art pop comes to Houston
Crayon scribblings of unicorns: CocoRosie creates its own magical world
CocoRosie inspires strong feelings. You either love them or you hate them. You’re in the cult or you’re not.
Well I’m in it, chugging the Kool-Aid with reckless abandon.
The sister duo Bianca "Coco" and Sierra "Rosie" Casady performed at the recently remodeled Fitzgerald’s Tuesday night. They mixed opera, beat boxing and pop with a smattering of manipulated children’s toys thrown in for that “artsy” sound.
The show opened with Melbourne art synth-pop band Otouto (pronounced auto-OUH-tow). Two tall, waif-like girls with long straight locks (do I sense a show theme?) sang sweet-as-honey melodies over a keyboard. Relying heavily on vocal harmonies and junkshop percussion, they sounded like an Australian Au Revoir Simone.
One especially impressed fan shouted, “Please have my children!” After the set, vocalist Hazel emitted a meek thank you and told the crowd, “Everyone in Houston is just so lovely.” (Sure, we’re friendly in the South but it doesn’t hurt that you’re gorgeous and have an adorable accent.)
CocoRosie then transformed the stage into a “purple kiss of stardust,” to quote a lyric from their 2010 album Grey Oceans.
Sparkly “Get Well!” and “I love you” balloons floated above the amps and a montage of dreamy images of children and flowers kaleidoscoped in the background. A statuesque Sierra started the set with “R.I.P. Burnface.” Bianca, in a curly wig and red cape, contrasted sharply with her sister who resembled magic royalty (think the Ice Queen from The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe).
“She’s so beautiful... I just want to cry,” whispered one audience member.
She sounded beautiful too. Classically trained in opera, Sierra seemed to sing as if atop a mountain, her voice echoing down in melodious waves. Bianca punctuated her sister's vocals with an affected rasp.
Kudos to Free Press Houston and Pegstar for stepping up Fitz’s sound. The Heights venue now features a new mixing console and speakers, according to Omar Afra of Free Press — and it showed.
While CocoRosie revisited a variety of older hits, they skipped over crowd-pleasing favorites “By Your Side” and “Noah’s Ark,” to many's dismay. Recent tunes dominated the night with the Vaudeville-inspired “Hopscotch” proving especially entertaining. However, as they played patty-cake onstage and giggled into the mic I had to wonder if I was watching avante garde musicians or 5-year-olds at recess.
Yes, their music often borders on the ridiculous. At times, the starry-eyed dreamers lose us in their make-believe world. It wouldn’t surprise me if CocoRosie tried to pay rent in imaginary dollars or crayon scribblings of unicorns.
The highlight was their cover of Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn You On.” Imagine a dirty rap song sung in an angelic voice accompanied by a harp and grand piano and, of course, a beat boxer.
It was the beat boxing that anchored their ethereal sound. An unnamed guest vocalist in a black tube top identified only as a “good friend” joined the sisters for the two-song encore. Coco ended the show playing a child’s light-up toy.
Fitting.