Mostly I write about Minnesota music and art, but something I run into a show that strikes me that even though it just takes place in Minnesota, I still want to write about it. Caroline Rose with Cardioid at Seventh Street Entry was such a show!
Both bands are unconventional (maybe creating new conventions), energetic and post-feminist (my observation, not their label), female-led bands. (Though the guys rock too.)
They sing and talk about girl topics – including, but not limited to, PMS and periods. It’s not gratuitous, it’s just every day stuff but refreshing to hear it from the stage, again in a non-gratuitous way.
Caroline Rose rocks, just no other way to put it. And she’s very clever. Every song is her favorite to play.
The band has the energy of a Shonen Knife. Seems like everyone had a guitar (or bass) and a keyboard. And interesting setup, especially for musicians to like to dance too. I can’t wait to see them on a bigger stage.
Jeannie Becomes a Mom should be a techno anthem. It’s a cautionary tale with a beat. Bikini is more like next generation B52s – it’s a female’s POV homage to the two-piece. It’ll get you places – but you have to wear it. A double edge sword.
Cardiod play Fantasy Metal – a genre we should all be promoting to greater heights.
The front women look like they walked off a Broad City sound stage. Lizzy Ellison has a mesmerizing voice.
What I love about both bands’ music is how the use of very specific details, makes the lyrics more universal. I’ve never played Super Mario but I understand the love-hate ambivalence of trying to conquer the top levels of a challenging game.
Rainbow Road, from Carioid, was maybe my favorite song. Written about that vexing level of a Super Mario but also written about when you love someone but they don’t want to be happy so they sabotage the relationship. I have to admit that I’m not sure if that’s universal or a primarily female take on a relationship, but I get it.
And I love the straight-forward, style of Fantasy Metal. Strong voices, unapologetically wide ranges, a nuanced approach to an almost family genre.
I went to the show with almost no knowledge of the bands and left ready to change the soundtrack of my year!
Mostly Minnesota 