Clara Engel is an experimental, post-punk artist from Montreal who puts together songs full of textures and atmosphere. Songs like “Lick My Fins” (below) are challenging, evoking as they do anything from cabaret punk to Siouxsie and the Banshees… even hints of Annie Lennox and Patti Smith. It’s a challenging, but ultimately rewarding, listen to an artist that is clearly driven by an inner poetry that burns from the inside-out.
The great testament to the highly original nature of Clara’s music is my complete inability to find any sort of description that feels appropriate. One of her many albums – Secret Beasts – feels at times tortured, and at others calmly spiritual. It’s a mystery, and, honestly, I feel unfit to reduce it to the constraints of a review. (And actually, that does feel like a compliment to me.)
In fact, rather than have me describe Clara’s work, here’s a video where she does exactly that:
Ah, thank you, Clara. “Scary beauty” was exactly what I was looking for. Next up is the music video for “Accompanied By Dreams,” followed by a live performance of “Heaven and Hell”
Finally, as promised, here’s “Lick My Fins.” The album – Secret Beasts – streams below.
Please visit Clara on Bandcamp or Myspace. And if you like what you hear, Clara is trying to raise money to make a new album. There’s information about that here, and your support is appreciated!