San Francisco musician Rykarda Parasol describes her music as rock noir, a sound that evokes film noir mixed with such heavies as the Velvet Underground, Nico, and Leonard Cohen. Younger folks might draw Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Mark Lanegan comparisons, as Parasol employs a similarly low vocal range to deliver her torrid tales, but she creates her own otherworldly atmosphere by accompanying herself on guitar and piano. On “My Spirit Lives in Shadows,” Parasol lets some vulnerability show, sounding like the lesbian love child of Chrissie Hynde and Diamanda Galas, sans operatic screaming, while still keeping her identity intact. Rykarda Parasol looks and sounds like a mysterious, dangerous seductress smoking a cigarette and waiting for you in the dark shadows that exist somewhere among love, death, and rock ‘n’ roll. [Michael Levine] For a free MP3, click here.  Photo by Sarah Morrison

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