Tiny Concept

I forgot exactly when I saw Tiny Concept or Ms Leticia. I missed most of her show but hell I caught a piece of it at Empty Bottle. Somehow this curious rock minimalist had and continues to hold my attention well after the show, and it's not just her endearing French accent. Her voice had a slight husk to it, almost boyish......almost. Solo artists fascinate me. Their ability to go it alone I find admirable. This time at the Bottle there was almost no crowd for Tiny Concept. Few people to bounce her voice from. I saw her set up and loop each part for her cover of Devo's Mongoloid. I have to say my first impression of the song is from her and not Devo. So that long term relationship with this song I do not have. Devo's Mongoloid is indeed a time capsule, youthful and energetic. The song is a product of its time and yet it stands the test of it. On its own it's timeless. Yet Hers is the first version I hear of the song. I had to look up the original later to see the kind of leap I took. Since there was very little audience it almost felt like I was watching a private jam session. I really like the Tiny Concept cover. She makes it a defiant candle in the dark, with it's own power to haunt. Something to accompany you in deep thought. The archaic early electronic madness of the original Leticia strips down, and reveals the lean muscle it's always had, never lost. The song is longer than the original and you don't even feel it, because she does not slow it down. That original impatient bounce she retains, and in the end makes this song her own. As minimal as Tiny Concept is, she is not slow, and that helps when it's just the one person. I had to buy her CD. You can say that her own songs are minimal, but as a lot of such artists, she does all the instruments herself. The guitar loops and drums. That's fascinating to watch when it's only one person. On CD especially her voice and French accent and even more endearing less than perfect use of English is clear. Tiny Concept grows on me for some reason that I can't fully understand or control.

Zig