Katie Stelmanis
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Alternative, beautiful & fierce electronica
Status:
Debut release, Join Us (2007)
See also:
Wikipedia's page on Katie StelmanisThe Ectophiles' Guide to Austra, Katie Stelmanis's group project
Comparisons:
Diamanda Galas, Fiona Apple, Siouxsie, Mary Timony
Covers/own material:
Own, occasional cover
General comments:
Katie Stelmanis is a classically-trained singer whose piano-based music is mixed with electronic noise and distortions. Very unusual and hard to describe, but well worth checking out. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
Join Us is her debut
Recordings:
Join Us (2007)
Join Us
Release info:
2007—Blocks Recording Club (280 Spadina Avenue/PO Box 67613 Dundas/Spadino RPO/Toronto, ONT M5T 3B8/Canada)
Availability:
Canada, or see Katie Stelmanis's shop for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Katie Stelmanis
Produced by:
Katie Stelmanis
Comments:
This is where I lavish praise.
Katie Stelmanis is a Canadian singer-songwriter who released her debut album early this year. I have problems with generic albums, but Join Us doesn't just stand out from the pack; it pole-vaults over it. I just ordered it, and from everything I've heard, it just might be a real contender for the end-of-the-year list. Yes, already. I know I've said this twice. (Actually, I've said it three times, but one wasn't on the list.)
This is not a quiet singer-songwriter album. There's piano here, yes, but it's more fierce than peaceful, more driving than serene, and accompanied by powerful vocals and menacing electronics. If Fiona Apple ingested a lot of Diamanda Galas records, she might have released a debut like this. I'm not arbitrarily playing the Diamanda card, either; in an interview, Katie said she was "blown away" after hearing her, and you can definitely notice the influences, especially in tracks like "You'll Fall".
Highly, highly, highly recommended. (lotterose @ gmail . com)Wow, this is really good stuff... she does a great cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying," and her originals are quite beautiful. I detect a bit of Siouxsie influence in there as well, especially on "In My Favour." (trow@interbridge.com)
I've been listening to this album for months and still can't find words to properly describe it. There's a lot of noise, there are moments that are even disturbing, but there are also quieter moments that are quite lovely. Weird little bits of it get stuck in my head. Overall I'd say it's dark and insistent (much of the album has a pulsating beat) and just fantastic. (JoAnn Whetsell)
I agree with what everyone here says. This is insistent and captivating and full of things that stick in my head. Wonderful, individual, and highly recommended. (Neile)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
