Karpel turns Israel on to electro-pop

February 13, 2009 - 9:11 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Israeliness, Music, Pop Culture 

Emily KarpelSince releasing her debut album Nemashim (Freckles) this past summer, singer-songwriter Emily Karpel has been more than preoccupied with the whirlwind that is Israel’s pop machinery, with the disc’s success even raising eyebrows in some unlikely places abroad.

One of the greatest accomplishments of Karpel’s work is the manner in which it has yanked Israeli pop out of complacency. The artist’s ironic-new wave-gogo-girl persona and edgy yet sparse audio aesthetic represent major refreshment in a scene dominated by teenybopper emulators, guitar-folk dinosaurs and club culture postures.

The Jerusalem Post‘s Asi Gal recently had the honor of meeting up with Karpel for coffee in Tel Aviv, and he reported on the experience in his typically casual and wry manner.

So what’s with the synth-happy sound? Karpel explains that she’s not alone:

“It’s not a question of choice,” she says earnestly, “this is simply music that I love and that I want to do. I only do things I believe in. Besides, the music I enjoy the most – Asaf Amdursky, The Ivrit and Marioneta Sol – is played by bands that make a different, more ’80s style electro-pop type sound. And they’re succeeding, aren’t they? Change is in the air – I am only one element of it.”

And what next?

“There will definitely be shows, but right now I’m much more interested in getting back into the studio to record my second album. The first was sort of about a lost kid wanting to grow up. I know the second is going to be more mature, but the pop sound is going to stay.”

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