Theresa Andersson

While the typical solo singer/songwriter works within a standard formula of single instrument plus vocals, Theresa Andersson takes an expanded approach, one that pushes the limits of how much sound a single source can create. The Swedish native-turned-New Orleanian starts with the idea of rough garage-rock, shines it up with pretty vocals and then takes it out of the garage and into another room in the house. Andersson’s music comes from the kitchen, where she sets out all the instrumental fixings—an assortment of drums and a line of various effects pedals, including a loop machine for stacking Andersson’s higher and higher falsetto notes, each richer with vibrato and ’50s Motown-esque flare. The end result is a full platter of diverse noise giving the illusion of a full-band effort, but all cooked by one hand. This might sound somewhat exaggerated, but watch a live video and you’ll see one female making this impressive racket all by herself.