the Lisa Marr Experiment

4 a.m.
(Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Lisa Marr played bass and sang for both the cult-status "cuddle-core" trio cub and garage rockers Bu¢k. When she told me she was working on a bluegrass combo, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Her Experiment, or the LMX to hipsters, is less Alison Krauss and more Knitters. And that’s not a bad thing.

Lisa’s been an LA resident for a half-dozen years now, so there’s a vague nod to local legends X and their alter-ego, a little heavier on the cow than the punk. Tracks like "4 a.m." and "Beer and Whisky" have some of that giddy-up and go, while "Two Songs" and "Donna Lee" move along at a more traditional country-swing pace (to say nothing of references to Kentucky). Multi-instrumentalist Mike Flanagan also shares some singing chores to help the gender confusion on the he’s and she’s, him’s and her’s. Saving the best for last, the album closes with two of it better tracks, "Beer and Whisky" and "House of Tolerance." For trainspotters, alt-country It Girl Neko Case played in cub with Lisa many moons ago. I guess that answers the question about what bears do when they hibernate.

Rating: 7

Tim Frommer


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