Can‰’t fit this girl in a box!

Fast Food opens with a very western, sort of galloping sound that makes a listener believe that we‰’re about to go on a tour of the wild, wild west. But fear not (or lament depending on what you like, idk)! Shah, instead, paints a very eclectic portrait of something I‰’m still unable to define.

The electric guitar chords in “Fool‰” paired with a deep, strong female voice are somewhat redolent of Karen O in the Yeah Yeah Yeah‰’s song “Y Control.‰” What‰’s really outstanding and not imitable about Fast Food is Shah‰’s beautiful, subtly raspy voice. She makes you forget you‰’re just listening to another indie rock album. Her vocals really do verge on the brink of masculine (like opposite Youth Lagoon, basically), which makes her music all the more mystifying and captivating.

And just to mention, she‰’s half Pakistani, half Norwegian. LIKE WHAT IS THAT? WHO DOES THAT? Nadine Shah, an original.

RIYL: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (sort of in a few songs), PJ Harvey, Bat for Lashes

Recommended: 1, 2, 6