Search - Lisa Germano :: Happiness / Inconsiderate Bitch

From Out Of Mellencamp's Shadow...

Kendall Bell | Willingboro, NJ USA | 06/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the moment that Lisa Germano made her solo debut with 'On The Way Down From Moon Palace', it was very evident that this was a woman whose stories had to be heard. Among her five domestic releases, 'Happiness' stands as her most urgent and insistent. Originally released on Capitol Records and re-recorded and remixed for 4AD, the latter version stands as the better one. The lead track, 'Bad Attitude' is vintage Germano with lines like 'You wish you were pretty, but you're not, ha ha ha'. Self depreciation is theme of most of Germano's releases, but, it seems to strike to the bone on 'Happiness' from opening to close. The droning beat of the drum machine in 'Sycophant' along with Germano's fiddle and a spooky keyboard backdrop give the song an eery allure, and the parody and humor of 'The Dresses Song' is irresistible. 'Happiness' is not only an incredible album, but a must for fans of singer/songwriters. A gem."

A great album by a unique talent

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 05/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before she started making records, Lisa Germano was known mainly as a former violinist for John Mellencamp. On her albums, she plays moody and usually slow songs where she plays guitar, keyboard, accordian, violin, and mandolin, while singing songs that generally paint her as a helpless loser. But both her songwriting vision and musical style are unique, and she's well worth giving a listen to. This album contains the only actual ROCK songs I've heard by her: "Puppet", "Everyone's Victim", and "Sycophant". "The Darkest Night of All" is a heartwrenching song that was once prominently used on NBC's "Homicide" show. Germano occasionally lightens up briefly, like on "The Dresses Song", about loving a man so much that "You make me want to wear dresses." But "Happiness" is a VERY ironic title for this album. On "Bad Attitude", she pictures the world as a cruel joke played on her ("You wish you were happy but you're not/Ha ha ha"), and that's probably the main theme of the album.(At the time I write this review, several of the sound clips for this album are mixed up. If the track labeled "The Darkest Night of All" isn't a slow song, try #13, labeled "Energy".)"

Greatest (un)popular musician of the past 25 years

Matthew Watters | Vietnam | 02/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 1990s, Lisa Germano released three albums in a row (Happiness, Geek the Girl, Excerpts from a Love Circus) that, lyrically and musically, were at least as strong as the famous first three albums by Elvis Costello in the 1970s, but instead of being lionized, she was largely ignored. Sexism? Antipathy to her darkly humorous world view, or her spooky but gorgeously swirling folk-pop musical confections, or her sickly little-girl voice? Who knows? But genius is genius, and you should take it where you can get it."