| Lisa Germano - Lullaby for Liquid |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | |
| Written by Dan MacIntosh | |
| Tuesday, 15 April 2003 | |
Ineffable/Imusic, 2002 | Performance 8 | Sound 8 | Lisa Germano came to national attention through her association with John Mellencamp, playing violin on both his “Big Daddy” and “Lonesome Jubilee” albums back in the ‘80s. However, her solo work isn’t anything at all like that sort of folksy roots rock. Instead, Germano sings and writes highly personalized songs in a wispy and sad voice, and “Lullaby For Liquid Pig” is more of the artist’s consistently morose nighttime music. This album, according to Germano, chronicles her love affair with the bottle. But it’s certainly not an invitation to party till you puke. Rather, it’s a melancholy personal diary of how alcohol affects the personality – namely Germano’s personality. Germano is pictured on the CD cover in a long white dress, in full levitation mode, with eyes closed. Seemingly, this is to illustrate the dreamlike state drinking can bring upon a person. Naturally, the music here is similarly dreamy, as vocals meld inseparably into the instrumental portions for an overall hazy whole. And speaking of hazy, the back cover is a blurry picture of Germano standing in a doorway. Blurry, by the way, is also another good adjective for the vibe of this album, since songs like “It’s Party Time” (which is really no party at all) feature drunken pedal steel guitar to bring home its point about the utter pointlessness of endless partying. Although this album is largely conceptual, its songs are mostly short and sweet, rarely clocking in at more than about three minutes apiece. It’s as if Germano didn’t want to dwell overly long upon any one particular angle regarding alcoholism. Even though each song acts as a short and concise statement, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish one track from another. In sum, the album is an extended stream of swirling keyboards, muted percussion and nearly whispered vocals. There’s also a tangible sense of resignation in Germano’s voice throughout, even though the album sure could have used more variety of emotions. For example, a touch of anger could have been represented with the injection of a little more beat and volume into the mix, along with perhaps a little amped-up electric guitar. “Lullaby For Liquid Pig” will hardly win any new converts to AA, nor will it grab a slot in any Bud commercials anytime soon. It does, however, stand out as a smart and creative musical reaction to the problems associated with drinking. It also reveals what a brave and focused artist Germano is, and why almost anything she creates these days is well worth a little special attention. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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