solo female artists

[franz bieberkopf]

Sibylle Baier

definitely definitely seconded. one of the most important albums to me this summer, without a doubt.
some Bridget St. John (the songs Broken Faith and Autumn Lullaby certainly work for me)
definitely a fan of Brigitte Fontaine... only half fits the original question, but the title is vague enough that anything should go.
Francoise Hardy (la Question is the album i've heard, and that one seems to be the best... but possibly people could suggest next steps from here?)
Judee Sill
Linda Perhacs (i'm on the fence about her songwriting, but the sound is just right... definitely worth a visit)
some Maria Bethania would fit the bill (her album with Edu Lobo jumps to mind)
Buffy Sainte Marie
Kath Bloom with Loren Connors (haven't heard her other solo stuff, but this is well well worth hearing)
because i'm on a bit of a kick lately, Bilinda Butcher fronted tracks by My Bloody Valentine would do well by me looking for such things...

edit:
forgot possibly my number one standy when it comes to music and blankets, Eliane Radigue. any time i feel ill or depressed, or in need of focus i will take a nap with her music.

[grisha]

what about Catherine Ribeiro with 2 Bis / Alpes? i am a big fan, up to and including Le temps de l'autre, from 1977.

[yonhosago]

Petula Clark.

[niwi]

june tabor
aditi tahiti

[yonhosago]

Yma Sumac

[franz bieberkopf]

you know so many names have been tossed about this thread, and given the disjuncture between the initial request and the post title, i'm really not sure in any given instance where names i'm not familiar with are coming from. are you guys listing of lullabye ladies or just more generally affirmatively acting?

i'm hoping some of you will come on back and give me a little bit more info (albums i should check, etc.) about a lot of these gals, precisely because i am often chasing down the same sort of thing as nebulabore is...

so, to start:

at this point my Kath Bloom experience is limited to one of the 3 (possibly 4) albums she released with Connors: Moonlight. pretty sure it's just two guitars and her voice throughout, very unproduced, bare stuff. Kath spends a lot of time in the upper registers, warbling in and out of tune. her vocals approach this private, delicate hysteria at times. definitely a bit unnerving and a few steps past what might be a note-perfect recommendation for the initial post but still conceivably perversely appropriate. god only knows what brought you and that blanket together, but there's a decent chance it was a similar sort of fragility as can be found slathered all over this record.
the song that sticks out for me as a must hear is "What If I Found Out".

i believe Linda Perhacs has only the one record, Parallelograms, to her name. there's no doubt this record has gained attention recently on account of the acid folk resurgence--and that's a pretty good indication of what to expect here. some dabbling with less than west instruments--generally pretty tasteful, not too proggy. hand percussion will put some off... it must be part of what puts me of at times. some non-obnoxious synth work. sometimes the production is adventurous, some nice multitracking vocals on the title track, for example. certainly pretty, and soft stuff... when i dislike it, i think i am disliking it for the same reason one begins to dislike a lot of stuff in this ball park... is "fey" the word i'm looking for? i reckon' it must be close. "Call of the River" is a pretty one... i seem to be less into the mid to uptempo tracks here.

the Sibylle Baier album is another sparse affair: just her and her guitar, recorded at some point during the 70s. her voice is approaching Nico territory, although i find it to be a bit more gentle, a bit less forced. the songs are quite short, and a bit minimal both lyrically and musically. her range is certainly limited, so this is probably just the right amount of material to digest.
it's tempting to say there is something alpine germanic (SIC?) about these songs, but i'm not sure what's informing that feeling for me. am i being reminded of zithers at times? possibly that's it. this really does feel like a record of lullabyes... just often laced with adult disaffection. i felt as though i was connecting with some of my earliest nocturnal memories of music from the other, melancholic side of the precipice...
stand outs for me would be "Forgett", "Forget About", and "I Lost Something In the Hills".
i've seen reviews drum her up as this lonely domestic character dug up after decades of having been unheard (the disc was only issued in the last few years), and i must say i've totally bought in to this.

[jon abbey]

at this point my Kath Bloom experience is limited to one of the 3 (possibly 4) albums she released with Connors: Moonlight. pretty sure it's just two guitars and her voice throughout, very unproduced, bare stuff. Kath spends a lot of time in the upper registers, warbling in and out of tune. her vocals approach this private, delicate hysteria at times. definitely a bit unnerving and a few steps past what might be a note-perfect recommendation for the initial post but still conceivably perversely appropriate. god only knows what brought you and that blanket together, but there's a decent chance it was a similar sort of fragility as can be found slathered all over this record.
the song that sticks out for me as a must hear is "What If I Found Out".

have you heard his stuff with Suzanne Langille also? I much prefer that personally.

[jpeatt]

what about Catherine Ribeiro with 2 Bis / Alpes? i am a big fan, up to and including Le temps de l'autre, from 1977.

I already mentioned her, but totally worth repeating... fans of both Brigitte Fontaine & Nico, take heed.

My favourite is the self titled album with 2 Bis

[Snow Dog]

maja ratkje

One of my favourites, check out her Voice album, and also to extend to it the Fe-Mail album Voluptous Vultures. Ratkje is also a great composer btw!

[franz bieberkopf]

have you heard his stuff with Suzanne Langille also? I much prefer that personally.

i think i've only heard In Pittsburgh, which doesn't feature her on more than 2 or 3 songs if memory serves. checking back into that one right now.

[jon abbey]

check the one I put out, Haunted House-Up In Flames.

[Skeffington]

Francoise Hardy (la Question is the album i've heard, and that one seems to be the best... but possibly people could suggest next steps from here?)

Pretty much all of her 60s output is worth checking out (my personal favourites being Mon amie la rose/L'amitie). I think the worst of that bunch overall is Comment te dire adieu (although, it does contain the fantastic Parlez-moi de lui)

[Drinky]

check the one I put out, Haunted House-Up In Flames.

That's good, as is Let the Darkness Fall (released under Langille & Connors' names) on Secretly Canadian.

[Yii]

[gohleekwang]

Sainkho Namtchylak


maybe i missing something, but i did not find her name here yet.

[Salty Swift]

Sainkho Namtchylak


maybe i missing something, but i did not find her name here yet.

During the 90's, I would go and see Sainkho play live on a regular basis - mostly duo gigs....One that I remember most vividly was her date with Evan Parker in Toronto at the Music Gallery [old building - now an opera house - later released by Victo as Mars Song].
During the first half an hour a couple of people sitting two rows in front of me were laughing out loud at the sounds she was making.....they took this to be some sort of a farce
Obviously, my friend and I couldn't resist and ended up cracking up at these two guys....the laughter was so intense [though I kept it down to a minimum volume level] that my stomach hurt. Few minutes later, two individuals got up and quickly left their seats.
Fun was over for the night as the duo continued to play unaffected

[JrF]

anne briggs
karen dalton
the female
lal waterson
noveller (sarah lipstate)

[jcg]

JUNKO!!!

[jpeatt]

HACO!!!!!

[Jesse]

Sawako!!!