I can't quite put my finger on it - the difference between the front man of a band as opposed to the front woman. I like plenty of bands; many of them fronted by men, and just as many fronted by women. Yet, looking back on my Man Crush List, only 2 out of the 25 are known first and foremost as musicians (three if you count Jemaine, whom I only exclude, because I think of him as a comedian first and an actor/musician second). In contrast, we're 4 names into this list, and so far half of them have been musicians...
...and there's no sign of that trend slowing down any time soon.
So why then do most male musicians come off as kind of douchey whereas most female musicians strike me as fairly badass? (Obviously I'm referring to within the genres of music that I like here, and not the decidedly un-badass nature of the ladies that litter the Top 40 landscape…) Is it because you have to be kind of badass to succeed in a male dominated industry? Is it because there's something inherently cool about a chick that can hang with the dudes? I don't really know.
But I like it.
Which brings us to The Sounds (and by extension, Ms. Ivarsson). There's just something about their New Wave, Blondie-inspired, post-punk revival, synth-laden sound that won me over from day one. It doesn't seem like it would be the type of music that I would enjoy, and yet, I just can't get enough. They are an impressive 3 for 3 so far with albums that pass the coveted 'put it in and listen to it all the way through without skipping tracks' litmus test (which can't be said for many artists).
And yet, once again, despite my instant Lady Crush, I know very little about Ms. Ivarsson herself. Ya, she's blonde. Ya, she's Swedish. Ya, she has an interesting sound. But can a whole Lady Crush be based solely around that?
Yes.
And do you know why? Because I like the mystery. Perhaps if I knew more about her, my Lady Crush would fade away. Perhaps it is the intrigue that keeps my interest piqued.
And just maybe that's why I have Lady Crushes on more front women than I do on front men. The fellas are a dime a dozen, whereas the ladies are few and far between. So, when they do rise to the top, when they can command a stage and have an entire audience eating out of the palm of their hand, it stands to reason that you're fascinated by them. You want to know more.
I feel that I know all that I need to know about most guy musicians, but I am left constantly intrigued by the ladies. I guess it's as simple as that.
Proof of Awesomeness:
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