Re: My two cents worth...

[Mandy Heath <mbrx5ajh@stud.man.ac.uk>]

lombaeg@donald.interpac.be (Emmy May Lombaerts) wrote:
>Hiya,
>
>chansen@kiva.com ("Chris Hansen @ Work") wrote:
>
>>While listening to the Cathy Demos (thanks again, Esther!) and then 
>>comparing them to the released tracks, it hit me that Kate's music is 
>>romantic.  Not that it is always sensual, erotic or such but that 
>>every track has a sense of romance - even the harsh, sad or rough 
>>ones.
>>Tori's music, or at least the bits that I have heard, seems to not 
>>have that aspect to it.  Not that I don't like it - I find that I 
>>enjoy her music quite a bit.  Her music can be thought provoking and 
>>insightful, and I do enjoy her musical style.  However, I haven't 
>>heard any tracks so far which strike me as romantic in lyric, vocal 
>>or instrumentation.
>
>        I agree. Kate's song's hold a lot of romance and 'light'
>whereas most of Tori's seem dark, cynical.. . Even the saddest of
>Kate's songs keep you wishing for a happy ending, and leave you
>thinking that no matter how bad it seems, it'll all work out in time.
>
>     In some of Tori's songs, on the other hand, there's this this
>underlying 'dark' tone of cynicism and sarcasm. Not in the
>in-your-face way Liz Phair for example lashes out her anger, but
>displayed in different layers.. You're not always quite sure what Tori
>is on about, but there's something strange in the air, and sooner or
>later disaster will strike. 'Precious Things' and 'Professional Widow'
>are good examples of Tori's venting-songs, and there's also something
>not quite safe about 'Caught A Lite Sneeze'.. 
>
>   Even in 'The Wedding List', Kate isn't quite as 'threatening' as
>Tori is on an 'in-the-mood-to-give-the-world-a-good-thrashing'-day.. .
>
> 
>     Kate to me also sounds like a very English artist, whereas Tori
>(especially on BfP with its 'Southern' feel) is very American.
       
Yeah, I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I think the 
biggest difference between Tori and Kate is that Kate is terribly 
positive, while Tori explores negative energies without 
necessarily ending with a positive resolution. Kate, even 
when touching on 'dark' or negative themes, manages to find a 
positive conclusion (TRS is a perfect example). Tori does write 
with a more sarcastic and cynical tone. You could, rather 
crudely, sum it up by saying that Kate's is really "sorted-out" 
and Tori is a bit "screwed-up"(that is to say, she is not 
"sorted-out").
   Partly, I think this reflects their backgrounds. Kate led a 
fairly secluded childhood. She was sheltered from many of the bad 
and negative things in life by her extraordinarily enlightened 
and secure family unit.
   I don't know a lot about Tori's background, but I get the 
impression it wasn't so carefree and secure. Also, Tori has a bit 
of a downer on religion (her father was a minister?)and Kate had 
a pretty liberal catholic upbringing, with New Age philosophy 
thrown in by her brothers. You get the feeling Tori has been 
emotionally scarred by the religious influences of her childhood. 
That comes through in her lyrics and music.
   I must say that personally, I have to really be in the mood to 
listen to Tori, because I find the raw emotional content too much 
sometimes (impressive though the music is). It's a bit like 
having a friend, who you like very much, who is really 
depressive, and keeps phoning you to pour out all their emotional 
hurts. It's fine some of the time, but after a while YOU end up 
feeling like you want to cut your wrists!! One of the reasons I 
and many people turn to Kate's music is for a bit of therapy and 
healing. She's always got something positive to say that will 
make you feel better. I think really Tori and Kate are opposites 
in this, fundamental, respect. 
Mandy XX