Lissy Trullie
(Downtown)
Lissy Trullie, the frontwoman of the band by the same name, is all about the
music. Don't ask about her past work as a model. She distances herself from
that label almost as readily as if she slaved at a fast food joint. Now in the
studio working on her next album, the current alt-music "It" girl recently had
her band's EP, Self Taught Learner, expanded and re-released.
The title's an apt description of Trullie's musical career. As a young girl her
enchantment with the music in her dad's R&B, Soul, Surf Rock, Folk and
Motown collection prompted her to play and write. As a teen she discovered the Washington, D.C.,
punk scene working the sounds she liked into her own music. Like her, the
results are fun and beautiful but with a tomboy growl and just a hint of
danger.
"It's like me," Trullie said in a recent interview about her writing process.
"It's messy and disorganized and sometimes ends up like a mess and sometimes
ends up ok." More times than not, it's safe to say, it's much more than ok. You
can hear that on the album's title track. Trullie's surprisingly gravely vocals
growls along as she reflects on her first love. Steady yet stripped-down
percussion and electric guitar propel the punk-style love song.
Trullie's style has been compared to Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or even Patti Smith and Morrissey, but she's actually more a kindred spirit of the punk/rock mixed with (forgive me) pop artists such as The Motels or even Chrissie Hynde. That's especially evident on one of the bonus tracks -- "Boy Boy" - a tune that pumps up the club beat and effects to heighten the punk feel while shifting it ever so slightly into a New Age mood. What's striking about Trullie's music, though, isn't the similarities to other artists but the individuality of her sound. Get ready to hear a lot more from this streetwise, smart mouthed songstress.
Standout Tracks: "Boy Boy," "Self
Taught Learner" NANCY DUNHAM
