This is Haale.  She is from New York.  I believe I wrote about her before.  Last year she came to Chicago during the World Music Festival to promote her two powerhouse eps "Paratrooper" and "Morning", and again last March to tour for the full length "No Celling". I missed her during the festival and even to the free performance at Borders on Broadway.  I finally was able to see her play at the Kinetic Playground, on Lawrence in March.  When you see her, get her CD's get her shirt, poster, mug, pen, magnetic sticker.  It's all entirely worth it.  Go broke.   You'll be bragging that you did years to come.  This girl needs to keep writing and performing because....she ain't done yet.  With everything that she has out, I get this feeling like that is not all.  The well is deep and it is evident in every song.  You buy the CD because you want to keep hearing, and preserving.  You go to the concert to experience the fleeting performance, and to see it drift from the recording.  This is not a bad thing with Haale.  "Ay Del", from "Paratrooper" did sound different, but in this fabulous way.  The guitar just took charge.  On the recording the percussion stands out to me.  

  Saying that she sounds like this or that is only temporary.  We'll be saying "this sounds like Haale".  To call her an Iranian PJ Harvey is only one way to describe what comes out of her. Maybe you only heard "Middle of Fire" or "Off Duty Fortune Teller".   It's accurate to me because of her mastery with the guitar just like PJ.  But PJ don't also go off in Persian, sounding  like Dead Can Dance at random moments.  I'm there before you can even finish saying PJ Harvey, but that is not the only way to describe Ms Haale.  Have you listened to "Haste"?  You'll be dancing to it like you have to DCD, early Faith and The Muse.  This is the kind of artist goths look good dancing to.   This is what we need to slow down to after listening to all that ebm.  This is who you include in a set that has Mediaeval Babes, Rhea's Obsession, Cocteau Twins, DCD, Faith and the Muse, Delerium, Hungry Lucy, Mors Syphilitica.   This is not just me name dropping.  I believe that many of these artists as legendary as they are to me, are always in danger of disappearing, surrendering to the day job, or some overwhelming pressure. And so it's necessary to keep invoking them, talking about them because they are the true culture that we seek.

Kaspar-Zig