For a couple of unassuming, pixie-ish artsy girls, the sisters Casady have created one of the most divisive acts in indie-ish circles. As CocoRosie, Bianca and ("Coco") and Sierra ("Rosie) have since 2003 been creating a peculiar -- in every sense of the world --and otherworldy mish-mash of folk, downtempo, and even dashes of hip-hop.
On the surface, their music is both difficult and soothing, with frequent touches of operatic vocals and weird noises bubbling up to the surface. Live, their shows are even more unpredictable. The Casadys might show up in any kind of strange garb, and play children's speak-and-spell-type toys as though they were legit instruments.
For this, they're hailed as living treasures by the contemporary arts crowd, but equally reviled by a large segment of diehard indie rockers. In sum, to the detractors, they're willfully obscure, privileged artistes able to bum around the world, and have even been called racist for their context-less appropriation of hip-hop.
Their defenders, meanwhile -- among of whom the most vocal are equally hard-to-categorize artists like Antony Hegarty -- often chalk the criticism up to another form of discrimination, misogyny. To CocoRosie's staunch supporters, the Casadys are visionaries, able to create a complete, alternate, delicate universe through sound and performance.
Wherever you fall on the spectrum, there's no denying that any encounter with CocoRosie is unforgettable, especially live. The group has performed in Miami before during Art Basel Miami Beach, but Friday marks its first, full-on headlining show in South Florida, at Revolution. It comes in support of the duo's latest album, Grey Oceans, released on Sub Pop this past May.
Here's a track from that record called "R.I.P. Burn Face." It's a dreamy slice of trip-hop laced with, among other things, AutoTune right alongside those opera vocals. Tickets are still available for the Revolution show.
CocoRosie. 8 p.m. Friday, September 24. Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $25.25; all ages. 954-727-0950; jointherevolution.net
Download: CocoRosie - "R.I.P. Burn Face"
