I find that a lot of the bands I’m discovering and liking lately feature female vocalists. Some, like The Luyas’ Jessie Stein and Some Community’s Juliana Vacaro, sing in charmingly off-key, bird-like voices. Sometimes–more often with Stein–there’s a child-like quality to the vocals, and at other times–more often with Vacaro–there’s an underlying jaded melancholy.
I first discovered The Luyas when they opened for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at The Paradise in October. [Check out my pictures from the show at QRO.] I went to the show for Pains, but I left thinking about The Luyas. I was struck by Stein’s voice and by the frequent and clever use of syncopated rhythms. The physical embodiment of their music for me is probably the Moodswinger (The Hoopsucker! The Hudswinger!… No no no… Coen Brothers tangent…), a copy of a 12-string electric zither originally designed for Liars.
The Luyas released their first album, Faker Death, in 2007. Their new album, Too Beautiful to Work, is due in February.
The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
The Luyas – Spherical Mattress
Brazil’s Some Community accompany Juliana Vacaro’s voice with guitars, keyboards, percussion, casiotones, and melodicas. Their current ep, RinoRino, is a little quirky, and at the same time, there’s something faintly and pleasantly familiar about songs like “Two Colours” and the beautiful “Tereza.” Has this band picked up on some element of popular songs I listened to as a kid in the 80s? Yeah, I think maybe they have. I can’t put my finger on what that is. It’s not something obvious–not a reference or a style. That’s good, because it means they’re doing something new.