 Maybe not literally, but the new album, Momento Mori, extends the same sort of problematic indulgence. No matter how badly the kick stings the hand is simply too pleasant to let go. The album is a sugar coated dose of reality as Yellow Thunder Woman describes, “The whole pop feel is something very easily digestible, the name explains it all the, nice and naughty at the same time. Something for the people in this age of ADHD that becomes a little easier to swallow.” Each track balances the simplicity of light-hearted pop melodies with the satirical candor of a brilliant mind free from the hindrance of an insecure need for acceptance. The inspiration was simple, there wasn't anything out 'there' she enjoyed listening to, so she decided to create her favorite record. Despite her firm stance on the trivialities of fame, the album was met by a warm reception from fans and critics alike. Yellow Thunder Woman rationalizes such success, “Its weird people just really fucking love it. I think because its a breath of fresh air for so many people. They’re so sick of music being overly self-conscious and bland; no one speaks about anything anymore. People are getting sick of skater boy bullshit, like Average Latrine. Really, its popular because people haven’t heard anything like it, it comes from a non-musicians point of view.”
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She adds, “I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write short stories and my lyrics are like I’m writing a story or social commentary.” The Bastard Fairies are the collaborative efforts of Native American vocalist/songwriter Yellow Thunder Woman and guitarist/producer Rubin Davey. Previously, the two combined for The Canary Effect, an award-winning documentary on the injustices of U.S. Policy on Indigenous Americans. This prior success is a great benefit for fans as the album is being offered for free download on the band's website. She explains, “I was never looking to make money from it, I'd been successful at other things, this album was done for the sake of creating it.”
The record title, Momento Mori, is a Latin term calling for awareness of ones mortality. “I think everyone needs to be aware of their own mortality and so many people really aren’t. They go through life getting angry at mundane things and being very superficial, but you’re going to die soon. We’re all going to die soon, so fucking try to live each day to its fullest, and drink as much as you possible can!” proclaims Yellow Thunder Woman. Speaking of death, her controversial lyrical content, such as the tracks favoring prostitution or pointing out the shortcomings of religion, is surely to be met with tension from opposing view points. And it did to a surprising extreme, well, not so surprising to her as she explains through soft laughter, “...there have been a few death threats but that’s kind of it. I was slightly disappointed that there weren’t thousands of them, I thought that would be interesting.”
Many artists love creating comparisons to more popular contemporaries. Yellow Thunder Woman consistently refuses to follow the norm, as with her response when I asked who her sound was comparable to, “Well, its quite hard for me to even want to compare myself with any type of music. I think that’s where musicians fall down, your either a rock musician, a blues musician, reggae, ska, and some bullshit like that. I mean once you buy a rock album, you hear a song and the rest sounds exactly the same.” She continues, “Its pointless to give a label, it holds you back and makes it fucking dull, its Joseph Stalin. I’m going for more of the Hitler.” Quite a starting statement at first glance, but in a broader sense, a truly profound metaphor. Only after listening to the album, which as I mentioned can be heard for free, will you truly understand what it is she's “going for.” myspace.com/thebastardfairies or download the album from bastardfairies.com |
