CocoRosie
Women are definitely a good reason why you should go to Bažant Pohoda this year. After Björk, Kate Tempest, Pearls Negras, Mourn and twin sisters Ibeyi, sisters Bianca “Coco” and Sierra “Rosie” Casady known as CocoRosie have been confirmed as well.
13. March 2015
Bianca is a percussionist influenced by hip-hop with a distinctive color of voice, whereas Sierra is a harpist and opera singer. Seemingly incompatible combination forms a basis of the dreamlike, even mystical atmosphere of their songs. What reinforces the final effect is the use of unusual instruments (a variety of toys) and even more peculiar choice of places for recording (bathroom, barn…) During live performances, they are usually accompanied by bass guitarist, keyboard player and beatboxer.
Sierra was born in Iowa and Bianca was born in Hawaii. In their teens, they both moved to New York and, finally, they settled in Paris’ artistic district of Montmartre. Here, in the bathroom of Sierra’s apartment, they recorded their debut album La maison de mon rêve. (The follow-up album Noah's Ark received critical acclaim for its music. On the other hand, The Guardian and Pitchfork named the album cover one of the worst album covers of all time. Their third album was produced by Björk’s longtime collaborator Valgeir Sigurðsson.)
Their work is a mix of visual arts (that Bianca studied), theater, contemporary media and dance. They have created a musical “popera” titled Soul Life or dance program Nightshift. The unusual blending of various areas of art, forms and genres was named by NY Daily News as “freak folk”. According to The Independent, it’s easy to fall under their spell. The Guardian compares Bianca’s voice to Björk. Sierra’s singing evokes Kate Bush. The newspaper characterizes their original tunes, combinations of sounds and colors as “Magic-realism pop”. In 2012, they enchanted Royal festival Hall and their performance earned them two standing ovations. During their Bažant Pohoda concert, everyone will be standing, but we’re sure the gig will be concluded by a storm of applause.
(Photo by J.M.Ruellan)