I recently watched every MUNA music video, interview, Instagram story, and behind the scenes reel I could find. I learned that two of the bandmates used to date, that two of them (not the same two) live together, and that they’re kind of fine with being called gay HAIM. I also listened to a lot of the music that inspired their latest record, Saves the World (2019), which is how I found the Frou Frou song on this playlist, “It’s Good to Be in Love.”
Frou Frou is the duo effort of Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth. Imogen Heap’s voice is so distinctive; it’s a breathy yodel, but somehow perfect for electronic music. She’s famous for being sampled in “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo (“Hide and Seek”) and covered by Ariana Grande (“Goodnight and Go”). She’s released four studio albums across a twenty plus year career, and she has composed music for Broadway, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee, and created a line of musical gloves that allow her to manipulate sound by moving her hands through the air. MUNA is wise to take notes from her.
One of my previous issues centered on Paramore and Hayley Williams, so I’ll spare you the rant and simply acknowledge the sublimity that is her contribution to the Tegan and Sara tenth anniversary edition of The Con (2007) of covers by their admirers. The original is more up-tempo and rife with guitars and boomy drums. Tegan and Sara are yelling the perfect lyrics, “I was nineteen; call me.”
Hayley Williams replaces the rock instrumentation with a sparse, block chord Rhodes synth line and leaves space for her largely unprocessed vocal to shine. This rendition reminds me of Phoebe Bridgers’ cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag”; the song takes on a completely new meaning with the reduction of the anger and injection of vulnerability.
I’ve written previously about the Charlie Hickey cover of “Winnebago”, which I heard first. I immediately loved that version; it gets right at the double vocal, guitar picking part of my brain that makes me a Christian Lee Hutson and Lomelda fan. I didn’t initially like the original, but it grew on me as I entered into a more pop-oriented phase. I especially love how gentle and lilting her performance is throughout the song, until she screams,
I wanna be your poetry
I'm sick and tired of bluffing
The desperation of “Winnebago” transitions into an equally upsetting song from Claud’s new record, Super Monster (2021). They sing,
This sounds kinda strange I thought
I saw you at a party but
I finally got close, it wasn't you
This line reminds me of the Radiohead lyric from “Black Star”:
I get on the train and I just stand about
Now that I don't think of you
I keep falling over, I keep passing out
When I see a face like you
Claud is the first signed artist to Phoebe Bridgers’ imprint of Dead Oceans, Saddest Factory. They write pop songs, but every single one of them is a little bit sad; their breakthrough single “Wish You Were Gay” is, obviously, kind of heartbreaking. Everything on the new record has 808s, processed vocals, and spoken interludes. I’m excited to see what they make next.
The next song is “I’ll Be Holding.” Miel is the musical project of comedian/Vine star/podcast host Miel Bredouw. She co-hosted my all time favorite podcast Punch Up the Jam and somehow simultaneously wrote an album. She made the record with her brother, Henri Bardot, of the duo Perlo, the other half of which is Mree. Her dad co-founded LA Studios/Margarita Mix. I appreciate Tourist Season (2020) as someone rooting for Miel to make it as a musician, after she talked about having given up on it for so long. For a while she was making elaborate vegan wedding cakes, she’s been exploring the post-Vine Internet comedy landscape, she acted, she wrote genius parody for the podcast. She was really good at all these pursuits, but she returned to music as something she felt was unfinished and still calling to her. Tourist Season is evidence that anyone can make a record, and it doesn’t have to be the only thing you do. That gives me hope.