Lissie – Catching a Tiger (Anniversary Edition) (Album)

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Gearing up for a very special summer, Lissie celebrates a decade of her seminal 2010 full-length debut with the expanded ‘Catching A Tiger (Anniversary Edition)’, which is out on June 25th via The Orchard. The ‘Anniversary Edition’ includes five previously unreleased tracks recorded during the original ‘Catching A Tiger’ sessions in 2009 with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Modest Mouse) and Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses). It is now available to pre-order / pre-save here and will be released on all digital platforms, on CD, and as a limited-edition double-LP vinyl with a gatefold sleeve.

While digging through hard drives, the award-winning and acclaimed Illinois-born and Iowa-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist also assembled ‘Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009)’. A collection of nine unheard formative compositions predating her signing to a major label, the album will be released on July 23rd via Cooking Vinyl and is available to pre-order / pre-save here.

Lissie commented, “‘Catching A Tiger’ was the album that gave me a career. In high school, I dreamed of being a professional musician, and I definitely encountered more doubters than believers. During my early twenties, I was living in Hollywood trying to figure out how to support myself. I really admire the younger version of me who faced a lot of setbacks and personal hardships, but never doubted for one second I was going to make this happen in some way, shape, or form. I think about the resilience I had to make that album in the first place. It means a lot to me.”

Lissie has today previewed the ‘Anniversary Edition’ by sharing the unreleased song ‘It’s Not Me’. Listen HERE. Its palm-muted guitar and piano gives way to a sweeping refrain as she details a doomed, yet vibrant romance from the perspective of a lover ready to leave. “It’s a different perspective for me,” Lissie explains. “The narrator is saying, ‘Don’t pin all of your hopes and dreams on me. I’m going to let you down’. It was interesting to write, because I’m trying to understand the point-of-view of a person I encountered who said, ‘I’m not going to be what you need. It’s safer to walk away.”

Lissie originally planned to mark the 10th anniversary of ‘Catching A Tiger’ with a show at the Oslo Opera House early in 2020. However, we all know what happened next. Instead, she pivoted and combed through her catalogue, earmarking unreleased material for the ‘Anniversary Edition’ and preparing a different kind of celebration. She set the stage for the release with ‘Just Because I Can’, which drew critical acclaim from American Songwriter and PAPER who claimed, “This anniversary provides not only an opportunity for fans to reminisce on the folk classics that once defined their listening habits, but also for Lissie to reflect on her own growth as an artist.”

In 2010, Catching A Tiger unassumingly established Lissie as a global voice. Stateside praise was replicated with acclaim in the UK from the BBC, Evening Standard, Uncut and The Independent, who described it as, “As refreshing a slice of pop as these jaded ears have heard in years.” She was nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the Q Awards, and the album eventually sold 300,000 copies worldwide – 100,000 of which were in the UK, resulting in it being certified Gold.

Inspired by the process of bringing the ‘Anniversary Edition’ to life, Lissie dove in even deeper and presented ‘Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009)’.

She adds, “When I was listening back last summer, the songs reminded me of the harder chapters of my young adult life. I wanted there to be a handful of real singer-songwriter – just guitar and vocal -tunes, because that’s how I started. There’s a live song. In terms of subject matter, it’s a nice cross-section of upbeat and introspective. I pared it down to nine tracks and whittled it into a good overview of that era.”

After four albums, multiple EPs, and countless gigs, Lissie still derives the strongest connection from music. She manages to consistently connect, whether on tape, on-screen for David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ and Peter Farrelly’s ‘Loudermilk’, at rallies for Senator Bernie Sanders, or during one of her sold-out shows.

Whether she’s delicately plucking an acoustic melody or summoning a power chord, Lissie’s plainspoken poetry, eloquent songcraft, and bewitching timbre echo every facet of human experience: the wonder, the drama, the sadness, the triumph, the darkness, the light, and the love. And now she continues to make strides forward, telling her story like never before from where it all began.

Tracklist:

1.Record Collector

2.When I’m Alone

3.In Sleep

4.Bully

5.Little Lovin’

6.Stranger

7.Loosen the Knot

8.Cuckoo

9.Everywhere I Go

10.Worried About

11.Look Away

12.Oh Mississippi

13.Just Because I Can

14.I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Anymore

15.A Bird Could Love a Fish

16.It’s Not Me

17.This Much I Know

OVERALL RATING: 4½ stars

Lissie – Thank You To The Flowers (EP)

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American singer songwriter Lissie has revealed a brand new song, a gorgeous cover of ‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’ by Martha Wainwright. The track is taken from her forthcoming Thank You To The Flowers EP, out November 20th on Cooking Vinyl.

Powerful guitars, spatial textures and stark sincerity all come together to create Lissie’s spine-tingling rendition of the Wainwright classic. A devout admirer of its composer, she grips tightly onto the striking rawness and honesty of the original and taps into its soul, allowing it to resonate through her to both convey and treat a deep pain of her own.

“Permitting yourself and others to express anger and defiance through song is such a gift,” divulges Lissie. “Earlier this summer, I was moved to sit down and learn this song. I was working through a breakup but as the months passed, it became so much bigger than my own heartache and betrayal.

“The expletives are necessary for the hugeness of the moment! To rail against those who invalidate our lives, experiences, our emotions and feelings, gaslight and bully us, if only in this moment with my one voice, I will wail and I will howl! And hopefully through expressing the anger, healing can start to crack it all open, letting the fire, shimmer and light move back into the injured spaces. “For you whoever you are…” however and with whomever this song resonates for you, maybe you need this song right now as much as I do!”

‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’ is accompanied by a beautiful video. Lissie explains, “I asked my long time videographer/collaborator Talain to create a video for the song and when I saw his interpretation, it brought even deeper meaning. Watching these breath-taking images of outer space and the Earth, I could hear it being sung from the lips of Mother Earth herself.”

The track is taken from Lissie’s upcoming Thank You To The Flowers EP, a collection of stunning covers written by female artists that she admires. Each song has been recorded as a form of therapy, using her powerful voice to infuse each track with her own emotions to simultaneously lift her spirit and celebrate the women that inspired her to do so.

Also featured are covers of ‘Wrecking Ball’ by Miley Cyrus, ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?’ by Paula Cole, ‘Change’ by Lana Del Ray and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinead O’Connor, all of which have been elegantly reimagined to create an uplifting, liberating and reparative EP.

Speaking about the EP Lissie says, “Along with the rest of the world, I have held a lot of grief in my heart throughout the pandemic, the politics and some personal loss as well. I found that the flowers that I planted in my garden this spring and watched bloom throughout the summer were such a huge source of delight and hope for me. Flowers also conjure the feminine and so it felt appropriate to celebrate these women whose words and melodies have been a safe place for me to rest in, a garden of beauty & resilience. Thank You to the Flowers and thank you to those of you who listen to these songs, take them to heart & feel cracked open and helped by them!”

The EP follows her other popular covers, including ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga, ‘Pursuit Of Happiness’ by Kid Cudi and ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica, which have collectively amassed 57 million streams and counting.

Lissie’s most recent studio album ‘Castles’ became her first UK #10 album upon release, with her previous studio albums all making their way into the top 20. Her debut album ‘Catching A Tiger’ album has now sold over 100,000 copies in the UK, and more than 300,000 worldwide, and Lissie has racked up over 200 million streams across her entire catalogue.

She is also featured on the Fearne Cotton compilation album Happy Place which is released today, with the acoustic version of her original song ‘Surrender To Be Free’.

Tracklist:

1.‘Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole’ – Martha Wainwright

2.‘Wrecking Ball’ – Miley Cyrus

3.‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?’ – Paula Cole

4.‘Change’ – Lana Del Rey

5.‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ – Sinead O’Connor

OVERALL RATING: 3½ stars

Lissie – When I’m Alone The Piano Retrospective (Album)

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Fans of Lissie have always understood there were two distinct sides to her. There was the vibrant and unruly singer who would rev up audiences through her wild energy and emotionalism. And there were the more polished studio productions that employed sound effects and instrumental flourishes to add depth and breadth to her natural talents. No wonder two of her six full-length albums were live recordings as an attempt to bring the power of her as a performer to the album format.

Well, during the past 10 years Lissie’s been there and done that, meaning she’s toured internationally as a headliner, opened for major stars such as Tom Petty, sung with others like Elton John, been a guest on late-night television programs (and had many of her songs placed in popular TV shows), and received ample radio play. Lissie may not be a household name, but she is well-known enough to live the Los Angeles laid back lifestyle and earn a decent living. Except she turned her back on that, sold her home in Ojai and bought 50 acres in the heart of Iowa. Lissie is originally from the Midwest (Rock Island, IL) and in a sense has returned to her roots.

This makes sense in a way, but not really as her early songs were all about getting out of this place and experiencing the world. At age 36 she’s too young to retire. When I’m Alone: The Piano Retrospective (2019) has Lissie looking back. As the album title suggests, she has stripped down the songs to their essence. It’s just her voice and piano.

The record contains nine originals and two covers. The selections of her own songs make a sort of sense as the majority here were released as singles and garnered a certain amount of success, but Lissie overlooked some of her best material like “Cuckoo”, “I Don’t Want to Go to Work”, and “Wild West”. The songs she chose don’t reveal Lissie’s range as an artist. They tend to concern interpersonal relationships more than reflection and coming to terms with the world. Lissie’s best work, live and on record, always conveyed a rebellious spirit and critiqued those who would try and pigeonhole her. This time it seems as if she is compartmentalizing herself into a particular slot.

And her choice of covers, Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and the Dixie Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” make even less sense. Her version of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”, and Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” are among her best-known recordings. She should have covered them here. Presumably, the cuts she picked have some personal meaning to her, but the connections between these songs and her self-penned ones are not clear. I am as unqualified as Charles Schulz’s Lucy van Pelt to offer psychiatric advice, but as a fellow Hawkeye, I think Lissie’s retreat into Iowa may not have been the best thing for her music. As the covers suggest, dreams of loneliness can drive you mad and waiting for someone else to come and set you free is just a fool’s fantasy.

Lissie has a powerful voice and sings in a low register that suggests sincerity. She uses the silence between notes as a method of creating emotive spaces. Her piano playing offers rich commentary that adds weight to her lyrics and how she annunciates her feelings. The intimacy of these recordings has much to offer an observant listener. However, it doesn’t sound like Lissie’s having much fun. The nuances are more sensitive than passionate. Lissie can be a force of nature, but the Lissie here is like putting a lion in a cage and calling it a cat. She should let herself out.

Tracklist:

1.Don’t Give Up On Me
2.Sleepwalking
3.Everywhere I Go
4.Castles
5.When I’m Alone
6.Love Blows
7.Dreams
8.Daughters
9.Best Days
10.Cowboy Take Me Away
11.In Sleep

OVERALL RATING

4½ stars

Lissie – Castles (Album)

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Castles is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie, release on March 23, 2018. Her first new material since 2016’s My Wild West, it is also her first album to be released via independent label Cooking Vinyl. Its lead single, “Boyfriend”, was released on June 20, 2017 to critical acclaim. The album tracklisting and artwork were revealed on December 1 alongside the release of the second single, “Blood & Muscle”. “Best Days” followed as the third single on January 19, 2018, with “Love Blows” serving as the album’s sole promotional single on March 9.

Tracklist:

 1 World Away
2 Crazy Girl
3 Castles
4 Blood & Muscle
5 Best Days
6 Feels Good
7 Boyfriend
8 Somewhere
9 Love Blows
10 What Am I Gonna Do
11 Peace
12 Sand
13 Meet Me In The Mystery

OVERALL RATING

4 stars