Clara Engel and her gargantuan voice have been lurking in around the Canadian scene for quite a while now. Extremely developed, dark, holy and brooding songs are the beguiling outcome. . . Having already released an incredible seven albums, each conjuring up a blues-tinged and ethereal sound vaguely reminiscent of Wildbirds & Peacedrums, she is currently working on her eighth. Find out more...
It's 12:05 A.M. on February 27th. It's Nuit Blanche, and the city is buzzing. But I'm sick, so I'm at home, sneezing. At what point in my life... that's a good question. I'm not sure, time will tell. But I'm 28. I generally try to go to bed before midnight. I moved to Montreal six months ago - I had lived in Toronto my whole life. I'm finding my feet here, getting ready to record a new album, it will be my eighth release. I'm going to start working with some new musicians soon. I'm feeling exhausted and rambunctious, and I'm in love.
How would you describe your music to those uninformed readers of Mane Shakin' Folk?
A violent, distant meteor shower maybe? I have operatic tendencies. I am a reverb and delay addict. I also love playing acoustic guitar and singing in rooms with good acoustics, with no effects or amplification. I listen to folk music from everywhere. I collect Yazoo and Revenant Records releases. I adore Jacques Brel. I'm completely committed to my work, and have been since I started writing songs fifteen years ago.
You're based in Montreal. What's the scene like there? Are there any cool hangouts the world should (or shouldn't) know about?
I moved here this summer. I'm impressed with Montreal. There are a lot of really good people here. In terms of cool hangouts... I like to hang out on the mountain, weather-permitting. It's pretty special to live next to a big old mountain. I'm going to film a video there next weekend with some friends. I play pretty frequently at two venues called Casa del Popolo and Le Cagibi, and I know there are a bunch of other great places that I haven't been to or played at yet. I've been mostly hanging out at my house lately, cause I'm broke and it's cold.
You have an incredibly big voice. When did you discover this and first use it in song? Have you been involved in music since you were a child?I think I've always had a big singing voice. It doesn't feel as loud in my own skull, but it's always been pretty raucous, I'm told. I was a very enthusiastic singer as a small child. My dad would play guitar and we would sing folk songs together, that was when I was three or four. It's one of my happiest early memories. We'd sing songs like 'I Gave My Love a Cherry', 'Frankie and Johnny', and 'Clementine'. I took it pretty seriously. My voice kind of went underground from the age of six, when I entered grade school, to twelve, when I just couldn't contain it anymore. A singer must sing. It's been growing ever since, and getting more full-bodied, like a gnarly weed-tree.
How do you go about songwriting? Lyrics first, or music?
It's kind of mysterious, and it's different every time. There is a deep romantic connection between the words and the music, I don't think I have the heart to separate them or give one precedence over the other.
Have you worked with any labels?
Yes. Corps-Morts in Quebec City, Vox Humana in the UK, Tapemancy in Italy. And apparently A Silent Place in Italy released something of mine too, but I never saw it... I hope that one day I will.
'Lick My Fins' is a free download on bandcamp at moment. What's the song about?
I don't even know, that's a primordial song. Sex? Devolution? Mermaids and mermen? It's also a dark, comically desperate love song. I think it's very funny. That song offended one person deeply, she thought it was blasphemous and wrote me an angry email saying she wouldn't support an artist who wrote the words "let the holy spirit lick my fins." Fine then, so be it.
What can we expect from Clara Engel in 2011?
If things go well, you can expect at least one new album. If things go really well, you can expect more new albums. I am releasing an EP in the UK, through Vox Humana, and that will hopefully translate into a tour. I really want to record an album live in a church in Montreal. I've set up a site where people can pre-order the album and help me get it made, here.
Finally, are there any particular records/artists/etc that particularly inspire you at the moment? At the moment, I'm listening to Arthur Russell's "Love is Overtaking Me" and I'm reading "Mad in Pursuit" by Violette Leduc. She is my favorite writer. I want to read everything she's ever written. Lately I've also been listening to my friends Tsinder Ash, Opal Onyx, Sebastian Wesman, and Cicely Irvine (and all of you should check them out too!)
You can find Clara Engel on bandcamp, myspace, tumblr and facebook. And as she mentioned, you can also pledge a donation to help with the recording of her next album here.
Download 'Lick My Fins':
