Aldous Harding: genius or basket case?

[Luxe Ford 3,481]

I first came across Aldous Harding, a singer sogwriter from New Zealand, when the thumbnail for "The Barrel" peaked my interest on YouTube.

Having suffered from acute electronic wirhdrawal for a minute I realised I like her. The ingenious (or pretentious) way she moves, her weird facial expressions, the way she articulates the words.

So it's basiically all I've listened to all week. Time to branch out! I had heard about her song "Blend", and I also heard about the video.

Alternative folk is something I rarely listen to. Make that never in fact.

Bur when it's packaged this fantatically weird I surrender completely!

What else can you do as a serious singer songwriter than dress up like a stripper cowgirl and stare into the camera with a demented look that have your fingers triggered on making that call...

The girl obviously needs help!

Or maybe it's all calculated down to every minute detail? The facial expressions and body language are both refreshingly original. I would call it mime-like if I didn't hate mime so much.

[Andreu 37,216]

Never heard of her but I like the first song

[Guest]

I would honestly call her neither, simply another very good indie artist. My favourite song of hers is Horizon it is HEAVENLY and I also love Blend and Imagining My Man. The whole EP is very good tbh.

[Luxe Ford 3,481]

The "genuis or basketcase" was more purple prose than stating facts. I just think its refreshing when a folk singer puts that amount of planning on the visual side of things.If she didn't a profundly superficial person as me wouldn't have known about her. I like that there are parts of it (and the lyrics) that I have to really think about and maybe not fully understand.

I don't know how to descibe "art", but if something sets my mind in motion and makes my heart beat a little faster that's as good an explanation as any, right?

Here's what a bit of that Google witchcraft conjured up:

"“The concept is based on that awful scene from 'Apocalypse Now' where the playmates pile out of the helicopter. The costume was handmade for me, it turned out great. It's in the bin. I spent eight hours dancing on a Lazy Susan, it was easy really. Obviously I know what it is... The song itself was written in an AirBnB in Bristol the night before going into the studio.”

I have to let some straight guys watch it, because if I were straight (perish the thought!) I wouldn't know if I would think it's hot or that she ridiculed my masculinity. As a flaming queen I can see past the "come and take me" part in her eyes to the part that clearly screams you'd be safer off staying way off!

I'm probably rambling and over intellectualise things, but it's more fun (for me!) Than going for the dull marketing stuff like "she has really found her USP!"