Customer Reviews

Liliput/ Kleenex

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great two-CD collection of Liliput's various incarnations, covering a period from 1978-83, and remains vibrant and punchy all these years later. There are so many good riffs and licks on these albums, and fantastic rhythms, that would-be punksters would do well to listen to this music and pick up some bits. I enjoy their attitude and spritely shrieking; I find I like the assorted yelps, squeaks, grunts, and growls that are peppered through the songs, because they are so well-placed within them, and become integral parts of the songs.

I favor the 65-minute first CD more than the second; it's more bare-bones low-fi grrlpunk, and has track after listenable track. My favorites include "Nighttoad", "Krimi", and "Eisiger Wind" (a truly awesome musical whirlwind). But I also enjoyed tracks like "Ain't you", "Nice" (VERY catchy Deutschepop), "You", "DC-10" (with a gutsy sax part) -- on and on. Very few tracks on CD1 disappoint. I love Marlene Marder's earthy, husky vocals on the early tracks, just oozing bravado; Chrigle Freund is a bit squeaky, but she grew on me; it's part of her charm.

CD2 is longer (71:56 minutes) more New Wavey, artsy, keyboard-and-sax driven, and even maybe a little punk-jazzy (calls to mind a little of the Minutemen). CD2 reflects changes in the band from their earlier stuff. Astrid Spirit picks up the vocals later in this, with a ghostly, high-pitched voice that is well-suited to the material. "Birdy" has this nifty, percussive scratchy violin bit that frames the song and is picked up by the rhythm section. My favorite tracks on CD2 are "Tschik-mo" (a broody, surreal number), "Might is Right" (a sorta psychedelic nightclub kinda piece with a sinister flute), "Ichor" (menacing, mysterious, with dissonant violin riffs again and woodwinds), and "an iron lock somewhere."

Ounce for ounce, I found more songs on the ballsier CD1 enjoyable, but there's enough good stuff on the broodier CD2 to make the whole package well-worth your time. Also, there is excellent material on the band in the sleeve, with comments, history, and the manifold lineups.

This music has aged wonderfully (it doesn't sound at all dated, and when you think of how long ago they did it, it's even more amazing), and is an inspiration (or should be) for guy and grrl musicians everywhere. An alternative to "Alternative" as is packaged today. Thanks heaps to Kill Rock Stars for putting this one together.

Most of this material was originally issued on Rough Trade in the 1978-1982 period, and had been out of print previously for years.

A few fast facts: 1. The band is known as both Liliput and Kleenex (they started out as Kleenex, but threats of a legal battle with the manufacturer of the tissue product resulted in the official name change to Liliput). 2. They are from Switzerland and many of the songs are in English or German or a bit of both. 3. The band went through many line up changes, but the music remained consistently great.

The music is not easy to explain. Think post-punk, with vocal effects and interplay (where the language was a barrier) that actually transcends language, almost creating a new instrument in itself! The earlier material is more punk, loud, while the later material is more complex, haunting.

These are my favorite songs in the entire world (sigh). Personal favorite is EISIGER WIND, with it's perfect guitar chords, almost funny chorus of "woo woo" and hand claps, but every song is good (honest).

Fans of the DELTA 5, THE SLITS and THE RAINCOATS will not be disappointed. ALso, fans of SLEATER-KINNEY should check this out as an early influence!

In some ways it's unfair of me to say that any fan of the Raincoats must have this album, since there are a lot of differences between the two bands. However, it's still tempting to argue that LiLiPUT and the Raincoats had more in common than "just" (as though this were a minor thing) creating a female version of punk aggression. What they also share is a late-70s, raw musical minimalism that grew into early-80s, highly experimental, eclectic, melodic, and almost weirdly psychedelic version of punk. I would say however that while the Raincoats were somewhat more successful writers of punk songs in their early years, the stuff that LiLiPUT accomplished in 1981-83 is in many ways superior to late Raincoats. Therefore, somebody who loves the Raincoats first album, but is left cold by their second and third, will perhaps not like LiLiPUT. But fans of the Raincoats later work will be totally stunned by later LiLiPUT songs like BLUE IS ALL IN A RUSH and ETOILE. Anybody who thinks that piano, sax, bongos, and random warbling noises have no place in punk needs to stay away from this band. For those who appreciate the aesthetic broadness that has defined punk since it supposedly died in 1978, definitely get it.

Just when I had given up hope that this music would EVER become available, Kill Rock Stars to the rescue. Having read about Liliput for years, having heard only a single song ('Die Matrosen', still a favorite, included on the 'Totally Wired' compilation from Razor&Tie), all the recordings of this legendary band are available here and at a (almost unnecessarily) generous price for 2 jam-packed discs. Suffice it to say that it manages to totally live up to all my expectations. In every song you hear the band inventing their music from the ground up and just letting it take them where it will, in the truest punk rock fashion. Anyone who understands a little German will appreciate the band's sense of humor even more, but it comes through in their assaults on English grammar too ("Are you want to get it on?") and their gleeful recourse to sheer nonsense. An essential chapter in the book on punk - don't miss out on it.

The new wave period that was concomitant with punk and largely outlived it was one of the richest, freest and most anarchic in the recent history of popular music culture. Along with the Slits, the Swiss-based girl band Kleenex were living proof that music was about creativity and originality more than it was about musicianship. The level of craft in early Kleenex was rudimentary at best, yet the explosion of noise they made was joyous.
Before being forced to change their name, Kleenex completed 10 tracks, four of which are released here for the first time. Their first UK single in 1978 was the exuberant Ain't You, which was backed by the equally eccentric Hedi's Head. Their grasp of English was less than perfect but they chose to sing in the language for that very reason - hoping that the unintentional meanings and juxtapositions thrown up in the process would create new subtexts and approaches, and express additional freedoms. Often their lyrics would be augmented liberally by squawks and squeaks (a rodent motif runs through their work) and indeed Hedi's Head has not so much a lyric as a series of chord changes in German notation (H/E/Dis H/E/A/D). Rough Trade brought them over to London to record their second single, the classic You/Ü.
Slightly after this point their singer Regula Sing left to join the Mo-Dettes (of White Mice fame) and was replaced by Chrigle Freund. Saxophonist Angie Barrack also joined briefly and following the unwelcome interest of a certain paper tissue manufacturer, they decided a change of name might be in order and became LiLiPUT. This line-up delivered the almighty 1980 single Split/Die Matrosen, augmented here by two unreleased tracks from the session, Hitch-hike and DC-10. A radio concert for Schweitzer Radio DRS, recorded at the Gaskessel in Biel, gives a unique opportunity to hear what they sounded like out of the studio. By 1981 they were down to a three-piece of Chrigle (now doubling on drums with the loss of Lislot Ha) and founders Marlene Marder and Klau Schiff on guitar and bass. This line up produced Eisiger Wind, possibly their most fully realized recording, and its bizarre flip, When The Cat's Away (The Mice Will Play) with accordion accompaniment, but led to the departure of Chrigle. Disc one ends with three previously unheard recordings with new singer and violinist Astrid Spirit and the temporary recruitment of two guys on sax and drums. It was particularly good to hear the unreleased material on this most essential first disc after all these years.
The second disc contains their debut LP, Liliput, from 1982, and their second and final album Some Songs, from 1983. Sandwiched in between is their final single You Did It/The Jatz. It shows the band somewhat overstretched here and there and as they became musically more proficient the trade-off of primal energy didn't always work to their advantage, though as they moved more into Raincoats/Essential Logic territory there are several highpoints such as A Silver Key Can Open An Iron Lock Somewhere.
When they disbanded in 1984, Marlene formed a band called Danger Mice. Klau became the respected artist Klaudia Schifferle. I wonder if she paints mice at all?

Kleenex/LiLiPUT has been a favorite band of mine since I first heard "Ain't You" in 1978, but I lost track of them after 1980's Split/Die Matrosen. This CD compilation fills in all the gaps. It is a joy from start to finish. CD 1 contains all the old favorites and some less familiar songs. It's all spare, quirky, driving post-punk fun and will likely be the favorite of people who remember them from that time. CD 2 is a revelation and is fast becoming my favorite part of the album. LiLiPUT's later songs have them exploring no-wave and funk territory that sounds so New York. I had no idea. At turns they resemble the Velvet Underground meets DNA, the Bush Tetras meet the Contortions, Y-Pants meets Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. But always they are uniquely LiLiPUT. Their music still sounds fresh 25 years later. I am more a fan than ever. These two discs are essential for post-punk fans.

No matter how you look at it, one of the singers/eras of the band is going to be your favorite, and for me it is the Chirgle Freund where they were still kind of a punk band but reaching beyond that. This is the kind of band that if you played it at a party, half the people in the room would turn around and say "What in the world are we listening to?" And that's great.

My favorite tracks are "Nighttoad", "Hitch-Hike", and "Eisiger Wind" which are all pure fun. While you may not like every song on here equally, this band is amazingly creative and excellent. Be glad you heard of the band and get their cd soon. Essential.

Finally! When I heard this 2-disc album was being re-released, I thought it was very appropriate that this label in particular would put it back out. Kleenex/LiLiPUT is one of those groups that makes fun songs to listen to. Put on this CD and you'll want to sing along to it everytime. Oh yes, and the songs "Ain't You" and "Boatsong" are among my favorites. The whole thing is great though!

As a long time fan of Liliput, it is fantastic that I can finally put to rest my old (and worn out) 45's of this band. Their radical and completely unique approach to punk is as vital as it was 20 years ago. If you do not own this CD, BUY IT NOW! It will change your life!

And you don't have to pay $200++ in an online auction for it anymore either!! Needless to say, this hasn't (and won't) leave my CD player for some time. I'll echo everyone's praise but add that this firmly embraces the spirit of D.I.Y. better than almost anything else (and to be cliche' ridden, I'll add that it's alot more interesting than what 99.9% of bands today are up to....) I can think of; very much the sound of folks having a good time in the studio doing their own thing (Gee, makes me want to take my Les Paul out of mothballs and start my own band......). What more can you ask for??? 'Nuff said....