arts and crafts is getting a whole new rep thanks to one iowan and her equally passionate DIY-ers. gone are the days of disgusted sneers and disbelieving scoffs at the idea of spending a night bedazzling sweaters and stitching spandex. thanks to leslie and the lys, crafts are cool and could possibly be mistaken for rock and roll. front woman leslie hall has taken her love of sparkles, spandex and sweaters and translated it into a seriously unique experience. no, that is by no means an overstatement; that truly is the only way to describe leslie and all her glory. i was given the opportunity to see hall and her backup dancers in person a few months ago in madison and words really can't do it justice. everything about the concert has a crafty feel, from her ly-operated pedestal to the american apparel-heavy wardrobe complete with smears of drugstore makeup. that's not really a dis considering that's what transforms the regular iowa-native into her onstage persona. i do appreciate that she sticks to a signature style instead of trying to constantly reinvent herself in some new crafty ways. it's also allowed her to attract some rabid fans, fashioning their own sweaters and lookalike outfits in hopes of winning her approval.
what has all this led to?
being featured on daytrotter, which pretty much solidifies hipster street cred. as one daytrotter commenter put it, ke$ha wishes she was leslie and the lys. While slightly disparaging, it aptly wraps up what leslie is: ridiculously campy, guilty spectacle-pop where image matters equally, if not more, than sound and is best consumed in small doses. yes, it will get on your nerves. yes, it will get stuck in your head. yes, you'll wish you hadn't watched her music videos but you also won't be able to stop yourself from watching it again just to try to understand her craziness. no, you won't be able to explain it or why you have a sudden urge to bust out a glue gun. how else can people explain the appeal of lady gaga et al? just blame the booty.....
No comments:
Post a Comment