In this installment of Show vs. Show, two vastly different artists hit the same town and the same venue this week. In one corner, we have the seasoned veterans of folk-rock (not to mention lesbian icons): Indigo Girls. In the opposite corner: British new wave popster La Roux. They hit the House of Blues days from each other.
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Indigo Girls are on the road supporting their 11th studio album, last year’s Poseidon and the Bitter Bug. Later this year, they will release their second live album, Staring Down the Brilliant Dream, and then get all Christmasy on us with a holiday record in the fall. After 25 years in this business, clearly these Girls don’t plan on slowing down soon. Ever since making the switch from a corporate record label to their independent one, the duo is busier than ever.
How interesting that Elly Jackson’s first musical interests were in folk music? Now, the androgynous hipster leads the Brit pop duo La Roux, venturing far away from her initial tastes. As the face of La Roux, and really the namesake, Jackson calls to mind ’80s synth pop with her looks (a ducktail Mohawk and blank canvas face) and bubbly pop. But don’t mistake La Roux’s pop for the usual radio fodder. She and Ben Langmaid bring a certain intelligence that makes the songs both fun and complex.
It’s girl against Girls this week on different sides of the music spectrum. But that’s not a bad thing for Dallas.