Lizzy Mercier Descloux – Press Color (ZE Records) 1979. One of my favourite recent acquisitions is this release by French/New York, New Wave/No Wave chanteuse Lizzy Mercier Descloux. The way the story goes, Lizzy was in a relationship with Michel Esteban, who along with Michael Zilkha, formed ZE (Zilkha/Esteban) Records. With guitarist D.J. Barnes, Mercier Descloux formed the performance art duo Rosa Yemen, and recorded an eponymous mini-album for ZE in 1978. The following year, ZE released Press Color. Lizzy was self-taught as both a guitarist and a singer and her music was all the better for it. On Wawa for instance, you will also notice the influence of fellow ZE Recording artist Pat Place, who did the same kind of no wave, atonal guitar playing on the early Contortions releases. Torso Corso shows off Lizzy’s unique singing style and never fails to make me grin when I hear it. The rest of the album is all over the place, from disco rave-ups to spy movie soundtrack themes. It’s a lot of fun. Lizzy would go on to record a few more increasingly world beat albums before succumbing to cancer in the early 1990s.
Hardcore Podcasts
September of 2010 I put together eight Hardcore Podcasts. You can check them out here if you are interested. For more insight into how I came up with the years 78-90 for the First Wave you can read about The Hardcore Superiorty Myth.
I pretty much like anything and everything Ze Records has put out. (Okay… maybe not the one John Cage album they did.)
Such a great, where-the-hell-did-she-come-up-with-that record, and I’d say even Lizzy’s later recs are worth exploring (though the Afrobeat thing wasn’t a good move, imo). I am still kinda in love with this woman.
Mrow – You just really can’t beat such a perfect combo of talent and looks. Its hard not to be in love with her. I woulda bought this LP for the cover alone:
http://www.zerecords.com/release.php?id=6
Mark – Do you like those Cristina records? I’ve tried man, I’ve really tried
Joe- I agree that as a whole they aren’t great but I do like them. Disco Clone (Kevin Kline on background vocals), Drive My Car, Is That All There Is, What’s a Girl To Do – How can you not like those? Remind me never to spin her when you are around.
Oh, her Christmas song, “Things Fall Apart”, is excellent. I’ve wanted Macro to try that song.