Liesl's Wet Dress

Panache Magazine
by Ursula Righteous
December 2002

Antonette Goroch doesn’t mess around. In fact, if you said “half-ass” to her she’d probably prick up her ears and tilt her head and be unable to comprehend what language you were speaking. Here’s a Christmas gift for any girl or gay guy that you know who is tired of singing “I will survive”. It’s a modern version of tales of love and the trials of living. The lover has not succumbed to longing, nor to letting themselves get lost in love at all. There is strength all over this CD. In vocals, in lyrics, in musical composition, it’s brilliant. The music is very pictorial, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if someone vied Goroch to use this work for a film. Stylistically it sounds nostalgic, like old jazzy tunes from the 1920’s, yet seems just a tribute occasionally, bringing the listener up-to-date. “Come with me into a story book, a fairy tale told by a babbling brook, filled with laughter and with joy about a glitter girl and her glitter boy,” Goroch sings in ‘Glitter World’. I find it terribly difficult to listen to this CD and do anything but listen. Thanks Goroch and your handful of fantastic musicians, what a gem. - Panache Magazine

Collected Sounds
A Guide to Women in Music
www.collectedsounds.com
February 2003
by Anna Maria Stjarnell

Liesl's Wet Dress are odd. They inhabit a shady world of weird characters. Their music is rock with a tasty psychedelic flavour. Antonette Goroch's vocals are very impressive. The energetic "Over You" is driven by a funky, seductive mood and Antonette's voice. The song has a an interesting exotic sound and some nice tempo changes. "Not a Love Song" is a cheerful heartbreaker that's done in a country style. "The Raven" is part bluegrass, part rock and all original. The lyrics are nightmarish and colorful. The slow "Intoxicating Brew" has Antonette Goroch singing of love with unusual metaphors. "You surround me like a misty fog."she sings. The closing "Ruby" is a Doors-like song of an unusual girl. "Shedding Skin" is an impressive debut that breaks new musical ground. - www.collectedsounds.com

www.agoutimusic.com
Contributor: Joel Edelman
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
February 2003

Liesl's Wet Dress has done it again.
Well, no they haven't. This is their first album. But I can't wait for another one, because when they do, I will likely say:
Liesl's Wet Dress has done it again.
The greatness that is Antonette Goroch leads the way on Shedding Skin, which in case you couldn't tell, is the debut album from Liesl's Wet Dress. And is it ever something.
"Elephant Woman" leads off this nine-track piece of work and makes you think it is time to place a personal ad, just to find someone that you can dance to this song with. Conveniently, the next song is "Over You," which is what you will sing to your dance partner when the night is over. Yep. This album is perfect for those get-them-over-with-and-out-of-here relationships.
So after that's well and done, it is time to confirm the lack of feeling for this new ex. And the next track is accurately called "Not a Love Song." Because obviously this short-lived lust wasn't love.
But he won't take "no" for an answer, will he ladies? There is only one way to take care of this once and for all. Track 4, this is your cue. Oh, it is called "Executioner's Song." Believe you me, that is not a coincidence.
So those opening tracks could have been made into an EP, but that's not Liesl's Wet Dress' style. They are here to showcase their amazing abilities, not to be cute. Really, all the tracks tell great stories. My favorites are "Glitter World" and "Ruby." "Glitter World" is a very distracting song. Every time I tried to work when I heard this song, I had to drop everything and listen to the lyrics. Some stories I just couldn't get into, what with me being part of a generation that has no attention sp-- hey, there's a blue car!
Goroch sounds nothing like Jill Sobule. She isn't supposed to nor is she trying to. But her storytelling ability rivals Sobule's, and that's good news for everyone. - www.agoutimusic.com