Every once in a while, I avoid the cat videos and strange stories about human deformity on YouTube, and stumble upon some great new music. As a beekeeper myself, I couldn’t help but be drawn to her band name, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. Aly Spaltro, the lady, is a soulful, tiny girl from Maine who began writing and recording music in a basement DVD store in Brunswick, ME at age 18. Aly sets herself apart from any other gal+guitar in several ways. 1) Bold vocals that she’s not afraid to let crack and slip and vibrate in ways that on occasion smash your eardrum in unfamiliar, unsightly ways, but they let you actually feel what she’s singing to you 2) Speaking of what she’s singing, she’s a great lyricist. She can be pretty graphic and dark, but always romantic. It reminds me a lot of Andrew Bird and his obsession with internal body parts. I mean, they both talk about bone marrow. 3) She sometimes plays a unique instrument that is built like a banjo, but strung like a guitar. Neat!
Like a lot of artists that I discover before they are signed and produced, I end up liking a lot of their older acoustic stuff best. This is the case with Lady Lamb. My favorite song of hers is Between Two Trees, an amazing video of which is below. That said, the new album, Ripely Pine, is a really fun compilation of pieces, most with a full, energetic, eclectically pieced band. Each song is a new and different show of talent. For example, in Florence Berlin, her vocals are sweet and melodious, reminding me of Feist, with simple guitar accompaniment. The very next song, Bird Balloons is rocking with electric guitar and drums.
Keep your eyes on Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. She’s young and just beginning. Check out her website for more info, some fun interviews and videos about how she got started, AND an opportunity to donate cut-out images to a new stop motion video she is creating with her best friend, credits will be given!