“Bag of Hammers,” “The Barrel,” & “Little Flaws” — 3 Badass Songs From 3 Badass Womxn
Aldous Harding, Thao Nguyen, and Lady Lamb
Aldous Harding in a condom hat?
Aldous Harding is a New Zealand singer and performance artist who embraces looking strange. It’s part of her brand. I love it. Take this video, “The Barrel,” in which it appears Aldous enters the stage through a fabric representation of a vagina. She’s oddly dressed in a top hat resembling a penis or condom, and an overly modest black Puritan style dress with lace collar.
A soothing melody with chill guitar playing and lyrics that hooked me from the first time I heard them. She’s penned some of my favorite lyrics of all time in “The Barrel”: “When I was a child, I never knew enough/what’d that do to me?” and “When you have a child, so begins the braiding/And in that braid you stay.”
The song seems to be about coming of age, love, sex, and remaining your own person. Aldous claims it was just meant to be interesting. Give the video a watch and listen and let us know what you think it’s about.
“People are just so keen to get to the bottom of stuff that’s none of their business.” — Aldous Harding
Watch the entire video. Be ready for a couple strange costume changes around the 3:23 mark. What do you think they mean? I think Aldous is brilliant, funny, and charming. More please.
Thao Nguyen, sharp singer, sharp stinger
Thao Nguyen is an American singer who released her first album, Like the Linen, in 2006. I got to see leader of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Thao Nguyen, at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She’s a rock star to me, but didn’t seem to be known by many of the locals. She’s got a contagious energy that’s poppy and upbeat, yet there are meaningful lyrics behind her pep. “Bag of Hammers” is one of the first Thao Nguyen songs I fell in love with.
I’d belt it out in the morning, ready for may day to take any damn shape it pleased. Ready for adventure. Ready to destroy if necessary. Ready to have fun. Yes! Give me that bag of hammers. Let’s shake things up!
Shake, shake, shake, shake the frame of this house Distress the wood, make it shout And as sharp as I sting, as sharp as I sing It still soothes you, doesn’t it? Like a lick of ice cream — Thao Nguyen
And her lyrics do sometimes sting, “And there’s a hole in your head/ Spilled your thoughts on the floor.”
“I’ve always had this vision that the touring lifestyle is so unsustainable. But I have faith that I can do it, and I don’t become a victim of my job or my work. And I can remove my self-worth from what I make and how many people show up.” — Thao Nguyen
This video is directed by Clyde Peterson. I like it better than the official video. We are taken into a stop-motion, claymation neighborhood with a cast of characters, ice cream trucks, and distressed houses. A fun watch.
Lady Lamb embraces little flaws
When my husband and I went to Cain’s to see Tallest Man on Earth we walked into an eerily still venue. American singer, Lady Lamb (Aly Spaltro) was on stage, singing a Capella in her earthy, strong voice — a contrast of velvet and gravel — gorgeous.
This official video of “Little Flaws” is crafted like an old-school homemade 1980s video recording. She and her girlfriend are seen bowling, at an amusement park, and out in nature. It’s a sweet watch with more powerful lyrics.
Baby, you’ve got little flaws like me You try to be hard but I know you’re a softy I thought you were tough up until you stopped me From pluckin’ that tiny white flower from the earth Honey, I’ve got little flaws just like you I’m stubborn and fresh and hot-headed, too, and I Missed six pitches in the batting cage I threw my bat in a fit of rage But it’s all that I want to do Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh — Lady Lamb
Juxtapose those lyrics to Lady Lamb’s line, “Little flaws that mimic the stars” and we know she’s talking about when we fall in love, we accept the other’s flaws — and sometimes even adore them, as in her line, “You try to be hard but I know you’re a softy/I thought you were tough up until you stopped me/From pluckin’ that tiny white flower from the earth.”
Aly Spaltro has kept true to her artistic vision, hiring Erin Tonkon as co-producer for her most recent album, “Even in the Tremor.”
“I had a bunch of phone calls with esteemed producers, who were all lovely people, but I got the sense that they wanted to take the record from me a little bit...What I got from Erin, which is what I was looking for, was a raw enthusiasm. She totally supported my ideas and was so willing to help me get there.” — Aly Spaltro
Aldous Harding, Thao Nguyen, and Aly Spaltro are all womxn musicians who do their own thing. They consciously chose not to climb into the pop music — big production box — and, it’s not for a lack of talent. Who are some of your famous badass womxn musicians?