NPR MUSIC: The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+
NPR MUSIC: The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+
BY LARA PELLIGRINELLI
176. Victoire, "Cathedral City" (2010)
Named the Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for its 2019-20 season, Missy Mazzoli is arguably the most prominent and critically acclaimed female composer under 40. She belongs to a generation fostered by New Amsterdam Records, who have unapologetically allowed pop influences to shine through in their "serious music." Mazzoli takes that impulse even further, writing and playing keyboards with her chamber-rock quintet Victoire. Their "Cathedral City" laces technicolor dreamscapes through its fluttering heartbeat.