It's a difficult question for me to answer. A great melody is almost impossible to describe. But more than anything else it is the voice. Harriet Wheeler is blessed with a tone that is technically magnificent and emotionally direct. Even better, her voice is pure yet sexy, pleasant yet bracing, distant yet engaging. She has that rare and mysterious ability to bring a song to life, something you will be hard pressed to find on American Idol. She sings clearly but I have no idea what the words are to any Sundays song. I can't get past the voice. On their underrated second album Blind, she inhabits a sub-Cocteau Twins world of chiming and swirling guitars, and manages to match them with her undulating voice. Unlike most pop music, the songs on that album are composed of floating hooks and fleeting moments, and the chorus is often so understated as to go unnoticed.
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