Hailing from the dregs of Oakland, CA is Metal Mother, the dark-wave, avant-pop project of musician Taara Tati. Ionika, the sophomore Metal Mother album, is scheduled for release on the artist’s own Post Primal label on April 16th, 2013.
Tati first drew attention to Metal Mother in 2011 with the debut album Bonfire Diaries, which made a bold display of Tati’s unique use of heavy electronic and tribal drums, obscure arrangements, Celtic-melancholic vocal layering, and dark, analog synth melodies.… Show more The sounds came together in a way that pleased fans of artists such as Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Enya, and Nine Inch Nails.
Bonfire Diaries, and its mesmerizing video for the single “Shake,” went on to receive numerous press accolades, including a “Best of 2011” designation from the San Francisco Bay Guardian which described Tati as “some sort of neon, acid-drenched wood nymph” and “a pop artist in the same vein as Bjork” with “a bold and elemental sound.” BUST simply proclaimed Tati “definitely captivating” while MTV’s Iggy website figured that Tati had “reinvented metal aesthetics for the sake of dark, tribal folk pop.” San Francisco-based glossy SOMA described Bonfire Diaries as “full of beautiful, eerie, unfamiliar sounds,” and Performer Magazine gave Metal Mother its cover.
Now Tati has made good on the promise of her first record with Ionika, a stunning sophomore set. Produced in a studio overlooking a harsh corner of downtown Oakland, California where homelessness and prostitution are rampant, Ionika came to be a mashup of the industrial, the tragic, and the etheric.
“Though that was the world around me, I drew much of my inspiration for Ionika from Druid history and folklore,” says Tati. “This inspiration was reinforced by my recent travels to the UK, literature I've collected, and entertainment like ‘Lord of The Rings’ and ‘Game of Thrones.’” Tati continues, Ionika is the product of an introverted period of time for me, where I was overcome with an obsession to learn about both my Celtic ancestry and the art of music production.”
Not entirely convinced that she would be able to achieve the resonant sound that she had in her head alone, Tati called up Oakland–based producer and composer, David Earl, to work his magic. Together, they spent many a late hour extracting the most fitting sounds to accompany the stories Tati wanted to tell. With a heavy focus on texture and bass, they have created a visceral experience for the listener through the marriage of frequencies, drum arrangements, and lyrical embellishment.
“Ionika differs from Bonfire Diaries in that one of the main intentions of this album is to get energy up when the songs are performed live,” says Tati. “The faster pulse of this album probably reflects my ongoing restlessness. It seems the more I do, the more I want to do. “
Ionika, the sophomore Metal Mother album, is scheduled for release on the artist’s own Post Primal label on April 16th, 2013. The album’s lead track “Mind_off” is streaming now, with the album’s official first single “Prism,” coming in February.
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