The album that showed Weyes Blood what rock and roll is
Weyes Blood, also known as Natalie Mering, is one of the most unique artists in contemporary music. Carving out otherworldly chamber pop soundscapes to tell stories of modern dating and sinking ships, Weyes Blood has become a staple in the record collections of indie kids. Mering has also carefully cultivated an impressively specific style through her accompanying visuals and performance.
Weyes Blood is not just Mering’s musical project, it’s a whole world for listeners to lose themselves in. With the announcement of a live show or new release, fans know they’re in for another dose of ethereality and vulnerability, courtesy of Mering. But long before she had honed the all-encompassing artistry of Weyes Blood, the California-born artist found her musical beginnings in far heavier subcultures.
Before she delved into sonic dreamscapes, Mering acted as bassist in an experimental rock group called Jackie-O Motherfucker. She also found herself in the noise scene, contributing keys and vocals to Satanized. It starkly contrasts the sound we now know and love her for, but those alternative beginnings shaped her music taste.
Like many alternative enthusiasts, Mering was a devoted fan of German experimental rockers Can. In fact, she even claimed that their debut record, Monster Movie, demonstrated to her what rock and roll is and should be. In an interview with Tidal, Weyes Blood showed off her cult music taste by selecting five albums that changed her life. Amidst picks by Ween, Lou Reed, and Joni Mitchell, Can’s debut made the list.
Mering recalled how she first discovered Can while she was in her early teens, working at a record store. She already knew Radiohead, but found that everyone around her dismissed them for merely ripping off Can. “Everyone was like, ‘I know Radiohead is cool, but they’re just ripping off Can.’ And then I listened to Can and was like, ‘Oh shit, yeah, they are,’” she recalled.
The singer was particularly taken by Monster Movie, despite its fairly understated legacy compared to the band’s more influential Ege Bamyasi. Still, Mering was never one to be deterred by public opinion.“It’s kind of an unpopular Can record,” she began, “which is funny because I actually loved Monster Movie the best. That was my first exposure to Kraut [rock] and kind of like jamming and bitten lyrics.”
It was Can’s first demonstration of their sprawling, spacey soundtracks. Mering also suggests that it was her “first exposure to the underbelly of what rock and roll is or should sound like,” an experience Can have provided to many music fans. Though she later moved away from experimental rock into dreamier sonic worlds, her wide-spanning love of music has clearly informed her unique sound.
Despite their differences, there’s probably a surprising amount of crossover between Weyes Blood and Can fans, each of them alternative staples in their own right.
