The Power of Two

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

! IN A FILM STUDIO IN ATLANTA, AMY Ray and Emily Saliers, who make up the folk- rock duo Indigo Girls, stand before a row of skeletons illuminated by flashes of light. The two are shooting a video of their new song Least Complicated; in another scene Saliers lies on her back wearing a white wedding dress and clutching a bouquet of red flowers. What does it all mean? Saliers, who wrote the song, offers a profound interpretation. "It's about repeating patterns in life," she says, "if you wanted to get the basic philosophic message. The video is an illustration of that." Ray's response is a bit less deep. "Well," she says, "to me it really doesn't have a meaning."

The exchange is typical of these two partners, who in many ways are opposites. Ray is tough and outspoken and has a growling, devilish singing voice. Saliers is quiet and reflective, and her vocals are high and angelic. Ray says she's influenced by punk bands like the Sex Pistols; Saliers prefers Joni Mitchell. The two never write songs together, and for weeks at a time they drift apart to their separate circle of friends. But something connects them. The children of professional parents, both are 30, Atlanta natives and graduates of Emory University. They have known each other for 20 years, played together for 12 and put out five studio albums since 1989. Ray explains their alchemy in unromantic terms: "Me solo is too much of me," she says. "Emily solo is too much of Emily."

The just released CD Swamp Ophelia is Indigo Girls' most complex and satisfying album. They started off performing at coffeehouses and on street corners, and their early songs were naked and direct -- just the two of them playing guitar and singing folk music. Swamp Ophelia is more ambitious, with waves of orchestration, African drums, accordions and trumpets; Saliers even plays a long electric-guitar solo. "I think this record is more polarized than our other records," says Ray. "There are more extremes going on. Electric and acoustic. Loud sounds and soft sounds."

Some fans may miss the simplicity of the pair's earlier recordings. But their new, more elaborate songs still have fire, grace and melodies that leap out at the listener. Once again, they sing beautifully braided harmonies with the occasional hint of dissonance, and their lyrics as usual have an eloquent, freewheeling wordiness. "I'm just a mirror of a mirror of myself," Saliers declares on Least Complicated. On This Train Revised, Ray reshapes the classic song This Train into a forceful, impressionistic account of her visit to Washington's U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: "Piss and blood in a railroad car/ 100 people gypsies queers and David's star."

Indigo Girls aren't made-for-video babes. They are not about belly buttons or cleavage or appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman chewing cigars and swearing to get attention, as Madonna did in April. Although their CDs have sold consistently well -- their self-titled debut album went platinum -- both Girls harbor acid feelings about the image-conscious video age. "MTV has hurt music in one sense because people now judge a song by more than just the song," says Ray. But, she concedes, "in the sense of having another art form around -- video -- MTV is probably a good thing. If only they would be more responsible and not just play the same videos over and over again."

Later this year, Ray and Saliers will appear with actress and comic Whoopi Goldberg in the movie Boys on the Side. Goldberg plays a lesbian folk singer who runs into Indigo Girls in a Tucson, Arizona, bar. Together, they all sing a few Indigo Girls songs along with a cover of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. Saliers and Ray enjoyed working with Goldberg ("Technically, her voice is only a little above average," says Ray, "but she's got soul and can really deliver a song"), although they disagree on whether more films are in their future. Says Ray: "I don't have the patience." Says Saliers: "I plan on writing music for movies."

Whatever their differences, Saliers and Ray succeed in the magical process of collaboration, and they intend to stay together for a long time to come. "I can't imagine having separate careers," says Saliers. "My greatest fear is that it'll end." Adds Ray: "My greatest fear is that Emily has a fear that it'll end." A few hours into the shoot for Least Complicated, the Girls are standing around in the darkened studio waiting for the next setup. In the lull, they begin softly to strum their guitars. One tune they play is Mystery, from the new CD. The last words to the song are:

We're standing at opposite poles

Equal partners in a mystery