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Fragile Animal

by Randi Russo

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    Immediate download of 10-track album in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire. 90% of your purchase goes directly to the artist. ...should make you feel good to know that the artist gets most of the money, while you can download higher quality audio! ...a win-win situation for artist and fan alike!!
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1.
Get Me Over 03:24
Milling about, stuck underground like a rat in a hole When will I get out from under this place that’s keeping me cold? And I wait for it to be over as I stay here and look over my shoulder Get me, get me, over Not safe in this house... it’s a cage, a trap and it leaves me all alone I gotta get out and be around some people I know And I wait for it to be over as I stay here and look over my shoulder Get me, get me, over I’m tethered to time, feeling like I’ve lost my mind To places within, under my skin… So, get me, get me, over
2.
She’s a maker of her own fiction And one day she might realize That the cornerstone of her addictions Are the stories up in her mind She needs to create some trauma To fill up the empty space A mastermind of melodrama It’s her only way of saving face ’Cause without it she’d be boring And no one would care to listen Now she’s just annoying, Yet she’s getting all of the attention Venus stuck on Saturn You know the world’s not Made up of simple patterns To confuse you, mislead or abuse you And she says she knows it’s not that way Yet she ain’t leaving soon… No she ain’t leaving Saturn soon. She’s a little venus on Saturn, A tragic case in stereotypes I know you say you’re a woman, But for sure I know that you’re not my kind So now Freud and Picasso Can hone in on your womanly being And render you two-dimensional In an essay or a canvas painting Venus stuck on Saturn You know the world’s not Made up of simple patterns To confuse you, mislead or abuse you And she says she knows it’s not that way Yet she ain’t leaving soon… No she ain’t leaving Saturn soon.
3.
Alienation 03:12
Don’t have that much left to give I want to be more sensitive But I can’t seem to make the connection I want to feel the unity But I’m afraid of uniting you and me I’m feeling the weight of rejection… Ah, ah… alienation... is my connection. No you can’t hold me; I don’t wanna stick around You and I might wrestle but you can’t pin me down Thought I’d keep in touch with friends but I have trouble making amends And I can’t break the isolation I want to give everyone my all but I can’t when they anticipate my fall I’m feeling the weight of expectation Ah, ah… alienation… is my protection No you can’t hold me; I don’t wanna stick around You and I might wrestle but you can’t pin me down Oh, what would I see if I fell to the ground? ‘Cause all my visions break as soon as I am bound Don’t have that much left to give I want to be more sensitive But I can’t seem to make the connection… Too cautious to speak my mind ‘Cause my truth reveals a world unkind Now I’m dealing with the death of conversation Ah, ah… alienation… is my salvation.
4.
Invisible 03:47
No one is watching what I’m doing So why the need to keep on proving? Enough people show me that I’m not special This wanted need is just a dance with the devil I am, I am invisible Now I feel, I feel invincible Yeah, I am, I am invisible Now I feel, I feel invincible No one understands just what I’ve been saying So why then feel the need to speak? Invisibility was once a prison Now it’s the prism through which I see I am, I am invisible Now I feel, I feel invincible Yeah, I am, I am invisible Now I feel, I feel invincible No one can touch me now No one can bring me down No one can touch me now No one can bring me down
5.
I Am Real 05:15
Something inside me tells me that I’m real And something outside me tells me not to feel How can I find my way back inside? Without getting tangled and mangled in pride? When will they finally see? There’s something inside of me… That often breaks and bleeds, but it always sets me free. Harbor resentment like some stolen child Guarded with fear and been gutted by guile Hopefully no one will try to abuse… Something so fragile and fatefully bruised When will they finally see? There’s something inside of me… That often breaks and bleeds, but it always sets me free. So I am a prisoner even though on the run… Caged by my conscience, my scrupulous son They didn’t believe me when I said you can’t win… They’ll sell you a victory if you’re buying in. When will I finally see? There’s something inside of me …that’s all I ever need, and that’s who I want to be.
6.
Invitation 02:46
Will you come around when I’m down? And will you spend the night if we fight? You know I wrestle with my mind and that might be why… I’d invite you inside If I only knew that you Could handle my mind Sugar, don’t keep your lips tight out of spite I know you think you’re always right but sometimes you are blind… And I’d invite you inside If I only knew that you wouldn’t hide My heart’s bound up in twine I pulled the rope tight And bled through the vine And my veins, before the went dry, They cried a blue river which flooded my eyes. Babe, you know it hurts to desert your dreams I wear failure like a shirt that’s been torn So it seems (sew its seams)… Like I’d invite you inside If I only knew that you Could manage my mind.
7.
Swallow 03:02
Run, on the platform, run The train’s a speeding gun Heading for my head Please take me down Kick me around And make this easy on me So now, I can write my note Leave it inside my coat It contains a dream Note… in a bottle with a boat Was gonna send it out to sea But I sent it down my throat… Swallow every little dream Every protest and scream Every little way out I… I know I’m blessed And I’m better than the rest And being humble only hurt me Yes, I… I know I’m blessed And I’ve been through this test So God let me out …out, out of my mind where I’m so confined and I just want your love. Run, on the platform, run The train’s a speeding gun …And I’ll just let it pass.
8.
Head High 04:40
Last night I had a dream That you were all drones and I was the queen Together we worked and we struck gold But then they sucked the sweetness out of my soul. Keep your head high while you lie low Keep your eye on everything that moves They say they want you But that’s not true – They want you around for the work they won’t do So get in a straight line and make the honey You do all the work while they make the money. Keep your head high while you lie low There’s not many places where you could go So just sit back and plan your next move With that poison stinger, there’s no way you can lose. Keep your head high, while you lie low
9.
Hurt Me Now 04:02
Why have you come to hurt me now? Why have you come to hurt me now? You said you’d never ever sell me out… So why have you come to hurt me now? You said you’d never ever let me go You filled my vision all up with hope Then you watched me fall right into that hole And had your friends treat me like I was a joke I made a mistake when I said that I loved you Oh I can believe in it and still let you go I knew it would kill me when you turned against me Oh but maybe it all was just a friendship for show… A friendship for show. Why have you come to hurt me now? Why have you come to hurt me now? You said you’d never ever sell me out… So why have you come to hurt me now?
10.
You can stay if you want, but I’m feeling restless It’s a game when you taunt me into thinking I’m nothing …nothing without you …but baby, that’s not true. I know just how far to fall, Falling is better than to sit here stalled I’m gonna find another way To get myself closer to that distant day Howl what you want from me, Scream it when you know ‘Cause I know, I know, I know you won’t say what’s on your mind …not at anytime I can feel you thinking of me, I can feel you thinking of me What else can I do, except say ‘I love you’ I feel a change coming on… I’m more free than I ever was As I age and grow strong… I’m more free than I ever was. Say what you will …or you can will what you say That faded thrill sent a chill my way And you don’t really know just who I am No, you don’t seem to want to understand No, you don’t want to see my other side …that dark, twisted heart which was open wide Say what you will… but you can will what you say That faded thrill sent a chill my way Heart’s all empty and I don’t care ‘Cause I can steal yours with my stare And I’m gonna ride that final wave Of excitement to my grave You can say what you will …or you can will what you say That faded thrill sent a chill …up my mind and down my spine You can stay if you want, but I’m feeling restless

about

In line with her previous records (Solar Bipolar and Shout Like a Lady), Randi Russo’s third studio LP embraces the raw and the refined, some punk angst with some of the polished allure of the sensual and melancholic. Already known for "a whole lot of balls and artistry” (Venus Zine), Russo created an album which is even more adventurous. With daring production by Paul Megna (Oxygen Ponies) and Russo, the sound is technically incomparable to Russo’s other records, yet still pays respect to a singer-songwriter and painter who values outsider art and music (speaking of which, she also painted the cover art, created the surreal composite photo on the inside of the packaging, plus did all the drawings found in the liner notes).

Russo and Megna spent months on end recording and crafting this record at Ponyland, part of the Saltmines Collective (former and current home to The Walkmen, Animal Collective, French Kicks, Poison Tree, and more) in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The vision was clear: take Russo’s well-written, literate songs and layer up the sounds to create the sort of psychological landscape that exists in the songwriter’s mind. The result is FRAGILE ANIMAL, which incorporates layers upon layers of guitars, backwards tracks, lush keyboard beds and thick harmonium drones. Raucous, angular lead guitar riffs mingle with some sweet slide guitar, as East meets what is mostly West, at times recalling Berlin Era Bowie.

Russo still flexes those lyrical muscles with her knack for “great outsider anthems” (Lucid Culture). Whether it’s a political song about immigration (“Head High”) or a song about one’s personal war with the world (“Invisible” and “Alienation”), a feeling of empowerment is given to those who live on the fringe. Listen closely to her “honest, provocative lyrics” (The Big Takeover), and you’ll get a sense of what Russo’s sound and vision is all about.

credits

released March 29, 2011

Produced by Paul Megna and Randi Russo

Basic rhythm tracks engineered by Don Piper at Between the Trains Studio; everything else engineered by Paul Megna at Ponyland

Mixed by Gary Maurer at Saltlands Studio, except for tracks 2 & 3, which were mixed by Dave McNair, and track 8, which was mixed by Devin Greenwood and Paul Megna at The Honey Jar

Mastered by Dave McNair (Sterling Sound)

All original art by Randi Russo



*Apologies for expensive international shipping... I found out the hard way that it costs more to ship internationally than the CD!

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Randi Russo Los Angeles, California

Already known for her “honest, provocative lyrics” (The Big Takeover) and her upside-down guitar-playing which is “sweet when it needs to be but nasty in all the right places” (The Village Voice), Randi Russo continues to create songs with equal parts toughness & tenderness. While she often draws comparisons to PJ Harvey, Lou Reed & Patti Smith, Randi definitely has a voice of her own. ... more

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