January: The Winter of our Disc Content

There is at least one artist on the FEMALE FRONT playlist who I am pretty sure you won't hear on any other station -- internet or terrestrial.

Her name is January, and she's so elusive, I can't give you a link to a website because there isn't one. And I can't post a picture because there aren't any. Well, that might be an exaggeration -- I'm sure her family has some pics -- but there aren't any that I've been able to get ahold of.

I had two of her tracks in rotation on ESTROGENIUS for more than a year: One was a song called "Never Will I", from an unreleased project called January with Mother, and the other was an achingly beautiful song called "Make Me Feel", from an unreleased solo project. I don't even know the name of her current collaborator, otherwise I would've been happy to credit him here, too.

Unfortunately, while I was in the middle of the station re-launch task, I realized that I'd lost both of the January CD's I had, and the mp3 files were of an unusable bitrate. But then Fate (not his real name) intervened, and I was lucky enough to get a demo of January's latest (and yes, as-yet-unreleased) project, and I immediately put three tracks into rotation: "Truth", "The Smell Of" and "Pardon Me".

If it seems like I'm making a big deal about an artist that you can't actually hear anywhere else, well, that's the whole point. Yes it's obscure, but you need to hear this music. What does it sound like? Damn, I was afraid I would ask that question...

While I would categorize her previous work as Experimental Electronica, this new disc is more like Acoustic Electronica. Wait, isn't that a contradiction in terms? Well...yes, actually. Which makes it weird that she was able to pull it off. January is a sort of musical alchemist, blending disparate sounds, genres and influences to make a precious material -- her songs.

Don't get me wrong, the music is not perfect: For example, on this latest project, they got a little happy with the back-masking. But it doesn't matter, because the real mystique about January is her voice. Ah, that voice. True to her name (in the Northern hemisphere at least), January possesses a voice that can chill you to the bone with awe.

It's difficult enough to describe any person's voice, let alone that of a unique vocalist. January's voice is crystal-clear, with seemingly perfect pitch. Her inflections and very slight nasal tone suggest exotic, far-Eastern origins, and there is the faintest hint of rasp, which gives her an edgy quality (as does the material itself). There are a few spoken-word movements that January delivers in hushed tones, and the effect is calming yet intriguing; she is definitely the most sensual song-whisperer since Lori Carson worked with The Golden Palominos.

With every song, January manages to evoke an emotional response in me. Her voice just does something to me, man! (See? Right there, it turned me into Dennis Hopper!)

I wish that worldwide exclusivity with January were something to brag about, but the whole point of this station is to increase awareness of innovative artists, to get the knowledge out there so that you can buy and enjoy their music yourself. For now, at least, FEMALE FRONT is the only place where you can hear January; but as soon as that changes, I will be happy to publicize it.