Brenda Stardom [ Bullette: Her Secret's Out ]

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Last 15 Articles

15-9-2005 - Bullette: Her Secret's Out

"Show me what I need..." Monika Bullette's music fills the room and my spirits lift and lilt. The weight of the world goes away and I'm caught in the spell the music creates. I wish I could say I discovered her first. I'm a music junkie. I hit the mp3 blogs and other sites that offer free, legal new music several times a day. They all raved about Bullette.

There was a constant -- she's the next big thing. Like the previous reviewers, I agree. I crown her queen of DIY. She emailed every Mp3blog in May and sent them a CD. The others who wrote about her went on about how they receive many CD's and had set it aside but one day put it on and were hooked. I was immensely impressed that an artist was giving away her entire album. After I downloaded and unzipped it and put it on Winamp, hoping to find what all the hype was about -- from the first notes, I knew. "I can't tell you why I'm smiling..." -- ah, this is wonderful. She defies genre and her uniqueness and confidence are as rare as cats falling from the sky.

After reading her influences, on both her site, and her MySpace profile, it was easy to see why she is all and none of them. She's taken the influences like ingredients and put them in a blender, creating something entirely new and better. Check these out from MySpace:

nature vs. nuture, Albrecht Dürer, Bill Viola, JeremyBlake, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Blixa Bargeld, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Marilyn Manson, Lotte Lenya, Loretta Lynn, Benny Goodman, T. Rex, Echo and the Bunnymen, Isabelle Huppert, Steve McQueen, Hannah Schygulla.

What a list! "I want more, more, more...", she sings from "Lemonade". Wow. The "sounds like" part was equally as impressive.

Nancy Sinatra, Lotte Lenya, Tammy Wynette, Siouxsie Sioux, Marianne Faithfull, Billie Davis, Freakwater, Rasputina, Martha Wainwright, Holly Golightly, Sarah Harmer, Aimee Mann, Mindy Smith, PJ Harvey, Ronnie Spector, Regina Spektor. Link.

She lists more on her site, which is a must visit as it displays her amazing talents. Link.

B. Bargeld, M. Bolan, D. Bowie, J. Cash, N. Cave, A. Chilton, L. Cohen, M. Dietrich, D.E. Edwards, B. Goodman, F. Hardy, L. Lenya, L. Lynn, M. Manson, R. Orbison, E. Piaf, C. Porter, E. A. Presley, T. Waits, H. Williams.

The music changes and "Night Starts Over" begins to play. Ahhhhh. My ears strain to hear each word. The songs are crafted like a Frank Lloyd Wright or even a Michaelangelo. She put everything into this project, from taking 3 years to fine-tune the fine tunes and then made the very smart move of contacting all the music blogs and even smarter, offering it all for free. However, once hooked by the free download, I'm sure many will want the real deal -- the CD. "Disappearing Act" has begun to play and it's again very different from the rest which are all different, displaying her wide range of styles. I just read the Music Geek interview. I'm hard to impress and I'm impressed!

How did you manage to combine your influences into "The Secrets"? Additionally, how did you manage to capture a sound much older than you are?

There isn't a conscious effort to combine influences. I find that these just are the songs that I can write. Forcing yourself to fit into an expectation will give you just that - a forced sounding song. I'm not a musical discriminator - I have hundreds of records and cds and music files ranging from Harry James to Danzig to Hank Williams. I like to trace my favorite songwriters'/bands' favorites. I also take breaks away from any music whatsoever.

The sound that is captured is a result of the recording process at my co-conspirator Hangnail Phillips' home studio The Control Room - perhaps the layering of instruments principally played by me, from drums to guitars to vocals to accordion to violin, isn't a shiny new homogenized Top 40 radio sound.

It's anything but. According to what I read in the interview, she'd most likely slam the door in a label's face. She doesn't need anyone:

In the future, will you be releasing your music online, or will you pursue a more traditional route -- finding a record label, maybe?

Things are changing rapidly - CDBaby is an option for sale of the next album and it's rapidly becoming the indie artist's retailer of choice for physical (and digital distribution via Apple iTunes)..

The short answer is "I haven't decided" - the story is still unfolding. I'm learning more everyday about business, the Internet, what I want and don't want, how incredibly varied and huge the world is and its hungers are, and my place in it all. Link

I'm a bit late in my review of her fabulous, unparalleled music, having promised to do it months ago and putting it off due to stupid mental blocks, feeling I don't possess the writing skills necessary to describe The Secrets adequately. I listen to it everyday, from the CD which I was lucky enough to receive. Monika's perfection and impeccable taste are what set her apart from others who adopt the DIY ethic. I was beyond impressed when I opened the package. This is no ordinary CD and the professionalism and exquisite taste rival any in the biz. The art on the cover, the inlay, the lyrics and the label itself are brilliant.

In a way, I'm glad I had those blocks in writing and that I lost the report I spent hours on yesterday. Don't ask me how. Ohhh this is making my heart breathe. "Ends of the Earth", the violin's bow glides low over its strings. In a way this part reminds me of "Dirty Three", another band I love. To think she played all these instruments and wrote these songs twirls my mind.

For those lucky enough to live in or near Wilmington Delaware, Bullete can be seen at the Third Annual Delaware Alternative Pop Festival, or DAP3, Saturday night along with Endless Mike Jambox, The Invasion, Splitfaces and The Cocks. Check her site or MySpace for time and directions. What I wouldn't give to be there.

So, what are you waiting for? Download The Secrets now and be prepared for a musical feast. Want to sample first? Individual tracks can be downloaded from the main site and there are 4 songs on MySpace to either listen to or download in the odd case this hasn't persuaded you to go for the full album. One is her newest song, "Bare To the Sun" done in collaboration with Hangnail Phillips. Visit her main site for photos, lyrics, her blog, and of course the free download.

I've been trying to sing you off my mind
But with each note you bloom again
Like blood in water I'm circling
A bait sensed from within
--Monika Bullette "I Try"

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