It’s actually pretty easy to love Karen O. I could even say that I have a crush on her--and her music too, of course. Her latest solo effort Crush Songs has, of course strengthened my love of her. Simply put, her music is mesmerising. There aren’t a lot of layers to it, no fancy effects, and clearly no auto-tune. But somehow, Ms. O manages to take a few C and D chords and turn them into something so intricate and nuanced and perfect.
Crush Songs opens with the ultra short ‘Ooo’. At only 1:33, the songs reaches beyond what should be possible for such a short opening track. Lo-fi and yet well executed, the track is forlorn and yearning, opening the door for ‘Rapt’ a similar league of song.
Tracking Karen O’s progression from early Yeah Yeah Yeah’s to her recent solo and cinematic projects is quite an interesting trajectory. From her early work with the band, which was very punk inflected, to her recent releases, Karen O shows a type of maturity and growth that few artists are able to achieve.
Many of the tracks on Crush Song’s are, in a lot of ways, childish in their construction but meaningful and intricate in their execution. Karen’s voice strains and pulls tautly, but does not overreach beyond its capability.
Creatively, an album like Crush Songs is risky. Sparse and lofi, many early YYY fans are likely to shy away from the quiet strength of this release. ‘NYC Baby’ is another shortie; at just 0:57 it still manages to tell a deep and powerful story.
In some ways Crush Songs reminds me a great deal of the early Johnny Cash and June Carter recordings. The raw and sweet quality of Karen’s vocals lends to distinct feelings of nostalgia and first love.
‘Body’ is another strong track on the record. If you love somebody, anybody/there will always be someone else/ so make it right for yourself she croons softly as she builds up to what can only be described as a rebel yell. Born from true reckless abandon, Karen screams as if she were screaming all her heartache away. It is a sound that truly wrestles with the listener, grabbing them by the collar and shaking them.
The rest of the album continues on in a similar folksy DIY manner. Hopeful, simplistic, and enigmatic, Karen O’s latest release is a gem.
