Randi Russo
\nFragile Animal
\nHidden Target Recordings\/Olive Juice Music
\nReleased 29 March 2011<\/p>\n
Long before Fragile Animal, Randi Russo released her second album, her first that wasn\u2019t a CDR, the that one she decided to have mastered (Solar Bipolar), unlike most of the Antifolk class at the time.\u00a0\u00a0 Her first release was completely lo-fi, un-mastered, brilliant, and flawed in it\u2019s own way.\u00a0 This second album had been given the professional treatment.\u00a0\u00a0 She handed it to me, hesitant about the way it had been finished, but what an incredible difference the mastering had made.\u00a0 Since then, we have stopped concentrating on the production values and focused on the more important lyrics and melodies, painful, heartfelt, and visceral.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, Paul Magna, Fragile Animal\u2019s producer, promised that this next album of Russo\u2019s would be something special.\u00a0\u00a0 Each of Russo\u2019s previous efforts seemed to perpetuate this quiet, shy, introspective creativity that complements her melodies nicely. Fragile Animal, however, represents a new creative arc for Russo, one that has shot into an entirely different direction that includes the requisite introspection and personal observations, but she has also eliminated the quiet shyness of her previous efforts.\u00a0 The lyrics retain some of that introspective brilliance but also seem more declarative while the melodies have become more fleshed out, braver, more adventurous as a result.<\/p>\n
Listen to the whole album with speakers and listen again with headphones.\u00a0 The subtleties of each track might be lost otherwise, and the whole album is worth returning to with fresh ears, a fresh perspective, and a fresh mind. \u201cGet Me Over\u201d opens the album, building quietly as it soars into a melody of modest but confident musical art, pulling you closer and deeper.\u00a0 With mainstream music, lyrics and melody are generally compromised in favour of the Hit Machine.\u00a0 The creative output from local and unsigned artists is, however, held to a higher standard, especially here.<\/p>\n
Lyrically, \u201cVenus On Saturn\u201d is related to the Velvets, but only through a vague association of song titles.\u00a0 It is more closely related to the \u201cpopular\u201d but prejudiced series of books, Men Are From Mars; Women Are From Venus by John Gray.\u00a0 \u201cVenus On Saturn\u201d is based on the clear and astute observations of Russo, rather than the imaginary and sexist realities of the above popular books.\u00a0 \u201cVenus On Saturn\u201d is not the most pleasant of characters, but the song is spot on, diving deep into the motivations of a character who relies upon the superficialities of daily life to survive and thrive on the exploitation of others, never mind true happiness.<\/p>\n
Fragile Animal even ventures beyond the standard guitar, bass, and drums.\u00a0 With \u201cRestless Raga\u201d a harmonium and a tabla are incorporated, not the requisite instruments usually employed in folk, rock and Antifolk.\u00a0 And seldom does a song elicit such an Eastern melodic vibe while the lyrics remain firmly rooted in immediate Western realities.\u00a0 The Eastern-influenced melody is in not-so-strict counterpoint to the lyrics declaring the personal and romantic age-old dilemma of spiritual growth versus personal happiness in a relationship and what becomes important to both.<\/p>\n
Fragile Animal builds layers upon layers, revealing nuances of flavor that promise more and more at each listen.\u00a0 And though the album does not last forever, being all too short to satisfy her truest and oldest fans, Russo is probably writing more poetry and adjusting the electrical melodies to her ubiquitous upside down red electric for the new tracks of a future and even more ambitious album.<\/p>\n
RadioMike , 16 December 2011<\/p>\n
P.S. That isn\u2019t all she does, however.\u00a0 \u00a0Russo has fine art skills that receive little to no attention from many fans of her music.\u00a0 Music is an art, yes, but most musicians and most artists\u2019 artistry evolves into more than just one medium. Russo is no different.\u00a0 Her older art hints at Edward Gorey, but strangely, he is not an influence.\u00a0Her newer works, currently exhibited in Chicago pending a move to Los Angeles, are more abstract an just as deserving of your attention. Where the music can be sometimes sad, with hope interlaced within, her art hints at wonderfully darker promises to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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