising Modest Mouse.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “So You Wanna Be A Superhero” and “You Should Be Hated Here”
Carissa’s Wierd [MySpace]
What’s the Deal: Emily Shirley is a graphic designer and musician living in Austin, and she’s just released her new EP, Tiny Truths.
Her music has until now remained largely off our radar, an unfortunate symptom of a music scene as large as Austin’s. However, with tracks like “Blueberry Song,” Shirley has our attention. The song has a haunting gypsy folk feeling with a low-blowing horn beat, faint string plucking and eerie vocal effects. “Flowers,” also off the EP, begins with a similar folky feeling, but moves more into an optimistic light with a noticeable Nellie McKay influence, which she lists along with Joni Mitchell, Rufus Wainwright and many others.
Something Interesting: We couldn’t find a listing for any upcoming shows for Shirley on her site or floating out there in information land, but if you cross paths with her sound on the streets of Austin, we suggest taking a second to explore it.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Fiberoptic”
