Lizband
Devotion
Sniz Records (2002)
Ever listen to a recording and then listen to it again and again and again ‘cause you dig it so much and then not listen to it for a while and then get blown away by how much you like it once you’ve listened to it again? And then listen again and again, again ‘cause you forgot how much you dug it the last time? That’s how I feel about this latest album from Lizband. I got my hands on devotion, the third recording from these veterans of St. John’s Newfoundland’s always vibrant musical community, back in the Summertime. Every time I list to it (again and again and again) I get this feeling in my stomach, like butterflies or something, and my head starts bopping and my leg shakes like I’ve had too much coffee and not a single smoke in days to steady the twitches. It’s a rocking album – moody in a way, but moody like the bright/dark ever-changing weather of the East Coast rather than like some annoying, unpredictable, disagreeable shit-disturber. Singer Liz Pickguard writes words that ring as true as life. It’s hard to pick out a favourite song and I think that may be why I tend to listen to the album again and again and again, because as soon as it’s over I want to hear the first song again and then the next one and on it goes. Lizband has been around for quite a while (they released their first recording Six Songs in 1994) and though they have a pretty solid fanbase in certain circles, they never seem to get beyond the double-edged glory of the so-called cult following. Hopefully this recording will bring the more widespread recognition they deserve.
