Ok, I went through some of my playlist and came up with these.
Mazzy Star
Portishead
10,000 Maniacs
Juliana Hatfield
Fiona Apple
Nikka Costa
Toby Lightman
Garbage
The Cranberries
Me’Shell NdegeOcello
Maria McKee
One more recommendation for Neko Case (solo or with the New Pornographers), Jenny Lewis (preferably with Rilo Kiley, but also solo or with the Postal Service), and the Dresden Dolls. All amazingly wonderful… and for what it’s worth, they’re all hot, too. I also like the Be-Good Tanyas, although they have more of that Americana twang (think of the “sirens” from O Brother, Where Art Thou).
Aw shit, can’t believe I forgot Portishead, with lead singer Beth Gibbons! Pure sex set to music. If you like them, also check out Massive Attack (start with Mezzanine), Morcheeba, and Lovage, featuring duets between Mike Patton of Faith No More/Mr. Bungle fame and Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields.
I’m a big fan of theSTART, and I would actually recommend some of Evanescence’s unreleased stuff. A lot of it focuses more on Amy Lee’s voice and writings, rather than the crunchy-guitared MTV stuff on the album.
I love Sam! I’ve been a fan since The Indescribable Wow.
Look, all you nice people with really great taste in music, bits of my soul are flaking off and dying with each post I read. You folks in this thread are giving great recommendations. With each post I’m saying to myself “Yeah!” “Definitely!” “Good one!” though if I posted after each one I’d look pretty silly. But then, I’m going to make myself look silly now. This thread is populated (and hopefully read) by people who LOVE this kind of music, who LISTEN to this kind of music, who APPRECIATE this kind of music.
On my knees, begging, PLEASE listen to Happy Rhodes.
She has one of the most astonishing voices in music today.
She has 10 albums, ranging from very electronic to vocal guitar. If you don’t like one song there might be dozens of others you will like. You might not care for one album but another album might dig itself into your soul and cause you to weep with joy.
She’s a pure indie artist who is out of the music business now, and just makes music because it’s what she loves to do. Word of mouth is the ONLY way you’ll get to know of her.
She’s one of the most talented singer/songwriter/musicians in North America, and yet has never taken a music lesson in her life. Her lyrics are always interesting and meaningful. She doesn’t do silly love/lack of love songs. Some lyrics (especially on her early albums) are very personal, but they can resonate with people who’ve had the same feelings. Some lyrics tell fascinating stories that let you fill in the blanks (such as “100 Years” which is about a sentient computer that’s been left behind at an abandoned space station). Some lyrics detail her feelings about certain subjects (such as “Runners,” about being afraid that everything we like is bad for us, or “If Wishes Were Horses…” about the pain of having to decide to put a pet asleep, or “Words Weren’t Made For Cowards” about how hard it is sometimes to get people to Just. Talk). The more you delve, the more interesting, lyrically and musically, she is. The more you hear, the more impressed you should be by her phenomenal voice and musical sensibility.
I don’t work for her. I don’t (and never have had) anything to do with her professionally or financially. I push her not because it benefits me, or even because it benefits Happy. I push her because I know how much her music can mean to those who discover it. She’s given me permission to share her music anywhere, and to share as much of it as I want. She’s very very generous in letting people listen to her music. Please take advantage of that.
I’m a fan so what I say isn’t worth a hill of beans, but please give her a fair chance. I firmly believe that she will one day be discovered and hailed, even if only by music historians, even if only 50 years after we’re all dead and dust. She’s special and will be recognized as such. One of these days.
Here are some links with music on them:
A song samples site I maintain (dozens of songs!)
There are 4 more songs at this MySpace page (it’s a page in limbo, but the songs are there)
Please sample various songs before you dismiss her because of her name (it’s her real name), or because she doesn’t have a record contract, or because you’ve never heard of her anywhere outside me going on about her on the SDMB, or because you don’t like me personally, or whatever reason that might cause you to not be interested prior to hearing her music. She’s worth your time.
I will second Happy Rhodes. Definitely heed the advice to listen to several songs before you dismiss her. I first heard her about a year ago and the first couple songs I really didn’t care for but I kept on listening and found some that I really like. Haven’t listened to her lately so I will have to give it another go and maybe some of my feelings for those initial songs will have changed.
Another recommendation for Cat Power. Her newest CD, The Greatest, is probably the most accessible (and least depressing), although you can’t go wrong with *The Covers Record * (look for her version of Satisfaction), and Moonpix (Metal Heart, Cross Bones Style).
The Aislers Set (*How I learned to Write Backward * is probably the album to start with) makes some great indie-pop.
Then there’s the spiraling circle of members jumping between The All Girl Summer Fun Bamd, The Softies, Gaze, Go Sailor, and Tiger Trap.
He’s not a girl, but he’s pretty androgenous, and I can’t recommend him enough. Antony and the Johnsons.
Black Tambourine had a female lead, and are criminally forgotten bringers of the dream-pop.
Broadcast sound like a more minimal, sultry Stereolab.
Camera Obscura have taken up the baton Belle & Sebastian dropped when they decided to start sucking.
You are required to use the words “gauzy”, “angelic” or “etherial” whenever discussing The Cocteau Twins.
Islaja makes creepy-beautiful Swedish freak-folk.
Le Tigre and Kathleen Hannah’s old band Bikini Kill will rock your ass off.
Love is All makes insanely fun indie-pop, similar to a more sugary Kaito.
Mr. Airplane Man make, thick rip-chord garage rock.
Mum (get Finally We Are No One) are a dreamy glitch-core band.
You will either love or hate Joanna Newsom.
Palomar are the shiny, red, candy-like button of indie power pop.
Did anybody mention The Raincoats yet?
(more to come)
The Shebrews have a sweet, retro sound.
I’d recommend starting with All Hands on the Bad One or One Beat for Sleater-Kinney. *Call the Doctor * or Dig Me Out if you want something more aggressive.
Talulah Gosh inspired most of the Rose Melburg related bands listed in the previous post.
Big Mama Thornton did the original version of *Hound Dog * and is awesome beyond belief.
Susan Voelz, once of Poi Dog Pondering, put out some lovely albums in the 90’s.
X-Ray Spex told punks where to stick it.
Young People sound like they only recently learned to play their instruments, and the lead singer can’t really sing, and yet it is all perfect.
*McLachlan
It should be noted that the female vocals on the track “Nothing Better” are not Jenny Lewis, but Jen Wood, who also did backing vocals on “Such Great Heights”. I would add that Jenny Lewis sounds pretty great on “Brand New Colony”, though.
At the risk of reinforcing the previous posts:
Kate Bush is arguably one of the ancestors from which descend the alternative females.
Nicolette Larson
Patsy Cline
Exene Cervenka
The chick from 10,000 Maniacs
The chick from Cardigans
The Breeders
Sleater-Kinney
Nikka Costa
Neko Case
Tift Merritt
Kristen Hirsch
The women of Blake Babies
The women of Throwing Muses
The women of Belly
Toby Lightman
The women of Azure Ray
Amanda Marshall
Tori Amos before she moved to England and got a fake accent like MaDonna.
Holly Williams
J. Napolitano? of Concrete Blonde
Sam Phillips
Kelly Hogan
Since she hasn’t yet been mentioned, Eleni Mandell is my current favorite local talent/celebrity stalking target/fantastic-artist-who-will-never-get-signed-to-a-label-'cause-she’s-too-talented-to-be-marketed. For L.A. area residents, she shows up at Tangier (on Hillhurst Ave in the Los Feliz area) once in a while, playing to a packed house every time. (I make sure to get there early so I can’t sit on the floor right up by the stage.)
I’m rather fond of Sue Foley, too, though she’s more alt-blues; certainly the best of the “girl with a guitar” blues acts that started popping up in the Nineties. It doesn’t hurt that she’s a red head lass of Irish extraction, either, but she does some excellent string work.
Count me in with the (apparent) legions of Neko Case fans. I didn’t realize she had such a following.
And now I have a new list of unfamiliar names to explore. Obviously, I’m overdue for a trip over to Ameoba Records.
Stranger
Wait, I forgot a few.
Leslie Feist, sometime member of Broken Social Scene, has a very smooth voice. Very mellow. Check out Inside and Out. She goes by just plain Feist.
Lovely Canadian Sarah Slean writes somewhat showtuney piano pop. She’s adorable, her voice is amazing, and she has completely mastered harmony. Check out Sweet Ones and Mary.
On that note, Nellie McKay comes to mind.
Oooh, I like her too. Get Away From Me, her debut double-album, had some really terrific songs on it, ranging from Doris Day-style lounge jazz to pissed-off gangsta girl rapping. I hear problems with her record label have delayed any new releases from her, though.
Um, I bought that album and really hated it. It’s like she’s laughing at her own jokes and I don’t get the punchlines. And as affectations go, that Red Riding Hood cloak is surprisingly unendearing. “It’s a Pose” is her arguing with someone whose moronic dialogue she gets to write (Straw Man, anybody?). Pfft.
A lot of these stretch your definition a bit so you may want to check out some samples before you buy (and I should mention that my tastes run more towards the mellow end of the spectrum) but here ya go:
Jonatha Brooke- the album “Plumb” in particular
Heather Nova-I don’t like her quite as much as some of the other artists mentioned here but she is worth a listen
Heidi Berry- a bit more on the mellow side but pretty
Po’ Girl- another Be Good Tanyas spin-off, lots of fiddles, not usually my style but I like them a lot.
Cowboy Junkies
Mary Lou Lord is a local favorite, although I think I have only ever heard her on the subway, which also brings up Tracy Chapman,
The Ditty Bops are kind of a fun, loopy band (with female lead vocals) that opened for Tori Amos on her last tour, along with The Like, who are more of a rock band
The Sundays-flashback from the eighties
Innocence Mission-sound a lot like the Sundays, but I think they have some newer material
Caroline Lavelle-new agey with lots of cello, a bit more on the Enya side, pretty but I am not sure if it is what you are after.
I don’t remember seeing Joni Mitchell mentioned, maybe because it is so obvious. Maybe not so much alt but you can’t talk about female singer-songwriters without a mention.
To recommend specific albums I like for some of the artists already mentioned:
Kristin Hersh-“Strange Angels” or “Hips and Makers”
Maria Mckee-“Life is Sweet” or if you don’t mind a bit of country flavor, “You Gotta Sin to Get Saved”
Mazzy Star-“So Tonight That I Might See”
Happy Rhodes-“The Keep” is all acoustic. I like her more far-out Kate Bushesque stuff too, but this CD is just so pretty.
Sarah McLachlan-“Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”
Tori Amos-her first three are the best IMHO, “Under the Pink” if I had to pick one. “Tales of a Librarian” is a decent greatest hits CD with reworkings of many of the songs.
There’s this girl called Joni Mitchell you might want to check out, too. There’s no Kate Bush without Joni…
mm
Okay, now that I’ve had a chance to peruse my CD collection, I would also like to recommend:
Sarge - Now sadly defunct. The former singer, Elizabeth Elmore, has a new band called The Reputation which I haven’t heard but am very interested to check out.
Blonde Redhead - Can be kind of an acquired taste, but worth a listen. Most of the vocals are done by Kazu Makino, but one of the boys in the trio steps up to the microphone every once in a while.
Lisa Dewey - Admittedly, this recommendation is based off of a first-release promo album from almost ten years ago, but I remember liking it, and she’s still putting out music.
Maggie Estep - Really a spoken word artist, rather than a singer, but she has put out two albums and I love the way she thinks.
Frente! - Again, sadly defunct. You might remember their cover of “Bizarre Love Triangle” (New Order), but there was a lot more to them than that. Apparently Angie Hart, the singer, went on to form another band called Holidays on Ice, but I’ve never heard them.
Hooverphonic - A little more electronic, but in a good way.
Hyperplush - Very cheesy, very pop, but thoroughly enjoyable.
The Januaries - A friend and co-worker at the college radio station where I worked back in the day described their music as “sexy.” It’s a pretty good description, if a bit shallow.
Lucky Me - Sadly, that’s the only website I could find for them. My roommate in college owned that album, and I listened to it constantly. When I left school, I went crazy trying to find a copy of it. Quite a bit heavier than most female-fronted bands, and absolutely wonderful.
The Murmurs - Almost cloyingly sweet, but not quite. Heather Grody’s and Leisha Hailey’s voices blend beautifully.
The Sundays, fronted by Harriet Wheeler.