Julie Meckler, for those of us unfamiliar with the name, is a French-born actress turned singer/songwriter who immigrated to the US in 2008 and spent time in Buffalo, Detroit, Portland, and Vancouver before making Chicago her new home. Calling Meckler’s musical style “eclectic” seems to lack the emphasis that it deserves, so in this case I’ll use Julie’s native tongue and refer to it as “éclectique”. There, much better.
After borrowing musicians from a wide array of local bands including Bailiff, Go Long Mule, and Stolen Silver, Meckler and her band spent the last two years creating their debut album, Queenshead. The album manages to string together songs inspired by reggae, folk, blues, orchestral pop, Mariachi, and many more, into a surprisingly cohesive offering.
Queenshead hits all the right notes at all the right times as Meckler’s narrative-driven lyrics lead you through each of the album’s 13 tracks. Standouts include the climactic album opener, “Me and the Waves”, as well as the record’s namesake “Queen’s Head”. “Laissez Moi”, while only a brief French spoken-word piece, is both beautiful and haunting – though I unfortunately have no idea what Meckler is saying.
Released as a “double single” with “All Your Pretty Things”, “Manhattan” is the first Queenshead track to receive the music video treatment. Check out the official video and all of its hypnotizing visuals, above.
The Queenshead record release show kicks off tomorrow night at 8:30 PM with opening performances by Roy Ivy and The Blue Ribbon Glee Club. Doors at the Hideout (1354 W Wabansia Ave) open up at 7:30 PM, and you can either pick up your tickets when you get there or online in advance for $10.