Diamond Life (original) (raw)
DIAMOND LIFE
The singer and songwriter Becky Stark grew up in Maryland and spent her teen-age years training to be a classical singer and performing in musicals. When she was seventeen, Stark’s vocal teacher told her that her rib cage was too small for her to work as a classical singer. Initially undeterred, Stark continued to compete in vocal competitions but eventually abandoned classical singing while attending Brown University. There, she befriended the noisy and open-minded musicians in the bands Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, who inspired her to write songs. After moving to L.A., she and three other musicians formed the band Lavender Diamond, which plays Joe’s Pub March 7. Stark’s music is not at all noisy—her breathy, pitch-perfect singing and calm, delicate arrangements suggest a slightly more posh version of the Carpenters or a less florid Tori Amos. Her words and topics are neither obscure nor figurative: the heart, and love, are the main subjects of the upcoming Lavender Diamond album, “Imagine Our Love,” which will be released soon. Pop, once Stark’s backup plan, is well suited to her clear and deliberate aesthetic.
Sasha Frere-Jones worked at The New Yorker as a staff writer and pop-music critic for ten years, beginning in 2004.
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