Mary Timony
By Adele Nicholas As the frontwoman of Helium, Mary Timony was recognized as one of the most indomitably creative songwriters of '90s indie rock. Helium was known for its juxtaposition of loud, dirty guitars with Timony's sweet, airy voice and lyrics that covered everything from a prostitute who kills her clients to magical unicorns, always with sarcastic insight and a quirky melodic sensibility. But since Helium went on indefinite hiatus after 1997's The Magic City, we've only heard from Timony twice. Her solo albums, 2000's Mountains and 2002's The Golden Dove, were pretty and whimsical, with delicate instrumentation and unexpected baroque themes woven into her signature lo-fi guitar sound. But in comparison to the dark, noisy pop that characterized Helium, these releases seemed to slip quietly and unabrasively under the radar. Since then, Timony has spent some time in her home base of Boston, recharging her batteries post-Dove tour and recovering from acting as her own manager. Now, with an upcoming tour with Garland of Hours (featuring Brendan Canty of Fugazi and Timony's cellist Amy Domingues), a slew of new material and a new album slated for the coming months, she's poised to retake the scene by storm. What can we expect from the new songs? "They're a lot more rocking and guitar-oriented, a little more poppy and still kind of proggy," Timony says. "There's going to be a lot of guitar playing and experimentation with sound on the new record." Mary Timony plays Schubas (3159 N. Southport, 773/525-2508) February 25 backed by Jeff Goddard of Karate, with Garland of Hours. For more on Mary Timony, pick up the latest issue of UR, on streets now. from URChicago.com |
