If you’ve had the privilege of seeing Amy Klein live, you would be living in the wake of sheer talent and real rock and roll. Her energy with Titus Andronicus is just phenomenal. I’ve never seen anyone jump around and play violin like that, except maybe for the violinist in Skeleton Breath who notoriously pops the hairs on his bow countless times during a performance. She yells, she sweats, and she plays really, really hard.
The music of Solanin, her solo project, is tactile but the lyrics are ambient. She doesn’t address boy problems, or anything worldly or candid for that matter, she captures an element of song writing that many ignore; she writes about nature and the earth that surrounds us. That in itself invokes the Japanese element she’s bringing to life.
The EP, For The Sky has three tracks, all of which are available on Bandcamp at your own price. The tracks are stellar, contemplative, and soothing. I found myself singing along to “Ame no Uta” after just one listen, and it’s in Japanese! Her voice is beautiful, very classical, very feminine. It definitely echoes the melodic styles of Joanna Newsom without that element of kitsch; it’s very genuine. The sounds travel across the spectrum, hitting folk, rock, lo-fi, jazz (especially in the jazzy drum style on Lemon Tree Part 1), r&b, and everything in between.
Klein is known for not only her talent but also her feminine empowerment qualities and massive intelligence. In an interview for Pinna Storm Klein even references Tom Tom as a source for news on which females are doing what. The musings of her blog address a myriad of issues, although it gained popularity for her commentary on the Titus Andronicus tour activities. It gets fun, it gets serious, but always, it gets to the point. She has also been involved with Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, an organization we fully support as well, and I couldn’t even begin to tell you just how sweet this lady is, apart from her expansive talent and inventiveness.
Also, worth noting, to put Klein into a little more Tom Tom reference, she has another side project called Hilly Eye with Catherine Tung on drums. Different from Solanin, but very solid. Listen to both!
By Katyann Gonzalez