Saudade Sisters ‘Where You Are’

Many will have been shocked by the news last night that Alice Glass of Crystal Castles fame has released a statement detailing years of abuse and rape at the hands of her bandmate Ethan Kath. In an announcement on her website, she claims that the abuse spanned from rape and physical violence, to controlling what she ate, who she spoke to, and diminishing her musical contribution in the public eye. Kath (who replaced Alice after her 2016 departure with singer Edith Frances) has denied these claims, however fans of the band have long noticed tension between the two on stage. I have heard of (and have experienced) domineering personalities within bands; there’s always some dickhead who thinks they are the ‘be all and end all’ of the music and that everyone else is expendable – call me naive, but this is where I thought it stopped. Bands to me have always represented a unique kind of collaborative relationship – even if you hate each other’s guts and chuck instruments at each other in rehearsals (I may be guilty of literally throwing the book at my boyfriend/songwriting partner during a rehearsal – don’t @ me). I just didn’t think this happened in bands (except maybe for Sonny and Cher – but that was the sixties man!) – and I feel stupid for being ignorant to it. Although, none of us can know what really went on between them (unless Glass takes him to court, which I fully hope she does), we can at least take comfort from the fact that more and more women feel able to talk about abuse in light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Change is happening, and it is no longer relegated to Hollywood – hearing these stories will be painful, but ultimately I believe it will be immensely healing, and will enable us to move forward as a society and leave people like Weinstein, Trump, and other power-abusers in the gutter where they belong. I just hope that Alice Glass will go on to have as fruitful a career as Cher now that she has escaped this abusive relationship, and become a glittering, metamorphosing gay icon for all. Anyway, Today’s Track Of The Day is a soothing offering from acoustic folk duo Saudade Sisters called ‘Where You Are‘. With moody guitar riffs, and rich vocal harmonies plucked straight from the Appalachians, it’s impossible not to get lost in the immersive sounds of American indie folk. Enjoy.