I've listened to this EP enough times to render an opinion: despite how much we (the collective we) want Lissy Trullie to be the next Lissy Phair / Lissy Ramone / Lissy Hynde, she's not quite there. She's got the style, but not (yet) the substance. Released in 2009, her 6 track EP "Self-Taught Learner" generated a lot of buzz (e.g., reviews in altsounds, Rolling Stone), but ultimately this emperor has clothes, but not fully matured song-writing chops. The neo-punk attitude's there and the production is clean enough not to inhibit mainstream appeal, but I guess there is a reason why the record labels have been riding this first release for the last two years.
The version I have was actually re-released later in 2009 on Downtown Records and features slightly different cover art (and no, that's not Lissy on the cover) and an additional 4 songs: 2 new songs, an unreleased demo, and a phoned in version of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" (with Adam Green). If you have the 6 track version, you're fine -- the 4 new tracks don't add much. None of the 10 songs are really bad, but only a couple really stand out. Here's hoping her song writing improves, she hooks up with a better partner, or does more inspired covers like her version of Hot Chip's "Ready for the Floor".
Standout songs: "Boy Boy", "She Said" (live version), "Ready for the Floor"
Skip 'em songs: none.
Final Score: 5/10. "Lissy Ramone can't take your call now, please leave a message."
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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