Randi
Russo
SOLAR BIPOLAR
Olive Juice records.
New Yorkers have always been the leaders
of the pack in telling dark tales, but none do so with
more sincerity and poignancy than the Patti Smith mixed
with PJ Harvey and a hint of VV Kills on vocals of Randi
Russo, in her NY garage punk and antifolk style. She cynically
and succinctly tells the life story of too many people
in ‘League Of The Brigands’:
'I took all of the pain from youth and I passed it onto
you. You'll probably find a brand new love and do to her
what I did to you, and we'll keep that cycle
of hurt going on.'
Oh, why are the pretty ones always so cynical? The album features a fascinating
narrative song about rebellion from society’s norms ‘Lucy’s
Plan’, which is a snazzy The Clash type tune, which sharp and bouncy guitars
Russo’s raw and crisp vocals tell a compelling story. The popular theme
of lost love gets the Randi treatment in ‘Matchless’, a PJ Harvey
style number in both the darkness and sincerity of the track. ‘So It Must
Be True’ dissects the nature of optimism sharper than Voltaire in ‘Candide’.
In her own inimitable way the nifty New Yorker, with the aid of creeping guitars
and clattering percussion shows there is a darker side to reaching for the stars:
