Hecuba

Innocent and indulgent, the Hecuba duo makes artsy indie pop that continues in the tradition of the Fiery Furnaces and the Blow. Partners (romantically and musically) Isabelle Albuquerque and Jon Beasley met in Brooklyn in 2003. Beasley was directing a fictional film about alien abduction when a mutual friend suggested that Albuquerque play the starring role as the abductee. After making the movie, the two started making music together and eventually moved in together in the Echo Park section of L.A. Using bass bloops, glitches, and a kitchen sink of instruments, Hecuba concocted an inventive type of music that blended electro, dub, experimental indie pop, and '60s girl groups. Their early live shows varied widely from gig to gig, with a heavy helping of performance art and guest performers. Japanese koto harpist Justin Decenzo, violinist Maryam Blacksher, and bassist Eric Layer generally took the stage next to Albuquerque and Beasley, but at other times the duo incorporated trombonists, soul singers, and laptop beats. After two years of writing songs together and tightening up their live act, they recorded the Sir EP, released in March of 2008.