{"id":44740,"date":"2021-09-27T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/?p=44740"},"modified":"2021-09-22T17:29:27","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T21:29:27","slug":"musique-boutique-laura-love-low-the-sweet-inspirations-the-beths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/musique-boutique-laura-love-low-the-sweet-inspirations-the-beths\/","title":{"rendered":"MUSIQUE BOUTIQUE: Laura Love, Low, The Sweet Inspirations, The Beths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Welcome to Audiofemme\u2019s monthly record review column,\u00a0<strong>Musique Boutique<\/strong>, written by music journo vet\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GillianGaarWriter\/\">Gillian G. Gaar<\/a>. Every fourth Monday, Musique Boutique offers a cross-section of noteworthy reissues and new releases guaranteed to perk up your ears.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"933\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LauraLoveUppity-1024x933.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44747\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lauralovemusic.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Laura Love<\/a> is the kind of performer who doesn\u2019t readily fit into any one category. Her songs have elements of folk, funk, pop, blues; Love has called\u00a0 her style \u201cAfro-Celtic.\u201d Her albums feature everything from a Nirvana cover to the ballad \u201cWayfaring Stranger\u201d to \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d She was a member of the satiric feminist band <a href=\"https:\/\/venusenvy1.bandcamp.com\/album\/ill-be-a-homo-for-christmas-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Venus Envy<\/a>; her 2018 album <em><a href=\"https:\/\/lauralovemusic.bandcamp.com\/album\/she-loved-red\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">She Loved Red<\/a><\/em> was a searing depiction of recovering from personal loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When COVID hit, Love went into semi-retirement, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lauralovemusic.bandcamp.com\/\">feeling satisfied that I\u2019d said and done all I needed to say and do<\/a>.\u201d Then came the insurrection of January 6th, 2021, which galvanized Love into new musical action: <em>Uppity<\/em> is the result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The acoustic sounds (dobro, banjo, harmonica) provide a deceptively mellow backdrop for an album that\u2019s a powerful, stirring indictment of racial injustice. \u201cYou make me feel like a Nat Turner woman,\u201d is Love\u2019s jesting response to the white rioters she saw overwhelming the Capitol last January in \u201cThe Heart of Nat Turner.\u201d In \u201c23 and Me\u201d she explores her own mixed-race history, as seen through the eyes of a young slave woman. The pain of dealing with \u201csexism, racism, and all the other isms that keep me up at night\u201d runs deep. In \u201cGentle,\u201d Love sadly admits, \u201cI just don\u2019t know how to mend; \u201cIt\u2019s gonna take a long time for us to be fine\u201d is the similar sentiment in \u201cTo Be Fine.\u201d But there\u2019s hope as well, in the uplifting \u201cBayou,\u201d and a wonderfully freewheeling duet with Ruthie Foster on a cover of the Beatles\u2019 \u201cTwo of Us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 406px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2106623626\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lauralovemusic.bandcamp.com\/album\/uppity\">Uppity by Laura Love<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44744\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat-324x324.jpg 324w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat-416x416.jpg 416w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/LowHeyWhat-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chairkickers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Low<\/a> creates otherworldly sounds like you\u2019ve never heard. Some have attempted to categorize the music of the husband-and-wife team (Alan Sparkhawk, Mimi Parker) by dubbing it \u201cslowcore,\u201d which is hopelessly mundane. Low are sonic shapeshifters, manipulating sounds and crafting them into something unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On <em>Hey What<\/em> (Sub Pop), the only element not subject to distortion are Sparkhawk and Parker\u2019s voices, their harmonies serving as a kind of life raft to hang onto in the midst of a surging maelstrom. The heavy, industrial noise that opens the album might make you feel like you\u2019re in for a rough ride. Not so. There may be some occasional turbulence, but there\u2019s a mesmerizing purity in the vocals that provides a soothing balm. This is especially so on a song like \u201cDays Like These,\u201d which begins with the lush sound of the two singing acapella, before a blur of white noise fragments the soundscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At over seven-and-a-half minutes, \u201cHey\u201d is a stately choral piece of symphonic scope, a slice of meditative ambience, classical music beamed in from another dimension. <em>Hey What<\/em> stretches musical boundaries in a way you never dreamed was possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 472px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1429273597\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lowtheband.bandcamp.com\/album\/hey-what\">HEY WHAT by Low<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheSweetInspirations-e1632334509847.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44745\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheSweetInspirations-e1632334509847.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheSweetInspirations-e1632334509847-324x324.jpg 324w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheSweetInspirations-e1632334509847-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheSweetInspirations-e1632334509847-416x416.jpg 416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elvis.com.au\/presley\/the-sweet-inspirations.shtml\">The Sweet Inspirations<\/a> built their reputation by providing backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison, Wilson Pickett, and Petula Clark, among numerous others. Their horizons expanded when they toured and recorded with Aretha Franklin, and they gained an even bigger audience when they became Elvis Presley\u2019s vocalists until 1969, working with him right up to the day he died (they were waiting on a plane headed for that night\u2019s concert in Portland, Maine, with other band members, when they learned of Presley\u2019s death).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also released records in their own right, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soulmusic.com\/index.php\/article\/sweet-inspirations-let-it-be-me-atlantic-recordings-1967-1970-3cd-box-set-soulmusic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Let It Be Me: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-1970)<\/em><\/a> (Soul Music Records) covers their most commercially successful period. Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown, Sylvia Shemwell, and Emily \u201cCissy\u201d Houston (Whitney\u2019s mother) were previously members of such renowned vocal groups as the Drinkard Singers, the Gospelaires and the Gospel Wonders. So they have a natural affinity for hymns and spirituals like \u201cWhat a Friend We Have in Jesus\u201d and \u201cDown by the Riverside.\u201d But they also had the kind of commercial appeal that led the singles \u201cSweet Inspiration\u201d and \u201cWhy (Am I Treated So Bad)\u201d to find crossover success on the soul and pop charts. This fine collection allows the Sweets to take center stage and let their sublime voices shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zzf6aM_xgyo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/TheBethsAucklandNZ2020-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-44746\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You can hear the excitement in their voices. Not the voices of the band \u2014 the voices of the audience, who are clearly thrilled to be at an actual live concert again. That energy is then naturally picked up by the band \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thebeths.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Beths<\/a> \u2014 and reflected back to the crowd, resulting in a powerhouse performance on their live album, <em>Auckland, New Zealand, 2020<\/em> (Carpark Records).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Beths (Elizabeth Stokes, lead vocals\/guitar; Jonathan Pearce, lead guitar\/vocals; Benjamin Sinclair, bass\/vocals; Tristan Deck, drums\/vocals) were home in New Zealand in early 2020, preparing a tour for their upcoming album <em><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/4MJqiRxj9jMveL9TxyE3Ji?si=Ywvug4pvT-y0DuWLof4oJQ&amp;dl_branch=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jump Rope Gazers<\/a><\/em>. Then the pandemic hit. Performance continued via live-streaming. But there\u2019s nothing quite like being there in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the opening blast of \u201cI\u2019m Not Getting Excited\u201d to the last beat of \u201cRiver Run: Lvl 1,\u201d the show is one rollicking blast of power pop fervor. Catchy hooks, toe-tapping rhythms, a warm lead vocal backed by cool harmonies \u2014 it\u2019s the total package. But tune into what\u2019s being sung, and you\u2019ll find that the bright musical spirits are matched by more downbeat lyrics. Stokes says that\u2019s the intention; \u201cSweetly sung melodies and super depressing lyrics\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2020\/jul\/10\/the-beths-how-new-zealands-favourite-pop-rock-group-made-self-doubt-their-brand\">are what she aims for<\/a>. Love\u2019s turmoil is the primary subject; in \u201cFuture Me Hates Me\u201d Stokes dreads the inevitable fallout of succumbing to romance (\u201cFuture heartbreak, future headaches\u201d), while in \u201cUptown Girl\u201d she dips into unrequited longing. Then the peppy melody takes over and you know those blues won\u2019t be sticking around for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 472px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=3150766135\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thebethsnz.bandcamp.com\/album\/auckland-new-zealand-2020\">Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 by The Beths<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Audiofemme\u2019s monthly record review column,\u00a0Musique Boutique, written by music journo vet\u00a0Gillian G. Gaar. Every fourth Monday, Musique Boutique offers a cross-section of noteworthy reissues and new releases guaranteed to perk up your ears. Laura Love is the kind of performer who doesn\u2019t readily fit into any one category. Her songs have elements of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":44752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10494,202],"tags":[7342,12643,546,12645,1345,8180,12644],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/mb15.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44740"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44748,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44740\/revisions\/44748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}