Soft Power
“La La La” / “Izabella”
6/16/2009 By Cam Lindsay

Ever since she seduced me with Pirate Prude back in 1994 (Autoclave was a few years before my indie rock awakening), my love affair with Mary Timony and her guitar playing has been an unwavering commitment. I'll admit it, nothing has quite held up to those two Helium full-lengths, before and after, but whenever she does appear with either Mind Science of the Mind, the Spells, Green Four or her solo stints (both Mary Timony and the Mary Timony Band), I can't help but feel a bit dizzy.

Well, somebody spot me, because she's back with yet another group. Named Soft Power, there is little info to report right now other than a MySpace page and a couple of songs. Originally named Pow Wow, Timony announced the name change was due to "the existence of a number of other bands named Pow Wow, exclamation points and acapella [sic] vocals aside." And Soft Power is an official band, also featuring Jonah Takagi, Winston Yu, T.J. Lipple and, of course, Mary.

As with any of Mary Timony's work, her axe-slinging is the focal point of Soft Power's core. Surprisingly, she isn't the vocalist on "La La La," but the soft, manly pipes that grace the song adds a nice nuance to the Krautrockin' Teutonic beat, the scorching guitar lines, medieval piano and eerie vocal harmonies. As you can guess, it's pure prog delight.

"Izabella," on the other hand, is much more Helium-filled. Timony's vocals are still flawlessly monotone, the guitar lead is snaky and full of jangle, and of course, there are some cool runs that showcase her signature instrumentation… but there are also Spector-like drums and straight-up pop melodies I've never heard her try before. Let's hope this blossoms into something more than just two tracks.

Click here to listen to their music.
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