It begins on Valentine’s night at the Metropolitan Opera…
“Via presto la canzone che stamane a me deste a madama cantate” (“Quickly, sing the song to Madame that you gave me this morning”), instructs Susanna to Cherubino in Act II of Mozart’s comic opera Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). Accompanied by Susanna on guitar (just a prop – the orchestra provides the actual music), Cherubino relates his crush on the Countess and his confused feelings of love. Confused indeed – the character is a young page boy traditionally played by a female, who in several scenes is disguised as a woman. But sexual identification aside, the aria, entitled “Voi che sapete (che cosa e amor)” (“You who know what love is”), is presented as a pop song…and is probably one of the most recognizable melodies in both the Mozart catalogue and the world of opera. This past February 14 marked one of the season’s last performances of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Met, with French-born mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa in the role of Cherubino bashfully belting out the familiar tune.
Now, with that operatic aura in the air, let’s recall a couple of rock voices from awhile back: Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane/Starship and Annie Haslam of Renaissance. And then, with the power of those singers in the back of your mind, have a listen to Eliza Lutz and her band Future Scars as they perform “Dog Star,” the opener on their latest offering Harrow. Stick around for the next track, “Bad Faith,” and there you go – all hail Eliza, the new Grace/Annie! Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Future Scars exude a sound somewhere between metal, prog-rock, the groups mentioned above, and…maybe even opera (check out the theatrical, space-alien-themed video for “Failure to Thrive,” with band members donning green wigs and face paint). Besides guitarist/vocalist Lutz, Future Scars is Paul Wagner on bass and vocals, Dylan Blanchard on keys, and Marcus Difilippo on drums. Harrow came out last August on Matron Records, the NM label founded by, who else, the multi-talented Eliza Lutz…who also designed the album artwork.
And finally, Tennis anyone? Here’s another new album featuring a female vocalist, this time by the name of Alaina Moore. The band is Tennis and the album is Swimmer, out on their own label, Mutually Detrimental, and their fifth since forming in 2010. Alaina’s style is hard to place, perhaps part ’80s Madonna?, part ’70s Karen Carpenter? “Need Your Love” seems to live at that unique, schizomusical intersection, seamlessly alternating tempos and shifting from punchiness to tenderness in a heartbeat. “How to Forgive” blends more Madonna-ness (think “Cherish”) with a hook from the Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup”! Other standouts include the opening short ballad “I’ll Haunt You,” the Cocteau Twins-esque “Runner,” and the Cocteaus-meet-Stevie-Nicks-with-a-touch-of-Kate-Bush waltz “Echoes.” Actually a husband-and-wife duo from Denver, Colorado, consisting of singer/keyboardist Moore and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Riley, Tennis might’ve been more appropriately named Sailing, as sea voyages have been more inspirational to their music than tennis matches. Check out Tennis at Brooklyn Steel on April 27!
And, back where we started, wouldn’t ya know Swimmer came out on Valentine’s Day.
Images courtesy metopera.org, futurescars.bandcamp.com, pitchfork.com, wattpad.com
Tune in next time cuz we’re gonna party like it’s 1966
schizomusica 