Acid Folk review page : Lisa o Piu

demo/Hör Upp!Lisa O Piu' : Cantering' demo (S,2007)*****

Lisa O Lillportan simply means something like ‘Lisa with her portable recorder’. These home recorded songs are accompanied by brilliant and delicate, mostly acoustic guitar playing, brushes of flute, or just once and again a flute arrangement, and just a few touches another time with hand cymbals. They are oh so heartfelt and strong. In various tracks, when singing a different song, her voice colours changes a bit along the way. I will give some possible associations to give a clue with the first three songs. On “Equitorial Change” it gives just a slight early Joanna Newsom feeling but then less bizarre, and with her feelings completely focused into the singing. On “Wendiwan” one could be reminded a bit of Diane Gluck, while on “Waves, whisperers, hunters and sailors”, her voices goes a bit more in the direction of the These Trails singer (a Hawaiian psychfolk collector with a marvellous voice). All tracks have small touches of extra layers in the voice (most comparable to These Trails). The songs are comprehensive and poetic, well arranged to a complete and expressive form, and makes me listen again and again. For me this is a classic, even if this is not even released yet.

Audio & info : http://www.myspace.com/lisaolillportan

Label : http://www.myspace.com/horupp & http://www.horupp.inc.se/

Autumn Ferment Rec.Lisa O Piu -single- (S,2008)*****

When I heard Lisa’s songs back on the net I didn’t immediately remember or realize if these were These Trails songs or another variation I had heard before. Arrangements are done by acoustic guitar pickings, flying-from-root-to-root-bird alike singing evolutions, dual vocals and bits of some additional ‘second voice’ electric guitar (firs track) or flute improvisation (second track). It’s difficult for me to describe those emotionally gifted beauties. These Trails were unique as they showed an essential heart-driven happy feeling from Hawaii, Lisa from Sweden carries something of a voice connected with a heart for nature, human gentleness and its voice, melody and arrangements making with it such wished for conditions. These 2 tracks finally made it on vinyl, a 500 numbered copies single (mine is nr.489 so be quick!). Highly recommended.

Audio & info : http://www.myspace.com/lisaolillportan

& http://www.myspace.com/autumnfermentrecords

Label info : http://www.autumnfermentrecords.com/page4.htm

Side-project : http://www.myspace.com/piiuuuu

MellotronenRoger Wootton & Piu : Cut the air at Mello Club (S/UK,rec.2009,pub.2009)****'

Some attempts have been made to bring the band Comus back together for a concert in Sweden at the Mellotronen label’s club. For practical reasons, only the weird folk lead singer Roger Wootton came over, to perform Comus songs and a new one together with the new promising psychfolk band Piu. Their lead singer Lisa Isaksson was a perfect replacement for the original female voice, and the band has practiced well the difficult violin, flute and other parts.

And to my amazement, this formula worked well. Roger’s voice is tempered slightly as if it does not have the same young weird wide range of vocal madness, the inner feeling is intact, and convinces completely, especially after a second closer and unexpecting listen. Never the less, after comparison with early Comus material, I think that the opener, “Down (like a moviestar)” in the new version sounds even better, more fitting with earliest Comus compared to the mix with harsher percussion on the original second album, and here the song content comes over better as well. This is followed by “Song of Comus”, a song I would never have expected ever to be tried a second time and be a version capable of competing with the original. But with the original singer, a well rehearsed band, and with a slightly different violin arrangement, this is of course still highly enjoyable. A beautiful surprise is the two songs to complete the score, by Lisa & Piu, fitting actually well as a new band, to present songs for the softer side of Comus, revealing and meeting the beautiful voice of Lisa. Great to hear also is a second chance for the Comus band “to reveal itself” with a new song, performed by Piu in the original Comus style, called “Out of the Coma”. The last old Comus track, “The prisoner” is an interesting variation to the original, and has a charming unexpected ending.

A memorable concert. Dedicated to the memory of Michael Piper.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/melloboat

Review of Comus on http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/Comus.html

Subliminal Sounds Lisa O Piu : When this was the future (S,2009)****'

I didn’t have to wait too long before a full release by Lisa O Piu (after a cdr, a single and a cooperation of Piu with Comus’ singer with another full album). The songs are about being conscious in relationships close to natural processes with that touch of magic and romantiscm, facing the differences of one mind and two, or two sources in one, of cycles and processes. Lisa Isaksson has the sweetness of natural magic in her voice, crystal clear and with overdubbed vocal arrangements. Accompanied by acoustic and electrified acoustic guitar, while glockenspiel, flute moods, fiddle and such and some mellotron add dreamy flavours. Progressive music minded Mattias Gustavsson (Life on Earth! / Dungen) has produced the album, leaving his mark by filling some spaces with additional arrangements. A beautiful new addition to the old classics like These Trails, Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Just one remark : despite the result is good, I must say that the producer has thickened the sound of Piu a bit by the progressive ideas. Personally I think Lisa O Piu still sounds best with this open breathing acoustic space, which I hope they will show again better in their next album.

Video : "The Party"

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/lisaolillportan

Label info : http://www.subliminalsounds.se/DOK/Lisaopiu.html

Other review : http://www.normanrecords.com/...

Description : http://www.shinybeast.nl/...

& http://www.greatesthitsmailorder.com/...

Subliminal Sounds Lisa O Piu : Behind The Bend (S,2010)****°

I expressed my hopes that with Piu’s next release they would show more of the unique breathing acoustic space of their music when playing together, which they surely did on this new mini-album. Lisa O Piu’s first full release was arranged with a more progressive mind production but this hid also a bit the group’s creative core and Lisa’s imaginative vocal sweetness. But here is shown again completely the acid folk core without extra settings, with Lisa’s beautiful voice and some vocal arrangements on the lead and on top of subtle harp, cither, acoustic guitar, touches of soft percussion and a few extra brushed arrangements and accents by sitar and mellotron and such. With fresh leaves and water streams of visions in nature and quiet thoughts of sweet moments of the past. “Simplicity” has something of Linda Perhacs, with some moody subtle arrangements by acoustic guitar, harp (?) and, in the last minute, some flute-like instrument (or mellotron ?) and vibraphone (?). On “Child of Trees”, amongst vocals, harp and a glass singing bowl drone, we hear also some real birds in the trees, provoking a beautiful real reality daydream. The last and longest track “Gong for hours” has most of the arrangements, has some calm meditative hanging together sections, starting with a sort of elves’ pagan dance with harp, turning into a part with electric and acoustic guitar and vocal arrangements, a more progressive and full coloured setting, before leaving more space to the acoustic guitar, flute and violin and clarinet and backing vocals, an acoustic chamber-folk setting of improvisation, before turning back to the harp with the actual song, with birds and water in the background as one of the instruments. The piece ends with just the birds and a reverberated gong meditation. An instant classic.

Lisa Isaksson plays harp, flute, glockenspiel, piano and sings lead vocals ; David Svedmyr plays 12-string guitar, mellotron, cither, sitar, recorder & finger cymbals ; Joel Munther plays bass, vocals ; Anders Engqvist plays percussion and clarinet ; Maria Lagerlöf plays flute and vocals ; Mattias Hidemo plays violin and glass.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/lisaolillportan

Label info : http://www.subliminalsounds.se/DOK/Lisaopiu.html