Band of the Week: Bird York

Even though York now splits her time between the recording studio and the sets of various films and TV shows (she has two albums and more than 50 acting roles to her credit), music still provides her with the simple comfort of home. “It’s almost like it’s magical, it’s intangible, and within that space you can create a novel without words, with music,” she says.

Wicked Little High — featuring the dramatic “In the Deep” from the Crash soundtrack, a song that earned York an Oscar nomination — finds powerful yet wistful vocals suspended over funky electronica beats. The result is a dreamy, trip-hop-tinged pop experience that’s as gritty as it is melodic.

“I’m really led by melody,” she said. “Melody is like a river, and I just get on it and slide down it until a song comes out at the end of it.”

Although York is grateful she can make a living through art, her true reason for making music is deeply rooted in altruism. “I had set an intention that I wrote down that I wanted my voice to be a warm blanket to try to comfort people,” she said. “Obviously I like writing music that’s very sensual, and I like making music that has a groove on it, but the core of it was within that genre of music I wanted to try to comfort a frightened world.”