Can you remember two weeks ago? I reviewed Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg's Plain Janes graphic novel series and we discovered that along with being a Young Adult author Cecil was also an indie rock performer sooooooo...this week's Friday Feature is Nerdy Girl / Cecil Seaskull an 1990s indie rock singer and her band from Montreal, Canada.
When I first heard Nerdy Girl I had to get the calculator out to work out how old Cecil was when she recorded with them, she has the sweetest most innocent voice. I was amazed that she was in her late twenties! And actually when you listen to the lyrics of Twist Her you realise that these are not sweet songs, they are about confused love, stealing boyfriends, drugs and self-loathing. Combined with her young voice her songs become wonderfully teenage (and I do mean that in a good way) full of hormones and hope and depression and uncertainty. Cecil describes her sound as 'twee' and it does indeed sound unmistakably 1990s indie like a less trippy Mazzy Star, The Cardigans, Dressy Bessy, Go Sailor etc. If I had to recommend an order of listening it would be listen to Cecil's band's album Twist Her before seeking out her solo effort Whoever. Twist Her has definitely aged better than Whoever. It is more accessible, more polished more varied and very easy to listen to. That is not to say that Whoever is not without merit, for instance I very much enjoyed listening to Sweet Girl.
You're much more likely to have encountered Cecil in her guise of Cecil Castellucci, a very successful Young Adult author. You can read my review of her Plain Janes series here.
Featured Song: Anne Eliot
Where can I hear more?
Nerdy Girl released some 7" and 10" EPs but the only album that is easy to access these days is their 1997 album Twist Her via iTunes. Cecil Seaskull's 1998 album Whoever is also only available through iTunes.
What is her website?
http://castellucci.wordpress.com/
Next week: We'll return to the Minx Reviews
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