Karen O – Crush Songs

A sparse acoustic record about longing, loss, and other love related maladies. 

Karen O has released an interesting collection of lo-fi songs entitled Crush Songs. Clearly the disc is about crushing on someone. In the way Karen expresses it, the crush feels excruciating, bitter, empty, at times enveloping, consuming and some form of mania. This disc has a lo-fi sound, I say that noting the general crunchiness of everything on the record. However you can tell that crunch comes probably from studio plugins rather than from any actual deficiency in gear. It’s intential lo-fi, like the first few Strokes albums, recorded in the nicest of studios with the best of mics in the hands of a very capable engineer. Their sound was engineered, in a similar way, so sounds this.

The disc draws comparisons to Cocorosie’s earliest releases, slightly creepy, ominous at times, and striking, taking full advantage of the aesthetic at play.

The last song is a duet. Guy and a girl (Karen). Called Singalong. It’s almost the moment of falling in love caught on tape. One of the most beautiful moments on the record. Whether intentional or not, its a stark ending to the disc.

“Loves a fucking bitch. Do I really need another habit like you.” – ‘Rapt’

Longing and misery. The emptiness hangs over you as you listen to this, the sheer powerlessness, the resignation to fate.

If you’re heartbroken, listen to this record.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTvqMfvVWYQ[/youtube]

4/5

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