Rating: NNNN
A female version of Devendra Banhart? As scary as that might seem, Michael Gira likely saw dollar signs the first time he laid ears on 26-year-old Yale art grad Larkin Grimm.
Purportedly the product of a Tennessee-based religious cult, who wound up with a fine arts degree from Yale and lives in a tent, Grimm shows off her captivating voice and strikingly imaginative songwriting on Parplar, which Gira has tastefully co-produced with a large accompanying cast of players selected from the ever-expanding Young God family (including members of Fire on Fire and, of course, the Angels of Light).
If you can overlook the unfortunate Banhart comparisons because of her label and touring connections, you’ll be delighted by this provocatively bent new voice, which hopefully won’t be relegated to the New Weird America ghetto.
Top track: Dominican Rum
