Des Ark

Part riot grrrl, part Cat Power, all rock goddess: Philadelphia's Aimée Argote, best known as Des Ark, belongs at Hopscotch. After all, her project got its start in Durham. But this was 11 years ago, before DPAC or most of Durham's current set of venues even opened. It wasn't a chic place to live, not just yet; still Argote's aggressive, take-no-prisoners queercore put down unapologetic roots in a town widely proclaimed as too dangerous to call home. She played some of the first Troika fests, making a splash in the early days of what is now recognized as a valuable music scene. Hell, the title of Des Ark's latest record, the excellent and evolved Don't Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker, could be the battle cry for Durham's activist core.

Argote's lyrics approach gay and feminist issues without trepidation, with music that's a web of intricacy and energy. Though she spent several years touring solo and with minimalist trios and duos, Argote brings a much broader palette to Don't Rock the Boat. She swings wildly between gently devastating folk-isms and uninhibited rock 'n' roll. And she's not scared of post-hardcore angularity, which her new band handles with fantastic dexterity. Consider "Ashley's Song," which starts with a seething, near-whispered tale of rape and trauma. The haunted narrator explodes, withdraws and explodes again atop a dynamic bed of snapping guitar and cascading dums. There's something distinctly orchestral about the enormous rock swells and layered vocals, even as Des Ark descends into seriously dark, personal territory.

"If setting respectful boundaries with lovers and friends and strangers were easy, then I'd be fresh out of song ideas," Argote told Dave Tow of Modern Fix. That fearless, cathartic approach to taboo topics is what makes her music so fascinating and vital. We're glad to have her. —Corbie Hill