www.americana-uk.com June 2003 Review of Lys Guillorn S/T CD by RB (note: all errors below are as originally printed)   This is a debut release from Connecticut singer-songwriter Lys Guillorn and quite frankly it’s a record that gets under your skin in the same way it will slip under the radar of most genre specific music media. To begin with her voice seems to seamlessly morph - one minute she’s Nico, the next Grace Slick and then Natalie Merchant- and these subtle shifts are also reflected in the songs. It’s a diverse array of 1960’s psychedelia and new wave yet executed with contemporary rather than nostalgic performances. The arrangements, though lo-fi on the surface, have a depth and integrity that many current artists fail to achieve despite their constant strive for a ‘back to basics’ take on song writing. The closest comparisons I can make are to early REM with the atmospheric ‘Counterproductive’ and the haunting, hammond laden ‘In Sleep’ sounding like something off ‘Murmur’ whereas the ghost of Nico/The Velvets hangs heavy over the stark ‘Impossible’ and ‘Who’s Losing You’. Guillorn also demonstrates a lighter touch with stripped down carnival/music box tunes such as ‘Steel Pier’, ‘Throne’ and the children’s lullaby ‘Little Wren’ and yet these retain a sinister air about them due to her detached vocals and sparse instrumentation. ‘Weightless’ shows her shifting gears again as her voice soars over Pink Floyd style swirly guitars before finishing the record off with a passionate cover of Johnny Thunder’s ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory’. Having listened to it again (for about the 8th time) whilst writing this I’ve also scribbled down the names Beth Orton, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Galaxie 500, Michelle Shocked and Johnny Dowd- which reflects the sheer depth and diversity of Guillorn’s craft. It’s also interesting that this record has been sat in the can for 3 years and yet sounds very fresh- in fact, timeless.

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