Watching the Indigo Girls develop has been a pleasure. Let’s
face it: two lesbians who don’t sleep with each other but
do play folk rock with each other is a recipe for record
company exploitation, and it’s a tribute to Amy Ray and Emily
Saliers that they’ve managed to avoid that. It’s certainly a
tribute to how hard they work — I’ve never heard a
bad Indigo Girls song, and being a fan I’ve heard a lot of
them. They show up, they record ten great songs, they do their
thing, they play Lilith Fair, and they go home seperately. Works
for them, works for me.
If I sound casual about
Shaming Of The Sun, that’s because I am. The Indigos have
spoiled me. It’s a damn fine CD, and I didn’t expect any less. But
don’t assume that this CD isn’t
different, because it is. There’s a lot more electric sound
on this, a trend started on their previous CD
Swamp Ophelia; at times, the Indigos are damn near a rock
band, especially on tracks like “Shame On You”, “It’s Alright”, and
“Scooter Boys”. (As soon as I figure out what “Scooter Boys” is
about, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, it’s a darn amusing tune.)
But fear not, acoustic devotees. There are still tunes on here
of the “old” Indigos style, two female voices and two acoustic
guitars — worth particular note is “Get Out The Map”, with its
loping banjo in the background, “Burn All The Letters”, and
“Everything In Its Own Time”.
Most breathtaking to me, however, are two interesting departures
from standard Indigos fare — “Leeds”, with its piano and solitary
vocal, and the powerful, driving “Caramia”, with a lush,
orchestrated sound almost reminiscent of ’70s symphonic rock.
Besides, any song that mentions
Harriet The Spy automatically gets several bonus points.
Despite all odds, record company machinations, and
preconceptions, the Indigo Girls have become one of the most
unique, consistent, and powerful voices in rock music today. It
wouldn’t surprise me to have them still be listened to in fifty or
even a hundred years, as unique voices and unique talents, and as a
reflection of their time. You owe it to yourself to find their CDs,
and
Shaming Of The Sun is a good place to start.
