Lydia Lunch "Video Hysterie: 1978-2006"
By Jen Graney on Jun. 18th, 2008
Lydia Lunch was born in Rochester, and hit the road when she was 16 to launch her music career. The new DVD "Hysterie" offers a sort of timeline of it all (thus far), from Lunch's Teenage Jesus and the Jerks days in the late 70's, to her stint fronting the bands Shotgun Wedding and 8 Eyed Spy.
The most stunning performances on "Hysterie" occur when Lunch is joined on stage by a single musician. The pairing of lone horn, piano, or guitar with Lunch's voice is absolutely riveting - as is Lunch herself. Watch her left hand when she sings or reads her spoken-word material; her rhythm is dead on. Every syllable comes from somewhere deep, and you've no choice but to eat it up, even when what she's saying or singing threatens or frightens. Listen to the conviction in her voice when she asserts, "If there's a devil / no doubt she's a woman," and succumb to the spell she casts when, in the song "Summon," she asks, "Is this how you summon?" before turning an orgasm into an angry, desperate scream.
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life stinks on June 21st, 2008
Finally an actual music review worth reading, this is a refreshing shift from a paper that was publishing articles on the most recent Madonna and Black Crowes albums a few months ago. All to often great performers who either lived or grew up in Rochester are ignored by our local media. This is a much needed step in the right direction, in fact this calls for throwing on my copy of No New York and driving my neighbors mad for the next hour. Now the next step is reviewing the local noise scene, because if No Wave is now being recognized for it's brilliance lets take this a step further to at least acknowledge it's child.