So in the event you’re wondering why I’ve done two Artist To Die for posts in the past day it’s really because I haven’t written one since September. (School has been owning my life) And the two sets of artists I’m writing about are amazing so just consider it double the amount of good music [...]
So in the event you’re wondering why I’ve done two Artist To Die for posts in the past day it’s really because I haven’t written one since September. (School has been owning my life) And the two sets of artists I’m writing about are amazing so just consider it double the amount of good music to add to your library.
Today’s installment features two women you might have heard of before. If anyone listened to Jenny Lewis’s lovely “Rabbit Fur Coat” album, odds are you heard one of the tracks the Watson Twins were featured on, easily making it the most gorgeous album to come out in the past five years. Last year the girls released their first full length album “Fire Songs” which featured the memorable cover of “Just Like Heaven” and with the release of their second album “Talking To You, Talking To Me” a month ago, everyone is finally starting to take notice.
While the girls are just starting to get attention, The Watson Twins (names Chandra and Leigh) have actually been making music for years. Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky (they recently did an in-store there) the girls’ began as back-up singers in a band in 1997. Nine years later the girls found themselves collaborating with Jenny Lewis and releasing their first EP much to positive reviews. Their music incorporates folk mixed in with the tartness of a sixties girl-group and alt-country reminiscent of artists like Neko Case or Brandi Carlile. The music, at the heart of it, has an extremely genuine and real feel to it; but it’s the simplicity that makes it so beautiful. Not being drowned out by synths and drum machines, the girls voices shine in front of acoustic guitars and clever lyrics. Their voices can be at once hard and melodic, and can easily melt into whatever environment the song takes them.
One of the many reasons I love the Watson Twins is that they don’t seem manufactured or changed in any way by the music business. The twins, in a sense, feel like any girl you would run into at a coffee shop singing her heart out about life’s events from the past week. And in a music business where authenticity seems scarce right now, it’s almost comforting to find two artists who are evolving with every album but still staying genuine and relateable even down to the way they sing their songs. That, to me, means longevity in a business where you’re only as good as your last single.
For any new fans, I would suggest first listening to The Big Guns off of Jenny Lewis’s album as that’s a great introduction to what amazing harmonies they can bring (while also giving anyone who hasn’t heard Lewis’s best work a chance to) and then moving on to their Fire Songs album. Fire Songs took a few listens for me to get into but it’s become one of my most played albums recently. The best bets off of that album would be “Just Like Heaven”–that’s the song that got me hooked–and “Lady Love Me.” All of these you can find below, including their new song “U-N-Me.” For anyone wanting to purchase one of their albums or EPs you can here, or if you’d like a signed copy (I just got mine!) you can get it here. Be sure to check out the girls’s MySpace for tour dates (myspace.com/thewatsontwins) and you can follow them on Twitter @thewatsontwins.
And now, prepare to get lost in the gorgeous music that is, The Watson Twins.
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