The Minneapolis outfit known as Poliça has been thrust into the spotlight. Rarely does such a newly formed band find, capture, and generate a sound that jumps into the current music landscape as nicely as Channy Leaneagh and company. Give You the Ghost, their February debut, took the Twin Cities independent music scene by storm and in months since has found nation-wide attention. Praise and recognition from Bon Iver and Jay-Z never hurts.
Built through Midwestern connections and pieces stolen or borrowed from other projects, the quartet immediately clicked. Staffed entirely by Ryan Olson, also the founder of the mega group Gayngs to which Leaneagh belongs, the foursome was carefully selected. Perhaps Olson deserves the credit as prior working knowledge of one another aided the swift development, or perhaps frontwoman and vocalist Channy Leaneagh was bound for stardom regardless of band mates. It would seem that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame is in the first camp. The Grammy winner went as far as calling Poliça “the best band I’ve ever heard.” Having worked with Leaneagh in Gayngs and lent Bon Iver member Mike Noyce to the Poliça track “Lay Your Cards Out,” Vernon certainly has personal investment in the group.
Positive press from Jay-Z is therefore more impressive and a little more difficult to comprehend. Presumably in the second, rapidly growing camp attaching itself to the voice and feel of Channy Leaneagh, the rap mogul premiered “Lay Your Cards Out” on his personal website Life+Times. On the single, like most Poliça tracks, the lead singer’s soft and beautiful voice are not marred by the use of auto-tune but in fact enhanced by it. Emotions still fresh from the breakup of her previous band and relationship are apparent throughout the LP and they hit hard despite the wandering and delicate approach.
Such widespread admiration has been noticed, and is well deserved. Give You the Ghost is one of the best albums of the young year from a band worth paying attention to. Poliça returns to Madison on May 8 at High Noon Saloon.