Mitski

Mitski Indie Week 2012
Who: Mitski
From: Brooklyn, NY
Performed: 9:35pm, Oct 12 2012, Free Times
*Editor’s note* At a total score of 9/10 Mitski received our highest single show rank during Indie Week.
To sum up this girl’s voice in one word – “Extraordinary!”
Mitski is someone that lovers of good music should watch out for in the coming years.
Pre-show hype: Mitski’s first album LUSH was recorded at a music conservatory in New York City this year. We had a listen and were instantly hooked! Mitski, was one of the few singers/bands that we had never heard about. From the extensive process of sifting through 175 registered bands at Indie Week we chose her, solely based on talent, as a wild card. Choosing Mitski turned out to be the perfect choice!
Crowd: 10 lucky people who got to experience the best performance of the festival.
Style: Joni Mitchell influenced Operatic Folk over top of Classical piano
Technicalities: A little bit of a late start but well worth the wait.
Memorable moment: “If there’s anyone in this room under 13 please leave because this song contains oral sex…or 18 actually.”
Sex appeal: wearing a T-shirt that said “Alcohol, Nicotine, Caffeine” Mitski has a real rock n roll charm about her and a very cute smile to go with her heavenly voice.
Mentionable song: “God’s really simple and love doesn’t burn” – Square
Comments: Mitski had me held captive with her first note. I felt like I was witness to one of the most talented singers out there. However, I would like to see more ‘hooks’ in Mitski’s songs. With the right producer she could be the next Tori Amos
Total rank: 9/10
By: Darrell Shelley
THE SCENE - The Scene Magazine

..With genuine lyrics and droning piano progressions, her music is like an aging racetrack greyhound; graceful, but still kind of sad. Her songs contain pretty innovative chord progressions, taking some of the pressure off the vocals. Not to say her voice isn’t spectacular, because it kind of is. In theory, the music takes after Neil Young. In practice, the music takes after the soundtrack of every Audi commercial you’ve ever seen, possessing a passive, albeit moving melancholy. Her lyrics suggest that she has suffered one too many breakups and disappointments, and prove that the easiest conduit into someone’s soul is to pay to hear songs about her life. Her set was a downer amongst uppers, but was amazing all the same. If I had one critique, it would be that “Momma” Mitski, as the rest of the acts referred to her, needs a band. It might not be the same display of raw talent, but it would fill out the sound and allow her set to fit into most bills. - Allston Pudding

Digging myself out of a stack of music from earlier this year, Mitski’s debut album has proven one of the pleasant surprises. Residing somewhere between the confessional writing of Tori Amos and the off-kilter performance style of Bjork, Lush might be one of the most intimate listens of the year.

Tackling every angle of relationships, Mitski waltzes right into her own identity issues in search of answers. On ‘Wife’, she sings “I cannot bear you a son but I will try/for if I am not yours, what am I” with an openness that borders on uncomfortable. These moments are decorated with a varying landscape of noise from 90s guitar fuzz (‘Brand New City’) to piano-based jazz. Eccentric flourishes of electronics and orchestra work together to keep the listener from getting too comfortable. Judging by her emotional songwriting, Mitski would not want it any other way. – Jason Lent - Sun On The Sand

If you have lived and travelled to the many places Mitski has around this world, you can bet that you would have a lot of stories to tell. Mitski does just that in Musical for with her recent album release Lush. Now residing in The Big Apple, Mitski tells it like it is on this album and as they say the truth will set you free. Free from sugar-coating, Mitski takes you to the depths in her journeys with those whom have entered and exited her life. It is quite the journey as she tells you the reality of it all. FERNTV talks to Mitski about putting her world journey into a lush perspective.

So tell us here on FERNTV how living in different countries around the world has shaped the music you produce today?

I moved to a different country on an average of every year to every other year, and each new place had a completely different set of customs and languages. Different people would handle this differently, and because I lived nomadically while I was growing and learning about the world and myself, I think I learned to connect and communicate by not relying on culture-specific customs to guide me. That is, because each culture has their own ideas about good and bad, right and wrong, polite and improper, I just gave up on looking for answers in my environment and instead turned inward to my instincts, to the core of me. I’m going on and on because I think this is consequently how I’ve come to write and perform music as well; I’ve learned to write instinctually, to truly listen to what my gut is saying instead of what is correct according to music theory or popular opinion. I try to produce every note and every word because it somehow feels “right” deep within me.

What made you decide to move to the US and specifically to New York and describe this time period in your life?

It wasn’t much of a decision. Although I grew up abroad I’m still a U.S. Citizen, meaning I would ultimately have to go back to the U.S. to get a job (because doing otherwise would either mean adopting a new nationality or forever living and working in a country as a foreigner). And getting a job in the U.S. is generally easier with a U.S. University-education. So I came “back” to the U.S. to go to college. It’s all very realistic and not very romantic. As for coming to New York, now that I think of it, I never really thought twice or questioned why it had to be New York. For some reason I just always had it in my head that I would end up living in New York City, so here I am.

While performing in New York, did you tell yourself that this is the place to make it and is the city more open to a style like yours?

What does “making it” mean anymore?
New York, with all the stories and romance and hype around it, is still a city (albeit huge) where people live and work, just like any other city. The two main things that set it apart from the rest is that there are so many different kinds of people and ways of life, and that it is probably the most convenient place in the world when it comes to getting information and gaining exposure on a global scale. So I could say that, yes, it’s a city that’s more open to different styles of music, but I’ve also found that, because there are so many different kinds of music and people, you end up kind of blending in with the crazy technicolored crowd and ultimately evening out to become just average, or not special.
The only way you really “make it” in NYC is by working really hard to become really good at your instrument or your craft, instead of trying to be new or different, because everything and everyone around you is new or different. Novelty is dead in New York City.

So tell us a little bit about this album Lush?

Lush is my very first album – I’d never produced an album before, meaning I’d never asked and organized people to do things for me in order to make ideas in my head audible. I recorded the album using the studios available in my music conservatory, with my musician friends who were passiona - FernTV

2012Candy's Wise Words: Liquid Smooth may be sensual however there is so much more to Mitski's music and this really is only touching the surface of her many talents and directions.

Background: Singer/songwriter Mitski has released the brand new single "Liquid Smooth" from her debut album Lush, available on iTunes and CD Baby. The eclectic singer personifies an oxymoron as she sports a nightgown and a sweet face in a dreamy effect on her album cover, but later sings beautiful poignant lyrics with an unfiltered honesty.

A worldly musician in her own right, Mitski holds many talents including expertise in the piano and the Japanese Taiko drums. She has lived and learned the customs of various cultures while residing in Malaysia, Japan, The Czech Republic, Taiwan, China, Turkey, The Democratic Republic of Congo and ­­­­­­­­­­the U.S. Being such a self-proclaimed nomad, music was the one constant thing that she could rely on to keep her peace-of-mind. Writing and making music with a true meaning and purpose was something Mitski became passionate about after realizing that songs on the radio weren't saying what she wanted to express. Only when someone told Mitski that her voice was a gift did she start developing her music more and sang in school choirs and talent shows. Currently living in the Big Apple and attending a music conservatory, Mitski has performed at local venues such as Vaudeville Park, Freddy's Bar and Backroom and Gallery 51.

Defying the persona of typical pop artists, Mitski stays true to her own experiences and emotions and relays them in somewhat somber yet romantic lyrics. With a unique approach and distinctive sound, the "Liquid Smooth" singer wrote, arranged, produced and performed all songs on the album with a little help from some friends. All nine songs on Lush are endowed with resilient character peeling back layers of Mitski to reveal a soft-hearted, unwavering individual. Subject matters on the album include "the little things in life that break your heart, sex, and how some things you just can't do anything about," Mitski said.

The lead single "Liquid Smooth" is self-explanatory expressing sexuality and the desire to be loved. The alternative singer injects red hot femininity into poetic lyrics and pulsating piano chords. Her soothing voice adds a velvety texture that only compliments her inky instrumentation. Mitski displays her subtle rock-star quality, too on the album. With the electric guitar-ridden, "Brand New City", she sings distorted melodies about moving away from a relationship gone wrong. The album is essentially an unconventional journey through Mitski's diary that critics will either love or hate.

Steadily spreading her music to the masses, Mitski is currently planning to leverage her fan base starting with an East Coast tour this summer. - Beehive Candy

Singer/songwriter Mitski has released the brand new single “Liquid Smooth” from her debut album Lush, available on iTunes and CD Baby. The eclectic singer personifies an oxymoron as she sports a nightgown and a sweet face in a dreamy effect on her album cover, but later sings beautiful poignant lyrics with an unfiltered honesty.

A worldly musician in her own right, Mitski holds many talents including expertise in the piano and the Japanese Taiko drums. She has lived and learned the customs of various cultures while residing in Malaysia, Japan, The Czech Republic, Taiwan, China, Turkey, The Democratic Republic of Congo and ­­­­­­­­­­the U.S. Being such a self-proclaimed nomad, music was the one constant thing that she could rely on to keep her peace-of-mind. Writing and making music with a true meaning and purpose was something Mitski became passionate about after realizing that songs on the radio weren’t saying what she wanted to express. Only when someone told Mitski that her voice was a gift did she start developing her music more and sang in school choirs and talent shows. Currently living in the Big Apple and attending a music conservatory, Mitski has performed at local venues such as Vaudeville Park, Freddy’s Bar and Backroom and Gallery 51.

Defying the persona of typical pop artists, Mitski stays true to her own experiences and emotions and relays them in somewhat somber yet romantic lyrics. With a unique approach and distinctive sound, the “Liquid Smooth” singer wrote, arranged, produced and performed all songs on the album with a little help from some friends. All nine songs on Lush are endowed with resilient character peeling back layers of Mitski to reveal a soft-hearted, unwavering individual. Subject matters on the album include “the little things in life that break your heart, sex, and how some things you just can’t do anything about,” Mitski said.

The lead single “Liquid Smooth” is self-explanatory expressing sexuality and the desire to be loved. The alternative singer injects red hot femininity into poetic lyrics and pulsating piano chords. Her soothing voice adds a velvety texture that only compliments her inky instrumentation. Mitski displays her subtle rock-star quality, too on the album. With the electric guitar-ridden, “Brand New City”, she sings distorted melodies about moving away from a relationship gone wrong. The album is essentially an unconventional journey through Mitski’s diary that critics will either love or hate.

Steadily spreading her music to the masses, Mitski is currently planning to leverage her fan base starting with an East Coast tour this summer. - Nerdy Frames

Deep, rich, and dark, the lyrics of this New-York based songwriter has influences from other artists as Bjork and Jeff Buckley. This song reminds me a lot of Dark Dark Dark and Regina Spektor. - Hip Hop Fox Trot

Mitski’s “Liquid Smooth” finds the singer pulling inspiration equally from Bjork’s free flowing melodies and classic jazz vocalists. It’s hypnotic and sexy, but but still surprisingly modern. - YouAintNoPicasso