The word "auto-tune" usually summons to mind images of over-managed pop stars who can't even sing their own songs without a digital assist. But rising Minnesota quintet Poliça uses this technology to help craft moody, synth-laden, R&B-inflected music that's both chilling and emotionally raw. Frontwoman Channy Leaneagh's voice, which takes on a slinkier, glitchier tone thanks to auto-tuned effects, sounds like a darker female version of Bon Iver (perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise, as the two have collaborated before). As the band continues to tour the country and the world in advance of their sophomore album, Shulamith, Leaneagh caught up with The Week via email to share her favorite songs to listen to while traveling.
1. King Krule, "Easy Easy"
"I like this song in the morning when I'm walking around some rainy overcast European city. King Krule's voice is like vetiver; it grounds your feet to the ground."
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2. Jon Hopkins, "Abandoned Window"
"I first heard this song walking onto the Night + Day festival grounds this past June. It creates a feeling of cinema in reality, and it's gorgeously enveloping and calming. I'll never forget the way it made me feel the first time I heard it, and I seek it out when I need some escape."
3. Marijuana Deathsquads, "GHOSTCOP 2"
"I should say I am on this record, Music Rocks I & II, so it's not completely objective. These are my people from back home. Besides being in my top three favorite recordings that came out in 2013, this song is a good drug of music. It fills you where you are empty and it consoles your irritability and homesickness."
4. Arca, "&&&&&"
"I listen to this when I am 'exercising' on the road. When I want to run fast, forget, and crunch on. It's a beautiful composition and the sounds are like bacteria dancing and electrocuting through blood."
5. Ludovico Einaudi, "Time Lapse"
"This entire record is what I love to listen to most days, road or no road. It's really good for making everything seem much more dramatic, devastating and beautiful. It is classical music and that's always proper."
6. The xx, "Reunion"
"This has been my favorite band to see live on the road this past year, and this is one of my favorite songs they play live."
Shulamith is out on Oct. 22 on Mom + Pop.
(This interview was condensed and edited by Samantha Rollins.)
Listen to Poliça's single, "Chain My Name," below:
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