Brody Dalle: NPR Music Field Recordings

Brody Dalle: NPR Music Field Recordings with tags brody dalle, nyc, new york city, npr: music (broadcast content), npr (radio network), recording, live, the distillers (musical group), diploid love, don't mess with me, rat race, panna ii, indian restaurant, dressed in dreams, field recordings, city of angels, coral fang, sing sing death house, drain the blood, music video

Throughout her career, punk icon Brody Dalle has embraced her aggressive side. Best known as the lead singer of The Distillers and Spinnerette, Dalle has a sandpaper- and velvet-tinged voice that speaks to rebellious young punks who are curious about the world yet vulnerable to its sharp edges. "I've never understood why there was such a fuss about aggressive women in music," Dalle says. "To me, aggression is a human instinct. ... I've felt provoked for most of my life, especially as a child. I guess I've carried those feelings into my songs."

So it was a pleasant surprise that Dalle was open to the challenge of crafting a stripped-down version of her song "Dressed in Dreams." An anthem about getting back up when you've been kicked down, the song is personal to Dalle: After overcoming addiction, she almost immediately faced a brutal bout of postpartum depression. "I had a hard time getting myself up and running before I wrote this record," she says. "I felt worthless. I was embarrassed and lost."

Luckily, Dalle was able to use her songwriting as a way to fight back. Earlier this year, she released Diploid Love, her first solo album, and she says she happily embraces her day-to-day life as a working rock mom and wife. As Dalle set up her gear at New York City's Panna II, we noticed the way the chili-pepper strands that covered every surface of the restaurant bathed her in a weirdly fierce yet serene red light. They provide a nice little visual metaphor for the way raging against the darkest points in life can help bring you into the light.

--SAIDAH BLOUNT

CREDITS

Producers: Mito Habe-Evans, Saidah Blount, Jacob Ganz; Videographers: Gabriella Garcia-Pardo, Mito Habe-Evans, Christopher Parks; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Special Thanks: Panna II; Executive Producer: Anya Grundmann