Lissy Trullie - "Madeline"

Lissy Trullie at the DeYoung, from the HAD Archive

It's been a while since we'd heard from Lissy Trullie, so we were delighted when we discovered that she has a new record on tap for 2012.  The self titled album, which drops on March 6th, has yet to grace our ears or our inboxes. However, If the lead single "Madeline" (mp3 below) is any indication, it's gonna be a damned good one.

The track manages to channel the spirit of Nico, and set it adrift in layers upon layers of synth textures and  loping beats.  Combine that with the fact that Trullie's vocals are actually a fair bit better than the Velvet's chanteuse, and the fact that the tune has a nice unconventional composition, and well, we're sold.

The sound is a fair bit more mature than Trullie's debut: Gone are the jangly, garagey guitars, and in their place is a far more crafted and well produced record.  The effort is just as polished, but it has more individualism and clarity, and manages to shed a fair degree of the derivative moments of its predecessor. In short, exactly what you'd hope for from a second record.

mp3: Lissy Trullie - Madeline

Lissie Trullie: Record Deal, Video

Lissy Trullie at the DeYoung, from the HAD Archive

You may remember that earlier this year we were pretty stoked on Lissy Trullie's debut EP. Well, now word has come down the wire that Trullie has been signed to Downtown Records, and that the EP will be rereleased with four additional tracks. This is good news all around: not only will Trullie's fantastic EP be more widely available, but new music as well? Tasty.

While we were digging around all this news, we also discovered two videos of Trullie's that we had never seen before. And, for what it's worth, they're both pretty solid. Sure, they're pushing the whole New York/fashion vibe a little heavily, but then again, that's sort of her schtick. What's more, it wouldn't exactly hurt the world if we had a few more folks who were willing to be unabashed rock stars, now would it?

mp3: Lissy Trullie - Ready For The Floor (Hot Chip Cover)

Lissy Trullie Touring With The Virgins, Great American in May

Photo from the HAD Archive

After her distinctly-all-ages show at the DeYoung last month, we're psyched to hear that Lissy Trullie will be back in town for a legitimate rock club show in May. What's more, Trullie will be opening for The Virgins - a band who we've been dying to see live for quite some time. The two will be touring for most of May, with dates primarily sticking to the west coast. In the meantime, Trullie is hitting up South By Southwest, and then heading to Europe for a few solo dates. Us, we'll be listening to her EP one more time. It's tasty.

Lissy Trullie Spring 2009 Dates:
Mar 18 Wichita Showcase @ Red 7 (SXSW) Austin
Mar 19 Schubas Day Party @ Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery (SXSW) Austin
Mar 19 Levi’s/Fader Fort (SXSW) Austin
Mar 21 Anorak London/ Moshi Moshi Day Party @ Lamberts (SXSW) Austin
Mar 26 yOyO @ Notting Hill Arts Club London
Mar 27 Push @ Bar Rumba London
Mar 30 L’Elysee Montmartre Paris
Mar 31 MTV Staying Alive @ Hoxton B&K London
Apr 1 The Social London
Apr 7 Khyber Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 8 Rock n Roll Hotel Washington DC
Apr 9 Union Hall Brooklyn, New York
May 11 Bluebird Theater w/ The Virgins Denver, Colorado
May 12 Kilby Court Gallery w/ The Virgins Salt Lake City, Utah
May 14 Chop Suey w/ The Virgins Seattle, Washington
May 15 Biltmore Cabaret w/ The Virgins Vancouver, British Columbia
May 16 The Wonder Ballroom w/ The Virgins Portland, Oregon
May 18 Harlow’s w/ The Virgins Sacramento, California
May 20 Great American Music Hall w/ The Virgins San Francisco, California
May 21 El Rey Theatre w/ The Virgins Los Angeles, California
May 22 Belly Up Tavern w/ The Virgins Solana Beach, California
May 23 Beauty Bar w/ The Virgins Las Vegas, Nevada
May 26 The Loft w/ The Virgins Dallas, Texas
May 27 Emo’s Alternative Lounge w/ The Virgins Austin, Texas
May 28 Rudyards w/ The Virgins Houston, Texas
May 30 Alabama Music Box w/ The Virgins Mobile, Alabama
Jun 1 The Social w/ The Virgins Orlando, Florida

mp3: Lissy Trullie - Boy Boy
mp3: The Virgins - Rich Girls

Lissy Trullie Played The DeYoung

It may surprise you (but we doubt it) to find that "Friday Nights At The DeYoung" is not the easiest room for a rock band to play. It is , for all intents and purposes, a cocktail hour with culture. People are there to drink, see, and be seen. The room is well lit - it's a mueseum! It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a club or bar. However, last night, despite the interminable background conversation, lengthy bar lines, children running about, and (inexplicably) vacant space between the audience and the stage, Lissy Trullie and her band managed to put on a kick ass rock show.

Given the super-tight arrangements on the record, we were sort of expecting a similar feel in the live setting, and the band didn't fail to disappoint. Trullie held down duties on rhythm guitar, while the band pounded away at the rock solid arrangements that we've grown to love over the last couple of weeks. The band did play a couple of songs not on the EP, and while the compositions were great, we will concede that the band felt a little looser on the newer material. We're guessing it'll firm up with time.

Despite the shortcomings of the venue, the band still managed to rope in the crowd - the tunes were unquestionably catchy and accessible, and by the end of the set Trullie had pulled about 90% of the room over to the stage. In fact, if there was anything that seemed uptight or restricted about the performance, it was Trullie herself. While the musical delivery was impeccable, Trullie's stage presence seemed slightly self conscious, and a bit stiff. Maybe it was the room, or maybe it was just the jitters, but it seemed like the spunk of rock and roll that comes across in her music and in her look just wasn't there in her person.

If you didn't get the gist at this point, we'll lay it out one more time: this just wasn't your typical rock show. The venue was odd, the crowd unusual, and a certain rock "vibe" was conspicuously absent. That being said, Trullie and her crew unquestionably validated our love of their record, and no doubt converted more than a bit of the audience as well. No doubt we're looking forward to the next time she's in town; but we'd be lying if we told you we're not hoping that show is in a club.

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Lissy Trullie: Debut EP, Free Show At The DeYoung Friday Night

We have to admit, we hadn't heard anything of Lissy Trullie until a few weeks back when we received a copy of her debut EP, Self Taught Learner. Suffice it to say, we are now very familiar. The EP has been on steady rotation since it arrived in our mail box, and doesn't show any signs of letting up. Trullie's record is an awesome dose of calculated garage rock that immediately brings to mind the garagey underpinnings of New York's past and present rock scene. Trullie's songs most immediately recall The Strokes, but given that Jules & Co. have borrowed from just about every venerable rock act out there, we're not sure just how much one can be accused of aping their sound.

On top of a solid batch of songs, it's certainly not hurting things that Trullie has solidly established a fair dose of rock and roll swagger. She's apparently a model as well as a musician, and is quickly getting head nods from the press as the heir apparent to Andy Warhol's pop culture legacy. We're not exactly sure about that, but we can tell you that if Trullie's attitude on record and film translates to the live environment, then she's going to do just fine for herself.

So about that live show: In addition to the awesomeness of Trullie's record, the Bay Area's getting an added bonus. Trullie will be participating in the DeYoung's events surrounding their new Warhol Live exhibition - she'll be at tomorrow night's Friday Nights at The DeYoung with her band. The set (from everything we can discern) appears to be free and open to the public. Given that, it doesn't really seem that you can go wrong. If you miss this show, you'll have to head to Austin to catch Trullie at South By Southwest. Put differently: Be there.

mp3: Lissy Trullie - Self Taught Learner