2009: Top Woman Pt 2

It’s depressingly true, but female musicians are often judged more on their aesthetic value than on their overriding musical abilities.

This is sometimes the unavoidable curse of our sex, but it is in no way immutable. Just look at Beth Ditto. Defying convention and putting two fingers up to those judgmental bastards, the ferocious front woman stormed back onto the scene earlier this year with Gossip’s fourth studio album, ‘Music For Men.’ And she didn’t disappoint.

This raucous American has certainly broken the mould in a number of ways, gaining widespread critical acclaim and oodles of respect for her talent as a chanteuse and not as a visual stimulant for the male libido. And she joins the stellar line-up of women who have this year made waves and pushed boundaries for the sake of music. Yes, 2009 has certainly been their time to shine.

With Karen O and her third album ‘It’s Blitz’ making it to the top of everyone’s list, she proved that she has the longevity required to make a serious mark in the Noughties hall of fame. And Speech Debelle’s modest Mercury win earned another point for us girls, as well as emphasising the rich variety of talent that exists out there in the feminine ether.
So, with established artists adding to their already sparkly repertoire and newer acts breaking through the frequently unyielding wall of the music industry, the fairer sex have done pretty well for themselves this year, it must be said.

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Florence Welch

Since her 2008 release of ‘Kiss With A Fist’, Florence Welch has seduced a horde of infatuated fans and earned critical acclaim.

From winning the Critics Choice Award at the Brits in February this year, Florence released ‘Lungs’. The thirteen-track album sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and maintained a number two position in the Top 40 for five deserving weeks. Her debut showcased everything that we had hoped for from the twenty-three-year-old singer/songwriter.

The clambering redhead is a hurricane of strength, vulnerability, self-assuredness and insecurity; an entirely addictive paradox.

Florence’s monumental vocals force out her infectious all-encompassing passion. That, underpinned by a gothic depth, effortlessly exudes her ability to articulate every pain your pitiful heart ever endured, but could never find the words to express.

The summer saw Florence shine doing what she does best to thousands of dry-shampooed, welly-toting festival-goers at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. Fearlessly mounting stage speakers and having the time of her life, she demonstrated to the adoring fans below exactly why she has come so far.
Now, with plans to perform in Australia and Japan in 2010, it looks like our homegrown indie sweetheart is set to spread her wonderfully deranged but entirely intoxicating tornado around the globe.

Words by Laura Routledge

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Mica Levi

Mica Levi is a classically trained musician from Bow with a penchant for fashioning instruments from household objects. These ingenious contraptions range from a modified guitar with an attached hammer action or ‘chu’ to a CD rack-turned stringed vessel.

But this is not kids’ stuff. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Mica possesses the refined musical penache of a classical composer and plays violin to the standard of a Suzuki virtuoso. She wrote the first half of the Matthew Herbert-produced ‘Jewellery’ in her east London home before meeting The Shapes two years ago. Keen to expand her repertoire they formed a band, finished the album and were signed to Rough Trade.

And with their critically acclaimed debut narrowly missing a Mercury nomination by the skin of its teeth, it would seem that joining forces was a good move. “The album was definitely heading in a hip-hop direction initially,” says curly-haired urbanite Mica. “Teaming up with the band gave it a more solid sound. We wanted to combine electronic music and instrumentation with live recordings, breathing life into the electronic element and at the same time make the live outpourings seem more plastic.”

Beginning her career as a garage MC, Micachu’s first love was hip-hop. “Lauren Hill is definitely one of my female idols,” she gushes. “I have a lot of respect for Speech too; I just wish people were more aware of all the amazing female rappers out there.”

So, what will next year bring? “I‘ve been building this instrument that uses a rod to find the pitch on the strings. I’m constantly working on lots of different designs, as they don’t cost very much to make and it’s really fun to do. It helps you to approach writing music in a slightly different way each time and it definitely freshens up our sound.”

Words by April Welsh