lambchops's Full Review: Excerpts From a Love Circus by Lisa Germano
In the past five years, I have found myself incredibly under whelmed by the quality of mainstream music. There have of course been exceptions, but as a rule if it has gotten any play on MTV then it will not likely be appealing. This dissatisfaction has led me to alternate sources of inspiration—namely, allmusic.com and the “related artists” area. One unique singer-songwriter I discovered via this means is Lisa Germano.
Germano only struck out with a solo career after touring with folk/pop/rock luminary John Mellencamp. A pianist and violinist, Germano also toured and recorded with Simple Minds and Indigo Girls. Her muse captured, she finally began work on her own music at the tender age of 30. The Indiana-born singer-songwriter-instrumentalist had her own idea about what music was meant to be, and as such her 1991 indie debut On the Way Down From the Moon Palace proved a challenging, dark listening experience. The album awarded her notoriety, and Germano was soon signed to first Capital and then 4AD.
In just over ten years, Germano has managed to churn out six albums despite taking a major hiatus in the late 1990’s and making a conscious decision to tone her life down. Before jumping ship, she managed to become a press darling in 1993/1994 with the back-to-back releases of the excellent Happiness and Geek The Girl. Germano worked in a book store for a while and returned to songwriting as a passion and an art rather than a means by which to monetarily exist. With a relative amount of anonymity, Germano broke her personal promise. She headed back to the studio and only recently recorded and released her sixth album Lullaby For Liquid Pig.
Throughout the years, Germano made a number of friends. Certainly those individuals mentioned above were in part a catalyst for her, but also she has become an honorary Eel (as in my most favorite little band/artist the Eels). This is, of course, the way in which I discovered her music. Germano provided bass on the tour in support of the album Daisies of the Galaxy. When I discovered this tidbit of info, I decided that if she was open-minded enough to work with Mark Everett then her music was worth checking out.
Excerpts From a Love Circus (1996, 4AD) ended up in my collection first not because it is the purported “best” from Germano. Rather, it is because I stumbled upon it staring longingly at me at a used music store. And after wholly enjoying my first outing with her, I can barely fathom how delightful her earlier and apparently better records are.
Classifying Germano’s music is a difficult task. See…it is rather unlike that of other contemporary artists. But with that said, the fact that she is an “honorary Eel” speaks volumes. If Excerpts From a Love Circus is any indication of her other works, then she (like Mark Everett) disregards all common perceptions of music and in turn creates something that is challenging, intelligent, and expressive. This, her fourth outing, is inviting to many listeners—especially fans of expressive female singer-songwriters and creative though accessible alternative. As strange as Germano may seem on the surface, she is a sparkling gem waiting to be unearthed.
I was immediately entranced by Germano from the start of Baby On The Plane. Peppered with quirky instrumentation, strings, and percussion the song soon winds its way around my heart. A cool, melodic selection, Baby On The Plane showcases Germano talents as a violinist and a singer. Her voice is evocative and strange, and when combined with the arrangement the overall effect is something bordering on miraculous. This fact was apparent even upon first listen.
A Beautiful Schizophrenic also starts on an unexpected tangent. Rhythmic, magical drumming and whining violin are broken by Germano’s voice and lyrics. The smartly assembled track is at first difficult, but then becomes incredibly comfortable—most certainly due to the catchy, evocative chorus and Germano’s intoxicating voice. Her lyrical arrangements work with the tune wonderfully.
Continuing on, Bruises is one of my favorite tracks from Excerpts From a Love Circus. An acoustic guitar paired with violin and the occasional drums are the only instruments populating this wonderful track. Mix those elements with Germano’s voice and the effect is something nearing perfection. It is on songs like Bruises that I wonder why it has taken me so long to stumble upon this wonderful artist and her wonderful music. Seriously—it appeals to me on every level from music to tone to instruments to vocals. I most appreciate slightly experimental music blended into already established genres. Germano is creatively free, yet her music comes off as indie/alt pop.
I Love A Snot is similarly satisfying. Using a slight amount of distortion, thicker production, and repetitive lyrics the track is another invigorating aural experience. Germano cuts out all unnecessary elements with Forget It It’s A Mystery. And while it is a lovely track, it doesn’t impress me nearly as much has the preceding four tracks. I also want to love Victoria’s Secret, but something about it seems less risky than the other songs. Germano is a wizard when it comes to creating strange yet inviting music. Victoria’s Secret is in the context of this album a bit too “straight.”
An elegantly simple ditty, Small Hands is what I consider to be pop done right. Germano doesn’t complicate things with unnecessarily heavy-handed production. Nor does she compromise her instincts by overusing the usual guitars and drums. Consider this for a moment: Germano uses a recorder, piano, and flute throughout the song. A recorder folks—yes, that plastic instrument you played when you were in 3rd grade.
While Excerpts From a Love Circus wanes slightly in quality toward the middle, it picks up slightly toward the end. So, if you can stick through those only decent songs you’ll be rewarded with more gems. Germano makes a ballad out of various laments including the words “suck.” Interspersed with those purposefully trite clichés, Germano gives the world these words:
He's happy cause he knows he got away with it
He knows my love runs deeper than my feelings
I can't say, I can't tell him what I think
So pretend what I say
Lovesick is a slightly more mainstream song that many of the others here. The music itself sounds as though it was recorded on a mono system while Germano’s voice pops in stereo surround. Her usual mix of strangeness is mixed with a captivating melody. And then, there is s the fact that the trumpet that backs her voice is a new twist. I like new things. I really like Germano.
The majority of the tracks here are at least decent and often great. Singing to the Birds is not. It is crap. It is a straight ballad with a dreary piano, percussion, and acoustic guitar. Germano is incredibly talented, it just doesn’t show at all here. Messages from Sophia is needless to say a better effort. Incorporating a triangle and accordion into the recording, it possesses a great deal of ambiance. Germano as usual sounds great, but this time around she seems rather blue. A tad bit of sadness is a welcome change to her usually fiendishly chipper tonality.
Big Big World wraps the album up. It isn’t the best offering, but as album closers go it is worthwhile. Excerpts From a Love Circus could have done with a stronger closer, but then again a girl can’t have everything. I do not yet own Happiness or Geek The Girl, but rest assured after this experience they have been added to my to-buy short list.
Germano is an artist that seems unconcerned with album sales. She makes music for herself. She controls her own destiny. Excerpts From a Love Circus is an extension of her soul. It is also a very good and recommended purchase.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Baby On The Plane
2. A Beautiful Schizophrenic
3. Bruises
4. I Love A Snot
5. Forget It It's A Mystery
6. Victoria's Secret
7. Small Heads
8. We Suck
9. Lovesick
10. Singing to the Birds
11. Messages from Sophia
12. Big Big World
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.