Friday Night Beer Pairing: Stella Artois & Ida Maria

Two things immediately come to mind when I hear the name Stella: Marlon Brando’s anguish-filled hollering in “A Streetcar Named Desire;" and, the rough, annoying scrape of paper against your lips when you first put a bottle of Stella Artois up to your mouth. Now, both can be fundamentally abrasive (both literally and metaphorically), but behind the rough edges of each is pure brilliance. I love me some classic Brando, and even though I don't consider myself the biggest Stella fan, I am nonetheless a fan of its inherent qualities. Henceforth, a third thing will come to mind upon the mention of Stella, and that is a Scandinavian power-pop artist named Ida Maria.  Although Ida Maria’s song “Stella” is about a 43-year old hooker and wanting to “give her the world” if she’d just stay with you tonight, I think there are many elements of her sound, style and song themes that fit in with this particular pairing. Her song "Stella" isn’t just about screaming the name of a beer at the top of your lungs, or having a beer oriented theme song to put on at your favorite digital juke joint, but about finding a fitting embodiment of a beer in a song or artist, or vice versa, I'm not quite sure. Ida Maria, like Stella, is of Northern Europe, and although of different ages, they both didn’t break into the "pop" scene until recently. They share that same, distinct rough edges, Stella's being featured in the pointless paper, and Ida Maria's in her raspy, strained, seductive vocals. This is really about grabbing something cold, and putting on something awesome, and the combination of the two successfully makes for a great night... I know because I'm living this recommendation as I write this. If what you are reading sounds enticing, check out Ida Maria's tracks "Oh My God," "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" and, of course "Stella."