Saturday, June 30, 2012

Cat Power - 'Ruin'

Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall has released her new single "Ruin" off her album Sun, and must say I was pleasanly surprised.

"Ruin" is a bit more uptempo than what many Cat Power fans are used to. Chan combining her soulful and sultry voice with her minimal guitar and piano playing has built a sound almost all her own. A 50's swooner meets whiskey and cigarettes. This is very apparent in her critically acclaimed (and one of my all time favorite) album The Greatest.

Still using layered vocals on the track, theres a strong latin influence that is used to create a sound that makes you maneuver your body in a way that is very unfamiliar when listening to Cat Power. Its...dare I say it? Dancey (not a word)?

One can only deduce that Chan is in a difference mind frame now. Not a stranger to the depressive, Marshal was well known for her erratic live music performance. She later contributed to heavy alcohol use and mental issues. All stemming from her tumultuous relationship with former runway model Daniel.

Even the beautiful are tortured.

It feels as though she has traded in her wonderfully emotional and minimalistic sounds in for a multi instrumental piece that oddly enough still sounds like it could be found on any of her back catalog.

Sun comes out September 4. Can't wait.

No comments: