Audio By Carbonatix
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Justin Vernon, the reclusive mind behind Bon Iver, said Poliça is the best band he’s ever heard. If that doesn’t get your indie sensibilities all hot and bothered, nothing will. (We’re assuming that Vernon, crowned King of Indie by the Grammy committee in 2012, has heard more than a few bands.) The Beardy One isn’t the only one eager to see Poliça explode — NPR and Consequence of Sound also went ga-ga, and Huffington Post predicts “this band is going to be huge.” That’s enough name-drops to make one dizzy, but even without them, Poliça stands on its own. Fans of vintage trip-hoppers Portishead will find plenty to love, while more modern-minded fans of electronic music might draw comparisons to Purity Ring. Like those bands, Poliça combines electronica and R&B with angelic layered and distorted vocalizations. The band’s virtuoso singer, Channy Leaneagh, uses several effects pedals to warp her trebly voice as if it were an electric instrument, but whereas many outfits aim to bury the vocals, à la My Bloody Valentine, Poliça lets Leaneagh’s cut through the mix clear as a bell. The listener’s ability to decipher her lyrics is one reason Poliça has so many friends in high places. Ryan Olson, founder of the revolving door better known as Gayngs (also featuring more than 20 members, including Justin Vernon, which explains his strong endorsement), produced Poliça’s 2012 album, Give You the Ghost. This cabal of Minneapolis music scene veterans may be what Poliça needs to become something global.
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