Of course you know Karen O as the eclectic frontwoman of the critically acclaimed Yeah Yeah Yeahs and as a fashion idol among the masses of hipster girls, but there’s a side to her that many of us have probably been missing. Last week Karen stopped by San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall for one of the few intimate shows in support of her newly released solo album, Crush Songs.
The show sold out in minutes and the venue would provide the perfect backdrop for her stripped down solo debut. Recorded in 2006 and 2007, Crush Songs is an intimate collection of lo-fi, bedroom recordings in the vein of Karen’s Oscar-nominated “The Moon Song” from the Spike Jonze movie Her. Perfect timing for Karen after performing the song live to a record 43 million viewers, the largest audience for the show in 14 years.
Joined on stage by the ultra-stripped down duo of Moses Sumney and Holly Miranda, Karen O was stunning in her gold dust woman styled, long sparkly dress. She seemed to be in sort of trance as she sang each of the songs, barely opening her eyes at all to see the capacity crowd. The lighting was at a bare minimum that evening while the trio performed under a neon lit sign that appropriately read “Crush Palace.”
Crush Songs is the polar opposite of anything Karen O has done with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and that seems to be perfectly OK with her devoted fans. It’s a rare look behind the sometimes sad eyes of a truly unique artist at the perfect time in her career to get deep. Crush Songs reminds me of a cross between Mazzy Star and Scarlett Johansson but recorded with much less production.
The entire record clocks in at 26 minutes long and that’s with 15 songs with each around two minutes or less. It’s a great record for late nights and intimate moments as I would guess that is what Karen intended it for. So maybe the critics can stop complaining and take it for what it is.
Stand out tracks both live and on the album are “Rapt,” the first single if you can call it that, hauntingly beautiful version of The Doors’ “Indian Summer,” and “Visits,” which I do wish was just a bit longer as it just starts to get going before it’s over.
I loved the show and I think Crush Songs definitely has an audience—it’s just not music for the masses. Even an artist such as Karen O needs to cleanse her soul every once in a while, and this record may do just the same for a lot of other folks as well.
Karen O’s Crush Songs is available now and it sounds fantastically lo-fi on vinyl. Check out hi-res shots from the show in the gallery.
