Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.
As part of a radio show I do in Portland, Oregon, I invited local artist Kelli Schaefer to stop by recently. She was going to play some songs from her most recent album No Identity and to bring along some records that inspired these songs. Having already marveled at her shift from the moody singer-songwriter of her first LP (Ghost of the Beast) to the electronic meditations of a follow up EP, I really shouldn’t have been surprised but tucked in the small pile of vinyl she carried into the studio was a record by Grinderman, Nick Cave’s brutalist side project.
Then I got to know No Identity better and could fully hear how the harsh guitar tones and peaked volume assault of Grinderman was impacting her current musical state of mind. You’ll hear what I mean when you check out the video for “Mind is a Cone” below. Schaefer’s intentions are more personal, using the energy of this harder-edged mindset to deal with the swirling emotions of the passing of her father and the weird axis shift that happened in the 2016 election. Each jagged chord and blast of her powerful voice feels like an exorcism and a cleansing. And the video, directed Schaefer only deepens the mood with a glimpse at the dark side of the so-called American dream.
Check out the video below, then pop over to her label Amigo Amiga Recordings for more information about Schaefer and her work. Also, if you live in the NW, look alive, as Schaefer is about to embark on a quick tour with fellow artist Iska Dhaaf. You can see those tour dates below the video.
TOUR DATES
9/20: The Crocodile | Seattle, WA
9/21: The Shakedown | Bellingham, WA
9/22: Tony V’s Garage | Everett, WA
9/23: Bunk Bar | Portland, OR