Randi Russo
Solar Bipolar
© 2002 Randi Russo (628740629628)
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Dark and emotional songs that will haunt and hypnotize you. Eclectic and electric: the album is a mix of garage rock, antifolk, art rock, and post-punk.
tracks
- 1 Dead Citizen
- 2 Adored
- 3 So It Must Be True
- 4 League of the Brigands
- 5 Wonderland
- 6 Lucy's Plan
- 7 Matchless
- 8 Push-Pull
- 9 Sacred Silence
- 10 Dress
- 11 Possession
- 12 We Forget
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notes
Mixing indie rock, New York garage rock, and singer/songwriter sensibilities, Randi Russo has drawn comparisons to fellow New Yorkers Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, and Sonic Youth for her chaotic and pensive songwriting. Her music is enchantingly dark, driving, and hypnotic with great emotional depth. With her band, her sound is notoriously noisy ("nervy rock" as Collected Sounds called it), while her solo performances show a more avant-folky side, drawing comparisons to artists like Cat Power and Smog.
In December 2001, Olive Juice Music released her debut full-length studio album, Solar Bipolar, from which the song Dead Citizen was added to KaosFM's Hit Disc with the song hitting #7 on their charts. The record received critical acclaim in select indie magazines, notable online zines and prestigious papers, such as The Village Voice. As a staple performer on the Antifolk scene, Randi released a raw recording on Olive Juice's Antifolk Compilation, Call It What You Want: This Is Antifolk, along with well-known artists such as Daniel Johnston's Hyperjinx Tricycle, Kimya Dawson and Adam Green (of the Moldy Peaches), Jeffrey Lewis, Major Matt Mason USA, as well as several other talented artists that represent the top notch artists that are part of this close-knit music community. Randi's a southpaw who spawns unique and interesting chords by playing her guitar upside-down and backwards. Her velvety singing style is as equally raw and beautiful as her guitar playing is edgy and unusual. While Randi's hypnotic, pulsing guitar riffs take people places, her honest lyrics bring the listener back home.
reviews
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Fresh sounds - a good debut
author: John Morgan-EvamsI really like this album. There are some great songs on it. Randi Russo has a good way with lyrics. If there are any criticisma, I would sy that there are too many filler songs on the CD; a shorter, better set would have been preferable. But that's the tyranny of the CD. In the old days you could only get 45 mins on an album so quality was better (etc...)
This CD rocks!
author: AlexisI was looking for a CD that rocks, but is also lyrically intelligent at the same time. This CD has got it all, and it's in constant rotation on my CD player. A unique treasure.
- author: Splendid Ezine
"Solar Bipolar" is her reward and ours. … it's addictive to hear. There's no question that Randi Russo has listened to and absorbed lessons from some of the best, and incorporated them in ways that sound completely new and exquisitely familiar. Her "Solar Bipolar" is matchless, a huge gift in a small box.
- author: Venus Zine
An explosion of creativity that oozes with eclectic charm and raw emotions, it grabs you forcefully and pulls you in. When it's all over, you're left wondering what the hell just happened. ...There are a whole lot of balls and artistry packed into the 12 tracks of the disc. The intensity of her sound is something to be heard. Fans of unusual, melodic verse will be able to appreciate the words, the music, and that powerful voice as they all fuse together into Solar Bipolar.
- author: Skyscraper Magazine (issue 11)
Restoring the spirit of rowdy garage rock to the female singer-songwriting genre, Randi Russo plays a cathartic and therapeutic blend that reads like entries from her journal. Strongly reminiscent of Patti Smith, both in her vocal style and her ability to seemingly lose herself in the moment of a deeply hypnotic groove, Russo is both visceral and haunting, balancing a pained vulnerability with a determined self-confidence. Whether chugging through a gloriously messy rocker ("Dead Citizen"), a psychedelic Jefferson Airplane-ish dirge ("Adored"), or simmering through quickly shifting tempos ("Dress"), Russo and her band maintain a very live and organic sound. Inspired riffs, pounding drums, and her own raw vocals strongly recalling Lou Reed in her phrasing, Russo and her band seem perfectly suited for creating darkly mysterious arrangements. Of course, that's not to imply that chaotic bluster is Russo's only trick, as she is just as capable of turning around and delivering a spooky ethereal ballad, as well. Adding balance to the somewhat harsh mix, dobro, pedal steel and bouzouki are included for an even more enduring effect. On the whole, a smartly realized and savvy release from a talent that promises to deliver more than a few highlights in the future.
"Randi Russo has her own stories to tell, and I'm listening to every word."
author: The Big TakeoverThere's definitely a strong tie to the styles and sounds of the early New York punk scene, Patti Smith poetics driving over underground distortion. Yeah, crazy feedback slide drifting through my cranium. Dirty Lou Reed guitar crunches mixed with early Velvet Underground pop noise, and a touch of more current inspirations spilling out into the melodic rock beauty. Sonic Youth to even a little Pixie curl. Some no wave artsiness slips in to the gutter drawl, like a Jim Carroll dry dream, and it's nice. Still, the Patti Smith vocal style holds strongest, like early days Wave or Radio Ethiopia, and it's like a beautiful artistic tribute more than the act of overt influence. Randi Russo has her own stories to tell, and I'm listening to every word.
"...her fame is pretty much guaranteed."
author: The Village VoiceRandi Russo just keeps growing on me. Every time I listen to her debut album, Solar Bipolar (Olive Juice Music), I notice something new. Like how her songs could be lost Patti Smith recordings from 1976. Or how the fourth track, League of the Brigands, sounds like Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth (that’s a good thing). Or how her guitar playing is sweet when it needs to be, but nasty in all the right places. All she needs is one gig opening for somebody like Cat Power, and her fame is pretty much guaranteed.
"...Randi's someone to keep your eye on."
author: The Village Voice