Bodies of Water

By Alyssa Voorhis

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It would be so very easy to pigeonhole Los Angeles band Bodies of Water as just another metaphysical, melodramatic, folk and tropicalia influenced punk operatic gospel-pop quartet, but there's more to them than just that. There's also shapeless loungewear (oh yeah) and we'll leave lead vocalist Meredith Metcalf to expound on that.

Is it possible to describe Bodies of Water concisely?

It's kind of hard to wrap up, like when someone's mom asks us what our band sounds like, we always say that there are four of us and we all sing at the same time usually ... there's harmony but it's pretty rocking. I never really know how to explain it, sometimes I'll say, "The Mamas and the Papas meets Black Sabbath," but that's just me projecting my dream.

Bodies of Water used to be called Death of the Unicorn or Unicorn of Death or something involving mythical creatures and mortality. There must be a story there.

When David and I were first married six years ago, we sang songs and recorded them and we thought we'd make a little band. We needed to call it something, so we called it Unicorn of Death. We just thought it was funny, the thought of a unicorn bringing death instead of candy or something. But like most funny names, it got not funny pretty quickly.

Upon listening to your album, I get an overwhelming urge to dance but can only manage to punch the air with my fists and shimmy awkwardly. It feels wrong ... Is there a right way to dance?

No! Not at all. If you ever see us play you can see how I dance and I just look like I'm doing some sort of retarded African dance. Just this body moving in this strange way.

I hear you have a lot of caftans.

I have a huge rack of them at my house. I am little over them right now because I was wearing a caftan for almost every show the last couple of years and I feel like I'm ready for a little bit more action now.

[Bodies of Water with Phosphorescent, Charlene, and Ryan Walsh (of Hallelujah The Hills). Thursday, 11.8.07 at Great Scott. 1222 Comm. Ave., Allston. 9pm/18+/$9 bodiesofwater.net]