My Top 5 Indie Music Crushes

Women in the music industry have it kind of rough. When it comes to great songwriters and musicians, there are just as many female as there are male. And yet, for some reason or another, women are still judged primarily by their looks by the particularly male-centric music journalism scene. That’s why an artist like M.I.A. always has to whine and complain about how all the credit for her music is given to her producers and collaborators (also because she wouldn’t quite be M.I.A. without something to throw a fit about). And for what it’s worth, I really do respect the following five women on this list for their musical abilities. Hell, in the midst of all the ogling and staring, we often forget that the reason that these women were brought to our attention in the first place was because of their talent as musicians. So without any further introduction, I’d like to present to you my list of my Top 5 Indie Music Crushes. My apologies to the women of the music industry for reducing your contributions to mere eye candy.

#5 Emily Haines from Metric - Emily Haines has never been one to shy away from her sex appeal. Much of Metric’s early music was drenched in sexuality, and Emily seemed like she was more embracing the forced role of female musicians than shying away from it. And for what it’s worth, I found Emily Haines attractive before I even laid eyes on her. Of course, when I finally put a face to that lovely voice flowing from my speakers I was sold. That “Doctor Blind” video is, by the way, kind of awesome.

#4: Erin Fein from Headlights - In case you were wondering, yes, last night totally sealed the deal. As much as I love Tristan Wraight’s vocals for the the band Headlights, the songs on which Erin Fein lead the vocals have always been my favorite. “T.V.,” “Songy Darko,” Hi Ya,” and “Cherry Tulips” are all fantastic songs, due in large part to Erin’s (pardon the cliche) sugary-sweet vocals. In person, she is just as beautiful as her voice, and clearly someone who enjoys every moment of her job. Plus, she pours coffee for her bandmates! That alone nets her huge brownie points. Just sayin’.

#3: Gwenno from The Pipettes - The funny thing about Gwenno is that that is her birthname, not just some quirky stage name like “Riot Becky.” Take that as your fun fact of the day. Is their any denying to gorgeousness that is Gwenno? I have a gay friend to whom I was trying to explain her beauty. I showed him a picture, to which he responded to the strong, lovely features of Gwenno with “I don’t know. I can’t decide if she’s really old, or just looks like she’s really old.” But you know what? He’s gay, so what else can I expect? I would rant and rave about how talented she is as a vocalist, but I can’t pick her voice out of the other Pipettes, so that would be tough. But hey, I like The Pipettes, so I must like her voice, right? Of course!

#2: Annie Clark of St. Vincent - Don’t let the album cover to her 2007 album confuse you. Annie Clark is actually a very beautiful young woman. Like Gwenno, she has very defined features - like her cheek bones for example. But unlike Gwenno, Annie’s talent as a musician is completely inescapable. Marry Me was my #3 album of 2007, and it wasn’t even because its title was a reference to Arrested Development (which it was). But still, when you have someone who is this talented, this pretty, and who also likes the funniest show of the last 20 years...you kind of can’t help but crush all over that.

#1: Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond - What can I say? There’s just something about a 5’0” tall woman with the voice of a 300 lb. opera singer and the musical talent of pretty much any notable musician of the last 50 years. That, and the fact that Shara Worden happens to be very, very weird. And I like weird. Her weirdness transcends her music, which few could deny is not only weird but technically, and sonically impressive. When I saw her live, almost two years ago, I was enjoying her just acting like a fool on “Freak Out” even more than most of the other songs that she played. Odd considering that “Freak Out” is not the best song of hers, but not so odd when you consider that she just happens to be “cute as a button” as they say. Personally, I’ve never seen a button that compares