Hello CocoRosie. What is it, exactly, that you do?

Bianca: I think it's just as hard for us to describe what we do as it is for any objective listener. If it's hard for you then it's impossible for us. We approach music cinematically, if that makes sense. Not just creating a song but, when we record, creating an actual environment for the song itself. There's a very distinct visual image for us of where the song is taking place. Part of our approach to making music is to include all the information for the imagination to suggest what time it is, what the weather is like... even if it's culturally incongruent in the time, like it's blending different genres but creating a new kind of atmosphere or new world; an exact moment in time that perhaps doesn't really exist.

Sierra: We don't tend to think of ourselves in terms of categories or labels or definitions or even in relation to other musicians or types of music. I can't trace any direct inspiration that we've had from other musicians.

Are you a group or is this art?

Bianca: I guess we call ourselves a group but it always sounds kind of corny. We just feel like artists who've stumbled into this music thing. We're really just approaching it as artists and we're pretty naïve and uneducated about music in general.

Are you comfortable in the modern world?

Bianca: We feel very modern in a lot of ways but still have apprehensions to the presence of modern objects. Like when we're making art, I can't have my cell phone in my peripheral vision. For some reason it distracts me from the space I need to enter. Somehow it inhibits my sense of romance. But I do feel like the writing and qualities of the music that have references to techno or hip hop are very of the moment, and we're not trying to recreate something of the past.

Sierra: We connect to the myths of our imaginary heritage or of our past lives. Maybe you might find that in the operatic moments of the album, or where we have this almost Arabic chanting feeling. I have moments where I relate with both sides.

Bianca: Maybe it's a very modern thing to combine all those things; the fact that in this time we have access to so many cultures and so much information that it's resulting in this eclectic marriage of things from different times and places.

Which animals would go in your ark?

Bianca: We're into these sort of mixes, sort of hermaphrodite, unicorn, mixes of animals. Zebras and giraffes. These are very sensitive creatures that are kind of magical! We really enjoy the baby lambs in the British countryside. Those little black lambs stretching out, doing the salutation to the sun. Yoga in the countryside! We love the English countryside because we get to see so many little animals.

Sierra: Bunnies, lambs... yeah! I like the sound of clams on the bottom of the sea, chatting to one another. I go underwater all the time. Underwater is my favourite place to be. I go around totally checking it out.

And, you know what? We believe her.

Now watch this...
Wow!

CocoRosie – ‘Hairnet Paradise’
Exclusive live performance!
Hi / Lo