Verdigrls

So there I was perusing my ever-growing rss feed of music blogs and web sites - the likes of which I can only dream of ever obtaining a fraction of their influence (not to mention page hits) - when I came across an article regarding Manimal Vinyl's Duran Duran tribute album, “Making Patterns Rhyme”, along with an embedded  SoundCloud clip of Moby's ** cough ** take on “Rio.”

Now since Mrs Blog is a huge fan of the boys from Brum, I sought her opinion... However, since I don't want this blog to be considered NSFW, I'll refrain from repeating her choice and frank assessment. Me? Although I await with unbridled enthusiasm Warpaint's interpretation of “The Chauffeur” (arguably Duran Duran's finest, darkest moment), I only blog about music that particularly piques my credit-card's interest. Thus this blog post is not about Moby's cover...

But if I hadn't of clicked through that original link, I'd have never discovered the band that left such an impression that I had write about them...

Verdigrls are Connecticut-based sisters Catherine and Anna Wolk, who have just released their five-track EP “Heartbreak Hour” earlier this month via the aforementioned Manimal Vinyl (phew - tenuous link finally out of the way).

"Heartbreak Hours" is an evocative mix of melancholic yet at the same time soaring and uplifting keyboards, tape-loops and orchestral strings that are all married to haunting vocals and beguiling, bitter-sweet lyrics - the sisters describe as “Sad Grl Electro Chamber Pop" - the kind of music that I'd quite happily allow to smother and crush me in it's velvet grip...

The EP opens with "Long gone," sombre piano chords giving way to dreamy soundtrack of synths and cello. The song hint at loss and emptiness - the tristful lyrics are perfectly counterpoised by the scintillating melody and which almost segues seamlessly into "Feeling nervous," a song that kicks off sounding like SISU in one Sandra's lighter moments, before once again there's rush of synths, strings and gorgeous harmonies. This is a song about self-doubt; the sisters proclaiming “I’m not good at these kinds of things,” - the "thing" obviously not being the ability to create hypnotic, captivative music.

"Think in blue" again offers this delicious juxtaposition of an upbeat melody (there is just something mesmerising about the girls' use and combination of synth and orchestral strings) and the soulful lyrics that try to deal with and make sense of a break-up; "I dyed my hair to erase you,", which is a great put-down (have you noticed how girls always get the best lines?), while  "I see in red but I think in blue" hints at a degree of fragility.

"Take it easy," featuring mournful strings that morph into a chorus that is so catchy it ought to attract a government health warning, is a song of redemption and hope (in their own way, the lyrics  are quite uplifting and serve as a counterpoint to the poignant melody) while the EP closes with the title track "Heartbreak hour," a song for which both dawn and dusk were made to compliment - it's arguably the most dreamlike and expansive song on the album - and a song that, to me at least, encapsulates the essence of everything that Verdigrls have captured on this mini-album.

Should you want further convincing, you can stream the EP (in all it's 128 kb/s glory) from the sisters' SoundCloud page - although far better to buy so as to appreciate the multi-textured symphonic sound that's been beautifully crafted here...



I mentioned earlier that the girls describe their music as electro-chamber pop for sad girls, but I also came across an interview the sisters gave to the Pulpzine where they explain the sentiments behind this (and yes Mozza features quite early on), but they further illustrated with a link to an 8-track mix that Catherine made of some of the songs they listened to during the making of the EP and which are hopefully conveyed in their own work. I've embedded the player below and I can't recommend this mix highly enough.

Heartbreak Hour mix by Verdigrls on 8tracks Radio

If I wanted to be a smart-arse, I'd casually mention that the first time I listened to "Heartbreak hour," I immediately thought of Au Revoire Simone - so I won't - but they feature on this playlist. If, after checking out Verdigrls, you're tempted to listen to this Brooklyn trio, you won't be disappointed.

It's a great eclectic mix - featuring (** spoilers **) amongst others - The Cardigans, Morrissey, "Terry" by Twinkle (surely the ultimate sad girl song?), Grimes (to whom the girls have been compared - which if the sisters inhaled helium before singing - I could sort-of get) and the Julee Cruise/Angelo Badalamenti collaboration for the theme from David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", "Falling..." I mention this last song - in fact the sisters' interpretation (again on Manimal) was released as a single earlier this year - and is utterly beautiful...



Verdigrls - purveyors of sad grl electro-chamber pop? Music to get you through post-grad life? Music for a mid-life crisis (for those of us for whom graduation is a past memory neatly stacked on a dusty bookshelf)? Or Verdigrls - purveyors of melodic indie-pop of the highest quality for those quieter reflective and introspective moments; when life isn't quite the bowl of cherries that everyone tells you it is meant to be...

Verdigrls website
Verdigrls on SoundCloud
Verdigrls on Bandcamp
Discography iTunes, Amazon