Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Randi Russo just keeps growing on me. Every time I listen to her debut album, Solar Bipolar (Olive Juice Music), I notice something new. Like how her songs could be lost Patti Smith recordings from 1976. Or how the fourth track, League of the Brigands, sounds like Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth (that’s a good thing). Or how her guitar playing is sweet when it needs to be, but nasty in all the right places. All she needs is one gig opening for somebody like Cat Power, and her fame is pretty much guaranteed." - The Village Voice
"There's definitely a strong tie to the styles and sounds of the early New York punk scene, Patti Smith poetics driving over underground distortion. Yeah, crazy feedback slide drifting through my cranium. Dirty Lou Reed guitar crunches mixed with early Velvet Underground pop noise, and a touch of more current inspirations spilling out into the melodic rock beauty. Sonic Youth to even a little Pixie curl. Some no wave artsiness slips in to the gutter drawl, like a Jim Carroll dry dream, and it's nice. Still, the Patti Smith vocal style holds strongest, like early days Wave or Radio Ethiopia, and it's like a beautiful artistic tribute more than the act of overt influence. Randi Russo has her own stories to tell, and I'm listening to every word."
- The Big Takeover
"Restoring the spirit of rowdy garage rock to the female singer-songwriting genre, Randi Russo plays a cathartic and therapeutic blend that reads like entries from her journal. Strongly reminiscent of Patti Smith, both in her vocal style and her ability to seemingly lose herself in the moment of a deeply hypnotic groove, Russo is both visceral and haunting, balancing a pained vulnerability with a determined self-confidence. Whether chugging through a gloriously messy rocker ("Dead Citizen"), a psychedelic Jefferson Airplane-ish dirge ("Adored"), or simmering through quickly shifting tempos ("Dress"), Russo and her band maintain a very live and organic sound. Inspired riffs, pounding drums, and her own raw vocals strongly recalling Lou Reed in her phrasing, Russo and her band seem perfectly suited for creating darkly mysterious arrangements. Of course, that's not to imply that chaotic bluster is Russo's only trick, as she is just as capable of turning around and delivering a spooky ethereal ballad, as well. Adding balance to the somewhat harsh mix, dobro, pedal steel and bouzouki are included for an even more enduring effect. On the whole, a smartly realized and savvy release from a talent that promises to deliver more than a few highlights in the future." - Skyscraper Magazine
"An explosion of creativity that oozes with eclectic charm and raw emotions, it grabs you forcefully and pulls you in. When it's all over, you're left wondering what the hell just happened. ...There are a whole lot of balls and artistry packed into the 12 tracks of the disc. The intensity of her sound is something to be heard. Fans of unusual, melodic verse will be able to appreciate the words, the music, and that powerful voice as they all fuse together into Solar Bipolar." - Venus Zine
"RANDI RUSSO is the first of the NYC antifolk triple bill that this night is based on. Armed with only an electric acoustic guitar for company she sets about winning us over with Wonderland, a mournful request for the return of a lost-lover-made-good. That Corpse feeds the previously gentle strumming through a pedal, giving a powerful edge reminiscent of Tanya Donelly... commanding the respect her fantastic songwriting deserves. Then suddenly, midway through Shout Like A Lady, the previously chattering room falls silent and spellbound on every word. Battle On The Periphery and Ceiling Fire then play out to the rapt audience and, almost without warning, Randi Russo has just stolen the show and our hearts as well." - Sounds XP (UK Web Zine)
"With a voice like a young Patti Smith, and this cool left-handed way of playing a right-handed guitar upside down, local singer-songwriter Randi Russo makes the sweetest kind of uncomfortable noise. Her delightfully abrasive debut album, Solar Bipolar, showcases… her own unique sound from what's left of the Velvet Underground's legacy…" - The Village Voice
"Solar Bipolar is her reward and ours. … it's addictive to hear. There's no question that Randi Russo has listened to and absorbed lessons from some of the best, and incorporated them in ways that sound completely new...Solar Bipolar is matchless, a huge gift in a small box." - Splendid E-zine
A tough-minded debut, with lyrical bite and guitar growl in abundance, New York singer/songwriter Randi Russo blends early Patti Smith theatrics with Jefferson Airplane rawness and a chaotic garage rock spirit. As if stepping out of the summer of 1976, Russo's confident and idiosyncratic approach to the rather staid formulas employed by the majority of those who would be considered her contemporaries is a very pleasant detour and ultimately places her in an all too lonely class of songwriters. Capable of channeling a visceral energy without coming off as even slightly contrived, she maneuvers through a variety of roughly cast guitar tones and changing tempos, tempered with the occasional stripped-down ballad. Further, she maintains a confidence and poise throughout that only echoes the fact that her approach is largely at variance with the current talents in her genre. All in all, an impressively balanced and altogether realized work from an artist who comes darn close to finding her own sound on her first release. - All Music Guide
After my need for the earthly elements air-earth-fire-water, comes my need to listen to Randi Russo’s debut release, Solar Bipolar. As the quintessence of beauty, angst, poetry, pop and person, these 12 songs scream, screech and squeal for veneration.
By imagining ‘You’re Living all Over Me’ era Dinosaur Jr. backing up a lou reed/patty smith duet, you have obtained a basic understanding of the album as a whole. However, as the compact disc player’s laser drills deeper towards the center of the disc, Russo reveals more about her person. Warranting a much closer investigation...
Jumbling sonic punk, soothing transience and gritty folk, Russo creates ‘alternating periods of extreme moods’ during the 52 min. introspection. Each song flutters between the sweet sounds of two doves in the throws of passion and the harsh eventuality of vultures picking at their remains simply to survive.
The straight big rock feel of ‘Adored’ and ‘Lucy’s Plan’, the open faced kick drum drone of ‘Wonderland’ , the uncomfortable head bobbing of ‘Possession’, and the acoustic singularity of ‘Sacred Silence’ and ‘We Forget’ highlight the contained diversity which makes Solar Bipolar so addictive.
This album is so well written, so well performed and so well produced that I am not sure who I would be if this album weren’t in my collection.
- Slender Music
"In a music industry still sadly dominated by men & soft porn princesses, we need every gtr (sic) touting, rocking sister we can get. Randi Russo deserves your attention – immediately." - trakMARX.com
Discography
Live at CB's 313 Gallery (EP), Solar Bipolar (LP), Still Standing Still (EP). Clips of songs are available for streaming or downloading at www.randirusso.com (under music).
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Randi Russo is a southpaw who spawns unique and interesting chords by playing her guitar upside-down and backwards. Her velvety singing style is as equally raw and beautiful as her guitar playing is edgy and unusual. Her hypnotic, pulsing guitar riffs take people places, while her honest lyrics bring the listener back home.
Mixing indie rock, New York garage rock, and singer/songwriter sensibilities, Randi has drawn comparisons to fellow New Yorkers Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground, and Sonic Youth for her chaotic and pensive songwriting. Her music is enchantingly dark and driving with great emotional depth. With her band, her sound is notoriously noisy ("nervy rock" as Collected Sounds called it), while her solo performances show a more avant-folky side, drawing comparisons to artists like Cat Power and Smog. As is the mark of the most enduring and adored artists, Randi innately knows how to mix equal parts of toughness and tenderness in her songwriting and performances. The Village Voice has said that, Randi is someone to keep your eye on her fame is pretty much guaranteed.
In December 2001, Olive Juice Music released her debut full-length studio album, Solar Bipolar, from which the song Dead Citizen was added to Australia's KaosFM's Radio Hit Disc with the song hitting #7 on their charts. The record received critical acclaim in select indie magazines, notable online zines and prestigious papers. Later, Solar Bipolar landed a distribution deal through Big Daddy Music.
As a staple performer on the Antifolk scene, Randi released a track on Olive Juice's Antifolk Compilation, Call It What You Want: This Is Antifolk, along with well-known artists such as Daniel Johnstons Hyperjinx Tricycle, Kimya Dawson and Adam Green (of the Moldy Peaches), Jeffrey Lewis, as well as other talented singer-songwriters that represent the top notch artists of this close-knit music community. She has just finished another record which was recorded at Loiter Studios in Brooklyn, N.Y. This new material highlights some of her best work yet, as she effortlessly conveys emotional vulnerability with an unwavering confidence.
Last summer, Randi and her band played the Summerfest in Milwaukee, on a small stage, alongside main stage acts such as Crosby, Stills & Nash and 311. She has toured the US, the UK and France. Her Northwest tour included a live radio appearance (interview and songs) on the Think Tank Show on KAOS FM in Olympia, WA. She will be touring the UK again this July.
Randi is also a visual artist and has had her work printed in various zines and shown in galleries.
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