21+ $7
Laura Burhenn: American singer and multi-instrumentalist Laura Burhenn named her band The Mynabirds partly as a nod to James Joyce, and partly a tribute to Neil Young’s Motown period (The Mynah Birds, with band mate Rick James). Her first album, 2010’s What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, produced by Richard Swift, was a masterful collection of indie-pop songwriting channeling the emotion of old soul, gospel and classic rock, with echoes of Dusty Springfield, Carole King, and yes, Neil Young, bleeding through. Her second album, GENERALS (2012), produced by Swift as well, upped the ante, drawing comparisons to PJ Harvey and Cat Power: a percussive, politically charged album filled with stomps, claps, and sweeping orchestrations, and moments that ranged from intensely personal to shout-out-loud protest. Both records were released to critical acclaim by Omaha-based label Saddle Creek.
Annie Dilocker