Gritty, dirty, brooding: Clara Engel
Clara Engel this total babe who lives in Toronto. I’ve been watching her via myspace for awhile now and I must admit - I have remained pretty smitten, but I’ve been trying to keep her as a secret because her songs are really intimate and my smitten-ness is very near the borderline of becoming a serious crush. Her songs range from gritty, dirty, despair-filled love ballads (complete with necessary and melodramatic brooding) to straight up depictions of S & M fantasties. She is awesome and inspirational, mostly due to her refusal to conform to Canadian standards.
And my trashy ears gobble it up (in case you were unaware: Canadian customs has a long history of banning and trashing American Art and Pornography — such a shame!!)
Ok — so I really really want her on the west coast and that is why I’m helping to leak her out because I’ve been talking to my New York friends, and they have had the chance to see her play and they all report stellar experiences. She’s a true singer songwriter with a gorgeous voice and a finely tuned ear apt to match melody with subject matter. She says her dream is to be “reborn a thistle” and I think she deserves for her dreams to become reality. Her myspace page is full of songs so check her out and you can buy her album “Tender” here!!
DOWNLOADS:
Clara Engel - I Wear Your Coat
Clara Engel - Appetite For Pain
Clara Engel - Raphael
And you can watch the video for her song “Raphael” here:
In Canada? Canada’s big. Lemme rephrase: On the east coast of Canada?? Catch her live performances here:
Jul 10 - The Concord Cafe Toronto, Ontario
Jul 27 - The Tranzac Club (Southern Cross Lounge) Toronto, Ontario
Oct 04 - NUANCE - Art Rock Festival East York, Ontario
July 11th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Good job, that’s an excellent review of an excellent artist. -f-
July 11th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I’ve been a fan of Ms. Engel’s for some time now, and “Appetite for Pain” has gotten extensive airplay on my radio show…as recently as this week, in fact. I’d love to bring her to Houston for a gig if I could make it economically feasible.
September 16th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Clara’s one of Toronto’s true gems, alongside Janine Stoll, Noah Zacharin, and others whom are truly masters of their craft. Had the pleasure of singing bgv on Cousin Mary and I Wear Your Coat, and hope to see her keep doing well! Thanks for the great blog on her songs and style!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
she’s great - thanks for the comment.