I’ve always had a love/cringe relationship with CocoRosie; seeing the Casady sisters perform at Boston’s newly made-over Royale did little to resolve my conflicting feelings.
What draws me to the band is their ethereal blending of drum and bass, hip-hop, piano and creepy vocals into both infectious dance numbers and introspective, borderline-classical compositions. What makes me cringe is Sierra Casady’s overpowering operatic digressions, the smattering use of Auto-Tune, their intense integration of fantastical and freaky imagery, et.al.
So I bit my nails through the first few songs of CocoRosie’s set, as Sierra spun around the stage in a flowy white gown, her soprano floating against a backdrop projecting questionably innocent images of flowers, clowns and carousels. All the while, Sierra’s sister Bianca stood silently in a dark corner of the stage, unassumingly accompanying her with a collection of meek instruments. Knowing Bianca’s signature unsettling and sexy voice, seeing this latent source of brilliant music was unbearable. It felt like watching Renee Fleming incessantly sing, while Bjork and Nigel Godrich stood nearby, microphones limp in their hands.
Fortunately, when Bianca eventually stepped into the light, the show took flight. During “Lemonade,” the single from their latest release Grey Oceans, the sisters perfectly balanced each other, telling childhood stories with two contrasting tones. In the verses, Bianca‘s haunting voice spoke morbidly over a somber piano; but against an up-beat tempo and a show tune-worthy melody, the chorus spoke sweetly of ice cream and lemonade.
As the evening progressed, the Casady sisters increasingly interacted on-stage. During “Hopscotch,“ they executed a “Miss Mary Mack”-type clapping game while Sierra giddily sang into her microphone. For their signature cover of Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On,” the three-piece backing band exited the stage, leaving the sisters alone for the first time that night - Bianca spinning cheesy lyrics into sensual gold while Sierra supported with a mini harp.
I’d be remiss not to mention a beatbox interlude, normally reserved for collegiate a capella groups, but in this case, affording the band a mid-set break. Does your a capella group want to kick up your version of “Land Down Under” with a beatboxer/didgeridoo impersonator? I’ve got your man.
Near the end of the set, solo, Bianca beautifully sang “Grey Oceans,” a simple piano ballad with only hints of Sierra’s operatic vocals softly echoing in the background. And while I know there can be no Coco without Rosie, I once again desired a lot more Bianca and a lot less Sierra. However, I realize I’m not CocoRosie’s target audience. The Royale crowd fully embraced the sisters and all their innocence, freakiness and sincerity. It seemed like the audience spilled into the club straight from the Gay Pride Parade held a couple blocks up the street earlier that day - a motley collection of stylish, amorous lesbian couples, punk kids, hip-hop/dance enthusiasts and various outcasts who looked right at home listening to the duo. And while I stood out like a sore thumb with my Asthmatic Kitty t-shirt and Tevas, I knew they still accepted this indie rock chick - despite my fear of clowns and Auto-Tune.
