Welcome to Day 17 of Album Month - August 2022, folks! It's the middle of the week and we need something to wake up those who might be drifting off a little. Thus, today's feature is the talented, creative, and unique Kristeen Young and her latest album, The Beauty Shop.
On the 12th of May in 2007, I went to see Morrissey with my sister at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, WI. The opening act was an artist I had never heard of by the name of Kristeen Young. We both found her quite interesting and different, and we were intrigued, myself more than my sister. I found her quite impressive even if I wasn't sure what I thought of her. My sister bought her latest at the time, The Orphans, and I borrowed it. I never gave it back. (Oops…) I had listened to it a few times after that night, totally not sure what I thought of it. Did I like it? I knew I didn't hate it; I liked "Mixed Kids" a bit. Then one day I listened and it just clicked, officially putting me on the 'fan' side of the fence. I'm not going to lie and say I know every piece of music because I don't, but I do find her to be one of the most interesting artists you've never heard of. You likely wouldn't hear her on corporate radio and I think that's actually part of her charm. She's a non-conformist totally comfortable with making you uncomfortable, and I think that's awesome.
I had heard a few of the singles off of The Beauty Shop before hearing the album in full. Subconsciously I think I was looking for more unique, unconventional bands and artists for the 3rd week of Album Month, and few come as unique as Kristeen. And so here she is for those of you reading this to discover.
The first single off the album is also the first track, called "Life Kills". It's angry, it's loud, and gets your attention. I've come to really dig this track quite a lot, along with the following song, "Your Mouth is Going to Get You in All Kinds of Trouble", which is also angry and a little dark but with a really great groove and hook-y chorus. (I find myself singing it to myself a bit, it's so flipping catchy!) I am still not sure where I really stand with "Sarah Get The Baby" and it's frantic-like nature, but I will get to know it better with time. And then we get to my favorite track on the entire album: the dreamy, and darkly magical "Sue Veneer". This is a song I can get lost in, with its wall of keyboards and heavenly vocals. Her highs in general are incredible, which you'll find when listening to her music, but in this song, they just lift me up and up and kill me in the sweetest way. It's currently the top track for her on Spotify, and I imagine those who love it feel similarly. It's such a perfect song to me. *applause*
The last half of the album brings what I would consider the more ambitious tracks, particularly in the forms of the stand outs, the creepy title track "The Beauty Shop", and the super interesting "The Monster in the Moon". "Monster" quietly kicks off with its story, slowly building the sounds up until it smacks you in the face with a rocking section that I can't help but move to. It sucks you backward again just to throw you in and smack you in the face again. I am such a sucker for those rocking sections, and the way the song pulls you in is pretty fucking cool. (Oh… I drop f-bombs now and then.) The song blends in with "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Father"--not a typo–continuing what seems to be quite the saga. This song really builds well, and her soprano is undeniably incredible and showcased so we'll here.
The scissor sounds in my ears when I listen to the title track with my headphones on is really fucking unnerving, I have to say. lol Its disturbing story narrative seems to be the culmination of all the songs that came before (which I can kind of see now having just read the lyrics; they can be found in the Bandcamp link at the end of this post), getting creepier with each pair of scissors added. This is definitely a song for Spooky Season. And here we reach the final track, "Anonymouse", which starts out sounding like an old recording on a bad cassette but eventually clears out into heavy, driving keyboards. The halfway point has an epic feel as synth strings come to lift it up, getting fuller and more distorted as the song comes to its end closes the album.
Although some tracks are more mood tracks (ie. tracks I need to be in the mood for), I really like The Beauty Shop quite a bit. The loud, brashness of the opening track and single is just one side of Kristeen in which songs like "Sue Veneer" show another. I think it's a solid album that's very uniquely Kristeen, and I am so very here for it. I look forward to see what her future holds.
I honestly feel that it's criminal that more people aren't aware of Kristeen Young and her artistry. (Shout out to her awesome drummer, "Baby Jeff" White, who has been kicking musical ass with her since the 90s.) She's worked with Tony Visconti (who co-mixed this album, actually), David Bowie, and recorded her album, The Knife Shift, with Dave Grohl (yes, that Dave Grohl) on drums. Clearly she has something the world has yet to really see. Her music may not be everyone's flavor, but people can't know if they like it without giving it a fair chance. Kristeen might be one you really have to sit with to get to know and decide how you feel (as I did), but I really do hope that more take the time. I think she and her uniqueness, cheeky humor, and mad creativity is completely and totally worth it.
The photos in this post are not mine. I am invoking Fair Use in my usage of them.
Copyrights belong to their respective holders.
If I have a photo credit, it is in the alt text of the photo. Please message me
with credits or if any are yours, and I will accredit them accordingly.
This blog is currently not monetized. I do this because I like to.
No comments:
Post a Comment