Music you may have missed...

I've been a sucker for femme bands for a long time now. While I listen to a huge variety of music and styles, the cornerstone of my music collection revolves around bands with female vocals. Below are some of the bands that sit high on my list. I've included a basic idea about the style of music and provided links when possible. It is difficult for me to convey the power of some music via words alone. It is best if you find samples of a few songs and go from there. It is just as difficult to keep this list short since I enjoy so many bands. Perhaps I will list more over time.

If there is a heaven, Beth Gibbons of Portishead will be singing there, not angels. My words simply can not describe the beauty and purity of her voice. The first two Portishead CDs (Self Titled & Dummy) offer a wonderful collection that seem to reveal love, hate, pain and pleasure all wrapped into a variety of songs. Portishead is often classified as Trip Hop music, blending vocals with guitar, drums, turntables and more. On Live: Roseland NYC, the Beth's singing is accompanied not only by her usual band, but a full orchestra. The blend of her beautiful voice, guitar, mixing and classical string instruments is simply incredible. When her voice fades, the powerful msuic picks up and carries the song to a new level. In 2003, Beth Gibbons partnered with Rustin Man to produce an album titled Out of Season that focuses on her voice and a soft musical background.-- [FAQ] -- [Lyrics]

A recent find for me, You're Pretty quickly grabbed my attention. The one overall quality that comes out during each song is the raw power and emotion of Beth Musolff's singing. This is accentuated by the beautiful and tranquil moments of the songs as they seem to move your feelings back and forth. As on reviewer said, "[She] creates the mood and the band follows . . . [she] goes from ghost-like whispers to forceful yells a la Tori Amos. You're Pretty is powerfully reflective." He is right on. I have no doubt this band will go as far as they want in life. -- [Official Site] -- [Buy via CDBaby]

A few years back, my friend Dale and I got turned on to Kidney Thieves. Since then I have eagerly awaited for new material to compliment and build upon their first album. Perhaps the way to sum up Free Dominguez' vocals is with the word angry. Much like You're Pretty, passion and emotion are evident in each song. In their own words: "The first album, Trickster , told a story about looking at the shadows of unspoken internal wars and shedding identities and illusions that veiled pure Self. Trickster ends with realizations -- memories, dreams and reflections, if you will." -- [Official Site]

A fun and relaxing band, Artificial Joy Club can be written off as a freaky little band or a bizarre but neat look at life today. Sal's lyrics are littered with references to such things tabloids, lesbian porno, trailer parks, godzilla, napalm and other oddities. Nothing I can say would explain why their CD Melt is so appealing. -- [Oficial Site]

A while back, Modify introduced me to Lamb, specifically citing the CD Fear of Fours. Most people I share this with listen and don't care for Louise's childlike but sensual voice. Apparently, this CD is quite different compared to previous works, and substantially different from thir latest release. Fear of Fours has a unique groove and feel to it that stands out among female vocalists these days. -- [Official Site]